Mon 15 Jun 2009
Rotli or Roti is yet another type of unleavened Indian bread that can be enjoyed with any vegetable or curry. Rotli, as they are known in Gujarat, India, are rolled very thin making them light and soft. They are cooked in two different steps — first on a tawa (or skillet) and then finished off on the open flame making them balloon up. Try these wonderfully soft and fluffy rotlis, or rotis but be sure to make plenty — they go fast!
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour (Chapati Flour) – 2 cups
Salt – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Oil – 4 tsp
Warm Water – 3/4 cup
All-purpose flour – for rolling and dusting
Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix Chapati Flour and Salt well.
2. Add Oil and mix until all lumps are gone.
3. Add Warm Water a little at a time to form a medium soft dough ball. Do not overwork the dough.
4. Add few drops of Oil and coat the dough ball. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. Heat Tawa or skillet on medium heat.
6. Knead the dough once and divide into golf ball size balls.
7. Dip one ball into the All-purpose flour to coat and roll it out into a thin disc. Keep dipping the rotli into the dry flour to prevent it from sticking to the rolling surface.
8. Shake or rub off excess flour from the rotli and place it onto the hot tawa.
9. Flip to the other side once you see bubbles appear on the surface. Allow it to cook for 10-15 seconds.
10. Increase the stove heat to High, gently pick the rotli up with tongs, remove the tawa off of the flame, flip the rotli over and place onto an open flame.
11. The rotli should balloon up. Flip it over and cook on the other side.
12. Place the cooked rotli into an insulated container and smear it with Ghee or clarified butter and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Makes approx 12 rotlis.
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Please Note: It's summer and we are spending time with our families or taking vacations. We may not be able to answer your questions as fast as we'd like. Please bear with us. Before you ask a question, we request you to scan the comments section to see if your question has been answered before. This will help reduce duplicate questions and the need to repeat the answers. We appreciate your support on this. |
64 Responses to “Rotli (Roti) Indian Bread Recipe”
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Please Note: It's summer and we are spending time with our families or taking vacations. We may not be able to answer your questions as fast as we'd like. Please bear with us. Before you ask a question, we request you to scan the comments section to see if your question has been answered before. This will help reduce duplicate questions and the need to repeat the answers. We appreciate your support on this. |
June 15th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
hai
I saw ur video on roti can u please tell me how to do on electric stove since we dont have Gas stove.
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Hi Kanchana,
Some of the larger Indian grocery stores sell a wire mesh with a handle (almost like a tawa made of mesh) or a metal plate with holes in it that has a handle. You can put this over your electric stove and place the half cooked roti on it to puff up.
[Reply]
Satya Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Kanchana – When you use the wire mesh make sure the stove is on highest setting… to puff up the roti you need to have the rods real hot – it will be rubbery if you tried over medium setting. What I did was leave one stove on high and the other on medium where you have the tava.
I learnt it the hard way
[Reply]
Riya Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Hey Kanchana,
You can also puff up the rotis in the microwave oven. Place the half cooked roti on the glass tray and cook it for 8-10 secs. The microwave timings may vary from oven to oven. Try out!
June 15th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Hi didi’s,
Can u tell me which brand of atta you prefer using for this roti.
I remember u telling Laxmi brand for chapati.
Kindly reply since this would help many indians living here in US.
Thanks in advance,
Priya
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Hi Priya,
We use Laxmi brand atta for both chapati and roti.
[Reply]
Priya Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Thanks Hetal didi for ur prompt reply.
[Reply]
June 15th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
hi, you super ladies
I can’t find the right words to describe you. You are dedicated, honest and hard working I appreciate all your efforts .Hope you gain the best in life and I pray I can achieve something good as I love Indian cuisine
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Thank you…you are too kind!
[Reply]
June 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Dear Hetal and Anuja,
My mother was very particular about how we rolled and cooked rotli, paratha, thepla etc…….. Here is the trick she taught us:
After we are done rolling the rotli we need to put rotli on tawi so that the top part on the patlo (Orsiyo) goes down on tawa then we cook rotli as usual. That way up side that we rolled becomes the right side of the rotli!!.
You need pay a little attention on how you transfer rotli from patlo to tawa and you will know what I mean………….
Regards
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 17th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Hi Beena,
Great point! Thanks for mentioning it.
[Reply]
June 17th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Hi,
Why do you use all-purpose flour for rolling and not the same whole wheat flour.
