I’ve been inspired since my father-in-law was in town to make my own roti for dinner. We usually use the frozen dough from the Asian market, which are easy and taste good. The problem with them is that they’re rather expensive. It’s about $7-8 per 30 pack, which is significantly higher than it is to make them at home. These roti Indian style flatbread are easy to make at home and do not require any proofing time.
I was making some aloo gobi, which goes best with a side of bread, and realized we were out. The nearest Asian market is about 30 minutes from our house due to road construction and I was not about to run there for one thing, so I took to making them how my in-laws do.
I used whole wheat flour, which uses slightly less water than refined flour, but it is higher in fiber. The texture is a bit harder than refined, but I’ll leave it up to you on what type of flour you want to use.
How To Make Roti Indian Style Flatbread
It’s really not nearly as hard as you’d think to make these flatbreads. All you need for ingredients is flour, oil, salt, and water. Start by mixing together salt and flour. Add the oil and slightly mix it in. Finally add the water little by little. You’ll use approximately 1/3-1/2 cup water for these, you’ll need to add it based on the texture.
Dough is Confusing
The texture of the dough when you’ve mixed it all together should be slightly sticky, but not wet feeling. It should form a ball easily and have some give. You won’t get the gluten development in these like you would in a traditional bread dough, so don’t worry about kneading for 30 minutes. Once you’ve mixed the dough together and it’s relatively smooth, divide into four pieces.
Once you’ve divided it, roll each piece into a round ball and then roll them out to thin pieces. They shouldn’t be much thicker than about 1/8″ or so. The thinner they are the better they cook up. Once you’ve rolled one out, place it on a non-stick pan or tawa and cook until you see bubbles form. Bubble formation is a sign that you should flip it (should be about 2 minutes on each side).
These are really good with your favorite Indian dish. Roti or chapati are much healthier than the typical naan that is found at restaurants. This is a typical food eaten in the home of Indian families, whereas naan is more of a special occasion food. For those of you who are trying to eat healthier, these are a great option to eat with sabzi or other protein dish. We use these along with our favorite, bhindi masala.
Chapati/Roti Indian Style Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup water (could use up to 1/2)
Instructions
- Mix together the salt and flour to a bowl. If the flour is lumpy, sift to remove any chunks.
- Add oil and mix into the flour.
- Slowly add the water, mixing as you go. Take care to not over water.
- Once a large dough ball is formed (it should be slightly sticky but not wet feeling), cut into four pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball. Then with a rolling pin, roll the balls into very thin pieces (at most 1/8″ thick).
- Repeat for each piece of dough.
- On a non-stick pan, heat the dough until small bubbles start to form. Flip and repeat. It typically takes about 2-3 minutes a side.
- They should start to puff up some, if not lots of air pockets form. This is a sign it's done.
- Repeat for all the dough balls.
- Serve with your favorite meal (aloo gobi, dal, chana masala, etc.)
Nutrition
If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me in the comments below or through email on the contact me page. Let me know what you think!
-Cassie 🙂