Products
Roti, Chapati (Flat Indian Bread)
March 21st, 2007 filed under Breads
Roti is also known as chapati or fulka. Roti is Indian flat bread made with whole-wheat flour. Roti is served with a variety of cooked vegetables, lentils, and yogurt.
Makes 8 Rotis.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (Use more as needed)
Also needed:
- 2 teaspoons ghee (clear butter)
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for rolling
Method:
- Mix flour, salt and water togather to make a soft dough (add more water as needed).
- Knead the dough on a lightly greased surface to make the dough smooth and pliable.
- Set the dough aside and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes or more.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
- Make smooth ball and press flat. Take 1 ball; press it in dry flour from both sides.
- Roll in to a 6-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling syrface, lightly dust the roti with dry flour. Tip: Use the dry flour just enough you need to roll the roti, too much use of flour will make the roti dry.
- Heat the skillet on medium high heat. Note: An iron skillet works best. To know if the skillet is hot enough, sprinkle few drops of water on the skillet. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.
- Place the roti over skillet.
- After roti start changing color and start puffing in different places flip the roti over.
- Flip again after a few seconds. Take a flat spatula and press lightly on the puffed parts of the roti. This will help the roti puff.
- Flip the roti again. The roti should have light golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Butter the roti, the side that is facing the skillet.
- Keep the rotis in a container with a paper towel covering the bottem.
- Tip: make sure to cover the container after each roti is made. This will keep the steam in and ensure the rotis are soft.
- Roti can be kept outside for up to 2 days wrapped in aluminum foil or in a closed container. For later use, roti can be refrigerated for 5-6 days.
With your video I finally managed to make yummy rotis.
A big “Thank You!” from Germany.
Nicole
What a great video! Mine also did not bubble up (though they still tasted good!) so I will look forward to hearing any additional hints about that. I will start by kneading more next time and maybe using more water. (They seemed too dry to bubble.) Anyway, thank you!
For as simple as these little breads look, it takes practice to start to get them right (the right dough, rolling it out, and the right stove temperature).
To puff, there has to be enough water to create steam while the bread is cooking. If a crack develops while cooking, the steam will escape but your bread should still taste good.
It’s a fine line between rolling it too thick or too thin. What’s important is to try to roll it evenly so one area isn’t thin and another thick.
Keep practicing! We’ve all been there.
Dear aunty,
I knead the dough well and keep it for 10-15 mins before making roti. But I don’t know why my rotis never puff up. My mother in India uses an iron skillet on which she keeps the roti for 5-10 seconds and then uses a ‘chimtaa’ or pair of tongs to keep the roti directly under the flame where it puffs up very well. But mine are always flat. Does the quality of flour also matter? I live in France.
regards
I tried your roti but I must have done something wrong. Mine didn’t bubble up and it was a little tough. Not sure where I went wrong.
Hi Gina,
Knead the dough well.
hello !!
i tried the recipe was great to make it im from south america and we dont have this kind of bread ,, was very easy to make and tastes very good ,, i really loved it ,, thank you for your recipe Manjula.
I love you Aunty .. you are the best [:)]
thank you very much for this recipe. where do you get this iron skillet in US and what brand is yours.
I’m testing this recipi right now
I got the tip from a swedish online community.
Your website is great. My goal is to test everything here, starting with Roti.
Ceep up the good work!
/Louisa in Sweden
Hi Manjula Aunty,
Thank you so much for this recipe and video. I am a student in US and tried making rotis first time and they turned out great with your help!!
Thank you!
Thank you so much! A son recently married into an Indian family. I need to learn how to cook the meals for future grandchildren. Also, roti helps to prevent bloating of my stomach and cuts down on craving for bread after eating only two. Thank you so much, I am going to practice cooking some roti now after seeing the mistakes I made before seeing your video.
Dee