How to make a Roti

What is a Roti?

Rotis are flatbreads and a great way to eating healthier meals. This is because the flour used in making Rotis is 100% whole wheat flour that is naturally high in fibre and low in saturated fat.  

It’s no wonder charities dedicated to improving people’s health, like the The British Heart Foundation and Heart UK, recommend eating Rotis as part of a healthy diet. 

By replacing bread, muffins, rolls and other ready-made products with Rotis, you can easily reduce the number of preservatives and additives in your diet. And you’ll find that by adding Rotis to your repertoire of recipes, you can find new ways to healthy and delicious meals, that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

They are cooked using a special flour that is finely milled. There are many variations of this flour but my recommendation is Chakki ki Atta. It can be found in most supermarkets and on Amazon.

To make 2 or 3 medium sized Rotis or more smaller.

Ingredients for a Roti

• 150g Chakki Atta
• 200ml water
• Large mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• small wooden spoon
• 1 or 2 spatulas
• extra flour for dusting.

Steps to make a Roti

Tip the flour into the bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Slowly add all the water, combining with the spoon. Continue to stir the ingredients until they begin to bind. When it gets too difficult to stir, use your hands squeezing the ingredients together to make a dough.

If the mixture is too sticky add 1 tablespoon of of flour.  If it’s too floury and not sticking together then add splashes of water until it binds. Knead the dough until it takes on a smooth slightly elastic feel. This normally takes around 2-3 minutes.

If you have time, leave the dough to ‘rest’ for 5 minutes but it’s not necessary.

Divide the dough into two or three pieces and form into balls using flour to prevent sticking. Take one dough ball and lay onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough ball and roll into a disc shape. Dust your rolling pin with flour each time the dough sticks. Flip the Roti and dust with flour again. Keep rolling until it is approx. 2-3mm thick. Don’t worry too much about the shape – if it’s not a quite a circular shape, that’s fine.

Next switch on the heat under the frying pan. The pan needs to be hot.  2-3 minutes on full power. Then reduce to a medium heat.

Pick up the uncooked Roti – and place in the pan. This can be done in several ways: Flip the base onto the palm of one hand and place in the pan – difficult but the quickest method. Or use a large spatula or two to quickly transport the dough base to the pan.

If it all goes wrong and the dough collapses or breaks during transportation, simply roll the dough into a ball and start again.

Using a spatula flip the Roti after 30 seconds or when you can see a subtle change in the colour of the dough. Flip again after a minute. You may notice bubbles of air appear. This is a  good sign and means the dough is cooking inside. If the bubble grows large, take a spatula and gently push the top of the bubble until it deflates the Roti.

CAUTION – Ensure this is done slowly as steam from within the bubble is dangerously hot and can scald.

Your Roti should be cooked within 3-4 minutes.  Repeat the method for the second (and third) ball of dough. Take a bite of the Roti while it’s still warm and without any toppings. Delicious. Some people like to brush a little butter or olive oil onto a Roti – but I prefer them plain.