Thanks,
Mamta
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Hi Mamta,
Since all-purpose flour is milled to a finer texture than regular whole wheat flour, it allows you to roll the roti very thin and does not leave a gritty feel.
[Reply]
Narmada Reply:
March 28th, 2010 at 1:05 am
I tried using all purpose flour for rolling and it was much better and easier than whole wheat flour. chapathi flour is coarse but maida is soft and easy to roll. great tip from you guys
[Reply]
June 18th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Hi,
Can we do the dough in the food processor like we do for other Chapatis?
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
You can make the dough in the food processor, but it tends to overwork the dough. With rotli, the less you knead the dough, the softer they are.
[Reply]
June 18th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hi,
Esp they dont puff up from the centre..Is it coz they are not thin enough? 
I tried this..The dough n all looked perfect but I somehow just cant get them to puff or be soft.Mine are like Pappad..
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 18th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
The main reason they will not puff is the way you roll them. If they are rolled evenly, they will puff even if they are thick. If your rotli did not rise in the middle, it may be that it was rolled too thin in the middle and the edges were thick. While rolling, run your fingers over the surface of the rotli and you will be able to feel where the thick and thin parts are.
[Reply]
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 am
Hi girls!!
Can you please post the recipe for NAAN!!
[Reply]
June 25th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hey hetal/anuja
i just loved the way you showed to make roti… mine is actually electrical coil…. so wen i tried to make rotis iam getting the marks of the cooil…. is there any alternate way for making rotis in electrical coil…..
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
June 25th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Some of the larger Indian grocery stores sell a wire mesh with a handle (almost like a tawa made of mesh) or a metal plate with holes in it that has a handle. You can put this over your electric stove and place the half cooked roti on it to puff up.
[Reply]
June 25th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Guys
Thanks a lot for the prompt replies… let me try getting now…
Keep up the good work… i swear i would be helpless without your website…
Cheers
Shobana
[Reply]
July 6th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Hi Hetal,
Where did you buy your tongs and insulating dish.
thanks,
sushma
[Reply]
anuja Reply:
July 7th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
The tongs are available at most of the stores that carry kitchen items including stores like Target, Walmart, Kohls etc.
The insulated container for the roltlis is available at our kitchen store:
http://showmethecurry.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/29?osCsid=4hoda80rvie14f6m4q51cq43a3
Hope that helps!
[Reply]
July 17th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Hi Anuja and Hetal,
I have the same problem as some others. My stove is electric. I found a round mesh screen with a handle at Walmart. They are normally used as splatter screens for pots and pans, but they work great to put the roti on and then you can either put it directly onto the electric coil after cooking on the tava, or you can hold it a tiny bit above almost touching. Believe it or not, I finally got roti to puff up!!! They are very inexpensive screens from Walmart. Thanks again so much for all your great videos.
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Hi Judy,
Thanks so much for letting us and other viewers know your feedback on the splatter screens. Many people have been asking and now they will know where to get them.
Cheers!
[Reply]
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Thanks a lot for all your recipes. It makes so much sense to watch videos and getting those little little tips. I am a vegatarian full-time working mom
who doesnt have enough time in the morning to make chappti for lunch so forcefully surviving on Veggie-Delight Subway Sandwich. Please give me tip how to make chapatis in the night which remain soft and good for next day lunch.
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
August 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Hi Sandy,
If you use our chapati (paratha) recipe or this Rotli recipe, they will stay soft the next day as well. The rotli tend to be softer. We keep them in an insulated container. There is no need to refrigerate if you will be using them up by the next day.
[Reply]
October 20th, 2009 at 3:56 am
Hi,
I followed your directions for flat bread (sorry I do not remember the proper name) and I was so happy to make these for my family. They turned out very soft and usable for rice. I was trying to relocate that video to share on my blog and I watched this one and now I have to try this one.
Thank You
Eyveneena
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
October 20th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Hi Eyveneena,
The flat bread video you tried was probably “Paratha (chapati)”. Here is the link:
http://showmethecurry.com/breads/chapatti.html
[Reply]
November 5th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Hello Ladies,
You are doing a fabulous job and my family is loving all the dishes I’ve tried so far. We are not whole wheat flour lovers so can I substitute all purpose flour instead and keep the rest of the recipe same?
Thank you!!!
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hi Geeta,
If you use the whole wheat chapati atta (flour) from the Indian grocery store, it tastes pretty good – different than the whole wheat flour at American grocery stores. If you use all-purpose flour, the roti will be very chewy.
