Roti or Phulka is a healthy unleavened flat bread made out of wheat flour that can be enjoyed with any curry. The wheat flour is filled with fibre and is rich in proteins. This unleavened flatbread is soft, light, wholesome and easy to wrap around any morsel of food. The Rotis or Phulkas are rolled out in a circle and cooked on a hot griddle.
The choice of grain varieties for making Indian bread doesn’t stop at wheat flour. Flour types ranging from maize-makki, lentils-daal, millet-bajra, sorghum-jowar, rice etc. are a few used for creating a vast array of Indian breads, hailing from different regions of the country. I will try to experiment and share as many varieties as possible in future posts.
Roti or Phulka is a basic part of a main meal made everyday in most homes. So, today, I am going to share the non-fancy, to the point Roti or Phulka recipe :D. You just need a little patience and practice to be able to roll out the perfect roti.
Steps to make soft Roti or Phulka:
Watch Quick Video:
How to make Roti Soft and Fluffy – Phulka Roti Recipe
Making Dough:
- Take whole-wheat flour in a bowl, add salt, little oil and some yoghurt.
- Mix well so that the oil, salt and yoghurt spreads evenly.
- Add warm water and start kneading the flour with your hand. Continue to knead and make sure you add water little by little. If you add all the water at once then the flour will become too sticky to handle.
- Gluten strands have to be formed otherwise it will be difficult to roll the rotis. So apply pressure with your fist and knead the flour.
Continue to knead till the dough becomes soft. The final dough consistency should not be very soft or hard.- Keep the dough covered and leave it aside for at least 30minutes.
NOTE:
Although you can make the rotis straight away after kneading the dough, but, this waiting period helps to get soft rotis. You can also use a food processor to knead the dough.
Rolling Roti or Phulka:
- Now make small to medium (golf size) balls of the dough. Roll the balls in the palms of your hands.
- Flatten the ball, sprinkle some whole-wheat flour over it and roll it to a flat disc.
Frying Roti or Phulka:
- Heat the griddle over medium flame. Place the rolled roti on the griddle and cook for a few seconds and flip it to the other side.
- Cook till you see small bubbles with brown spots. Make sure you don’t fully cook it.
- Now, remove the griddle from the flame and place this half cooked roti with the help of a tong on direct flame.
- You can see that the roti starts to puff up. Turn and keep the other side on flame. The roti will puff more.
NOTE:
Avoid burning the rotis and also don’t overdo it as roti will not be soft and will become crisp and hard.
- You can also cook the roti directly on the griddle and use a spatula or anything (a wooden press or even a folded kitchen tissue as shown below) to apply pressure around the circumference, which will help puff up the roti.
- Remove and brush the rotis with ghee/butter to keep them soft for a long time. You can avoid ghee (as I do), if you serve the rotis hot.
- You can also wrap them up in a napkin or foil and serve later.
- Serve hot rotis/Phulkas with any side dish of your choice. Today I’m presenting with Baingan ka Bharta.
A Quick Summary:
Roti/Phulka Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons yoghurt
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup or required warm water to knead flour
- Little wheat flour for dusting while rolling Rotis
Instructions
- In a wide bowl add whole-wheat flour, oil, salt, yoghurt and mix with water to knead slowly to make a pliable and soft dough. Cover the dough and keep it aside for at least 30min. You can use your hand or a food processor to knead the flour.
- Now make medium sized balls of the dough and roll it to a flat roti by sprinkling some flour
- Heat the griddle over medium flame. Place the rolled roti on the griddle and cook for a few seconds and flip it to the other side. Cook till you see small bubbles with brown spots.
- Now remove the griddle from the flame and place this half cooked roti with the help of a tong on direct flame until the roti starts to puff up. Flip it to the other side and repeat.
- Brush rotis with ghee/butter to keep them soft for a long time (optional).
- Serve hot rotis/Phulkas with any side dish of your choice.
My Notes:
- Adding yoghurt or milk along with some oil while kneading the dough will give very soft rotis.
- Using hot water to knead the dough also gives soft rotis.
- Getting the right consistency of the dough is very important.
Hope you enjoyed my version of Roti or Phulka Recipe!! Do check out other INDIAN BREADS and pair with VEGETABLE GRAVY RECIPES or NON VEGETARIAND RECIPES from blog!!!
Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!
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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.
Happy Cooking ????
Cheers!!
Padma.
