Roti Recipe

5 from 19 votes

The ultimate guide to making homemade roti, a whole wheat, unleavened Indian flatbread to scoop up curries and sabzis with. Watch video with detailed directions on making the softest, most delicious rotis.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Resting time for dough30

Total Time1 10

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: rotis

Calories: 94kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Bowl
Cast iron or nonstick griddle (tava or comal)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat atta flour (can use white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour)
½ teaspoon salt
Water (I need approx 1 ¼ cups but this can vary by weather and temps in your area)
2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (approx, for brushing on the rotis. You can use cooking spray, or no oil at all. Rotis made without oil won't be as soft)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the roti dough

Place two cups of flour in a bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer or food procesor with the dough blade fitted. If you are new at this I recommend just using your hands until you get a better sense of how the dough should feel). Trickle in water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Continue kneading for at least five minutes until the dough is really smooth and supple.
Rest the dough: Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a tight lid or a damp kitchen towel. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
Divide the dough: You can make rotis large or small. I like mine between seven and eight inches in diameter so I divide the dough into 12 balls. If you prefer smaller roti, make smaller balls of dough (you should also start smaller if you are new at rolling rotis). Keep the dough balls covered while you roll out each roti.

Roll the rotis

Using a rolling pin, roll the rotis into even and fairly thin rounds. See the expert tips below for more guidance on how to do this and be sure to watch the video. I was working in an awkward position with the camera between my face and my hands so my movements are not as smooth as they should be for an experienced roti maker, but you'll get the idea.
(To make ghadichi poli, you need an additional step of oiling the dough, folding it, then rolling it again. Watch the video to see exactly how this is done.)

Roast the roti

Heat the griddle. You need a flat griddle to bake the rotis (an Indian tava, which is made of very thin cast iron, or a comal, which is used for tortillas and is thicker, are both fine). Make sure the griddle is very hot but not smoking when you place the roti on it. There's no need to oil the griddle.
Almost as soon as you place the roti on the hot griddle you should see it turning opaque. Use a wadded up napkin or cheesecloth and carefully, making sure you don't burn your fingers or use too much force, press down on the edges of the roti, moving it a little bit at the same time so it roasts evenly.
As soon as you see air bubbles form, flip the roti. Brush on some oil or some cooking spray at this point.
Flip once more and continue pressing down very gently on the edges to help the roti puff up. Whether or not the roti will puff depends entirely on how evenly you rolled the roti. If you have very thin spots it won't puff up.
Flip one more time so the oiled side is up. Let the roti bake just a few seconds--you want some golden spots but you don't want the roti to brown all over or become stiff.
Keep the roti warm and soft until serving. To do this wrap the baked rotis in a soft kitchen towel that absorbs any steam. Preferably eat the rotis right after making them because they are softest at this point.

Video

Notes

Always knead the dough for at least five minutes after it comes together, until it is very smooth and supple but not sticky or tacky. It should be neither too soft nor too stiff. You can do this in a stand mixer, which makes the process much easier, but it is also easy to overmoisten the dough in the stand mixer if you aren't used to making roti dough. I'd advise mixing the dough by hand, if you are a novice, and once you have the right consistency pop it into the stand mixer for five minutes on medium-low speed. You can also just do the kneading entirely by hand--it's good exercise for your hand and very therapeutic.
Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes after kneading. This will help the dough relax and make it easier to roll the rotis/chapatis. Always keep the dough covered, either with a tight lid or a damp napkin.
Roll the rotis into even rounds. Rolling can often be the most challenging part of making rotis, and it's a skill you'll get better at with practice. One of the things to keep in mind is to not put too much pressure on the pin--you don't want to lean into it. Instead, use light pressure to keep the pin rolling--as you get better at it the rolling pin will feel like an extension of your arms, and the dough will move with the pin, creating perfectly round, even rotis. Try and roll them as evenly as possible, moving the roti around by a quarter turn after each roll. This will help them puff up on the griddle. An experienced cook can roll a roti quite thin, but if you are new at this you can make the rotis a little thicker so they remain even.
Flour the dough but only a little: You should flour the dough before and during rolling, if necessary, but don't add too much flour--just enough to keep the roti from sticking. It's a good idea to lift the roti after every couple of rolls and to flip it around occasionally. When you are done rolling, slap the roti between your palms to shake off any excess flour before baking the roti on the griddle.
Roast the roti on a hot griddle, but not too hot. Begin by heating the griddle over high heat, but don't let it get to smoking point. Do not oil the griddle. The griddle should be very hot when you place the roti on it. It should start drying up rightaway, and that's the point where you can go in with a wadded up kitchen napkin or cheesecloth and move the roti around to help it cook evenly. This will also help the roti puff up. (Watch the video to see how to do this). Once small bubbles appear, flip the roti.
Oil the roti. This is optional, but it really helps make the rotis soft. Use a brush to create a light, thin coating of oil. Alternatively use a cooking spray.
Wrap the rotis in a kitchen towel. Keep the rotis soft by wrapping them in a kitchen towel right after cooking. Ideally rotis should be eaten soon after cooking, when they have their best flavor and texture.

Nutrition