[Reply]
Lena Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 1:23 am
Hi Hetal!
I LOVE showmethecurry.com. You & Anuja are AMAZING!!! I am making Panir Makhani tonight, with the homemade paneer recipe
I’ll let you know how it goes! this is my first time cooking an indian meal from scratch.
I live in a small town & cannot find Chapati atta, but i have found a Fine-Grind organic Whole Wheat flour…do you think this would be ok or would the results be the same as using the coarse whole wheat flour (gritty & chewy)?
Also could i use the whey from the Paneer instead of the water in this recipe?
Thanks in advance, keep up the great work!!
[Reply]
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:07 am
Hello!
Thank you so much for your recipe! Believe me or not, in an attempt to make the rotis fluff, I am on the verger of pulling my hair.
I wanted to ask Judy, (or anyone who could help) if she could give the exact name/brand/link of that splatter screen? I have bugged the hell out of my local indian store’s manager, but apparently they don’t carry it.
Secondly, you said that the coil has to be on MAX in order to fluff the roti. To clarify, did you mean to say that the splatter screen should remain on that coil too or should it be lifted slightly up while you put the half cooked roti on it? And do you remove the splatter screen from the coil after you are done fluffing the roti up; while cooking on the other coil? If yes, I hope the screen doesn’t get messed up because of such high heat?
Thank you so much for your help. At this point, my rotis have almost driven me desperate.
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Hi Hira,
We have a gas burner so have not tried the splatter screen method. However, you would not need to keep the screen on the coil the whole time. Just remove your tawa and replace it with the screen when you’re ready to fluff. Maybe some other viewers who use this method can clarify further.
[Reply]
Hira Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Hello Hetal!
I finally did it!!! That same day when I asked you the question, I bought this wire mesh thingy from an Indian store, and voila! My rotis puffed up as if I pumped in some air in them! The result: soft (and round) rotis. That night I heartly enjoyed my dinner, as I was eating dry paapad rotis for the past two weeks.
I really want to thank you, your website, and the ladies here who gave the suggestion of using the wire mesh.
Keep rocking!!!
P.S.: A friend of mine made Pineapple Souffle once. Too bad, I forgot to take the recipe, and he has relocated elsewhere. Would it be possible for you to upload the recipe for this dish?
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Awesome! We’ll put Pineapple Souffle on our list to do. It is a long list so hopefully, you’ll be patient
.
February 1st, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Hi!
Guess I am back with another problem: My rotis are now ‘bursting’ from side when I put them on the wire mesh to puff them up. Those holes are primarily on the edges of the roti, but sometimes they also appear in the middle causing the steam to escape, and the rotis will not puff up a lot.
I dont know what I am doing wrong – the dough is soft, I roll out the roti evenly (by feeling with my hand). I am using the right type of tong you showed in the video. Neither do I press really hard while tranferring the roti from tawa to the wire mesh.
Could you suggest something that might help me get rid of this problem?
Thanks a ton guys!!!
Hira
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Hi Hira,
We usually say not to knead roti dough too much because the gluten in the flour makes the roti tough when the dough is kneaded too much. In your case, you might want to knead the dough a little longer so that it is not so soft that it bursts.
[Reply]
February 6th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Hi,
I tried your recipe for roti, came out ok. I couldn’t puff it coz I haven’t got a wire mesh yet. I would like to know if I can use a tortilla press to roll the roti.
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Hi Ayaan,
Personally, I have mixed feelings about tortilla presses. They work great for some things like pani puri. However, for larger things I feel that it does not roll out enough. It may be good to press the dough in the press (just to get it started) and then finish it off with a rolling pin. It may help you get a nice round shape.
[Reply]
March 4th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Can you please tell me what your cup size is for measurements? I believe it’s different in different countries.
Thanks
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Hi Min,
In the US, a standard cup measures 8 fluid ounces.
[Reply]
Min Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Hetal,
That’s fine for the water measurement (Warm Water 3/4 cup = 6 fl.oz), but what about the non fluid item? ie. Chapati Flour–2 cups.
Thanks
[Reply]
April 18th, 2010 at 12:09 am
Hi Hira,
Sorry I did not see your post at the time. My mesh screen came from walmart and they also sell in Target in the kitchen department where you find vegetable peelings spatulas, tongs, etc. Our Indian markets don’t seem to carry them so I had to improve with the mesh screen. I hold mine about an inch or two above my electric stove so they dont’ get burn marks. Glad you found one!!!!
But with your bursting, I had an idea what it might be. When you put a roti over a flame usually the diameter of the flame is smaller than the roti, so perhaps it you hold the mesh over one of the small coils, it might not cause it to burst. The mesh over the large coils might be causing the problem. Also, I can’t roll well at all, but a manual tortilla press will help with making them even all over.
[Reply]
May 25th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Hi,
First of all, I love your website. Recipes are brilliant!
I was hoping you could help me with the following problem: when I cook chapatis they sometimes get a bit hard. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong, do I use too little water maybe? I hope you guys can tell me what might be the cause of the hard chapati!
Thanks
Martha
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Hi Martha,
Our measurements are pretty accurate so if you use them, your chapatis should come out fine. One trick we use is to put them in an insulated container immediately as they come off the stove. They remain hot and soft for quite a while.
[Reply]
martha Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Hi Hetal,
Thanks for your reply. I was wondering though how many grams are 1 cup?
Thanks again
Martha
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
May 27th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Hi Martha,
One cup (8 fluid oz) of whole wheat flour is approx 120 -125 grams.
June 3rd, 2010 at 2:40 am
good job martha
[Reply]
July 19th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Hi I was wondering what kind of oil you use?
Thanks!
[Reply]
anuja Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Hi Jaidin,
Did I confuse you? If you have to pick one, Canola would work for everything 
For our regular cooking we use Canola Oil, for Italian cooking we use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and I use Mustard Oil/ Sesame Oil/ Coconut Oil for certain traditional cooking
[Reply]
July 28th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Thanks for the easy to follow recipe! My dough is resting right now. I’ve read that you can use whey instead of or in addition to water to make the roti softer. Do you know anything about this? I made paneer earlier, so I used the whey in my roti dough. We’ll see how they turn out… I also don’t have atta, so I mixed whole wheat flour with a bit of all-purpose.
[Reply]
July 29th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Good tip about using maida for rolling.. the rotli were whiter..
[Reply]
August 9th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
You guys are doing a great job & i am a huge fan of your website.. my cooking has improved a great deal after watching your site..keep up the good job…
[Reply]
August 11th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
hi.. can u tell me.. if we want to pack roti for luch..
how can we pack the roti.. i mean should we pack hot roti in foil paper or.. after some less hot..?
[Reply]
anuja Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Hi Shruti,
Warm the Roti and make sure you add some ghee or oil so they remain moist, wrap them in a foil and then take them in an insulated lunch box. Parathas are great for lunches too
[Reply]
shruti Reply:
August 21st, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Thanks Anuja!!!
[Reply]
August 12th, 2010 at 12:11 am
Hi, you guys are awesome!!! Thanks for this recipe.
I wondered what is the name of the little rolling pin you used? I’ve seen bigger ones at my local Indian shop but not one that small.
Christine
Auckland, New Zealand.
[Reply]
anuja Reply:
August 12th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Hi Christine,
It is also known as a rolling pin, any of them that you get used to (and you hands are comfortable with), works well. In hindi it is called “belan” (pronounced bay-len)!
[Reply]
September 1st, 2010 at 8:07 pm
hi girls,
we have a glass top stove
the rotli’s on there are no where close to how they are on the gas stove. My husbands says they are “chavad” i guess thats rubberry? what should i do? a friend recommended rice flour instead of all purpose what do you think of that?
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hi Dhara,
There is nothing quite like “chavad” rotlis
I have never used a glass top stove so am wondering…do you initially cook the rotli on a tawa and then put it directly on the glass to puff? And, is putting it directly on the glass what is making it rubbery? The dough has oil in it so that should prevent it from getting chewy. The dry flour that you use for rolling should not affect the “chavad” part. It is mainly just to make the rolling easier. What brand of chapati flour do you use? Sometimes, the brand makes a big difference. We have found Laxmi to work really well.
[Reply]
Dhara Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Hi Hetal,
I do use laxmi. After the tawa i put it on the mesh screen not straight on the glasstop…maybe i’m kneading it wrong?
[Reply]
hetal Reply:
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Hi Dhara,
Seems like your method is correct. Regarding the kneading, you should not knead the dough too much. Over kneading releases the gluten in the dough and makes the rotli tough. Knead it only until the dough comes together. Also, it should only be cooked lightly on the tawa. Don’t wait for too many brown spots to appear before putting it over the flame.