Making rotis is indeed an art, but certain ideas could make it better!!I had lost hope of making them initially as it never used to be soft & palatable.If kept for more hours it turned to be like Frisbee & could even chop off one’s head if thrown with more velocity.
Changing brands, adding milk, curd, other softeners, kneading with efforts, etc did not find any solution to my problem. Finally I came upon the whereabouts of making them. I cannot say as a masterpiece, but certainly it remains soft & moreover looks like chapati or so called roti!!
Ingredients
All you need is wheat flour, water to knead, oil & salt. To impart good softness, the kneading skill is very much important. What I do is, take 3 cups of whole wheat flour [100% wheat, no Maida added. I found Swad as a good brand] 2 tsp of any cooking oil, salt to taste and 1 to 1.5 cups of water [approximately, cannot say a specified quantity for kneading].
Kneading
Add all the ingredients together and mix properly. Keep kneading till it becomes like a smooth even surfaced ball. After kneading make the dough rest peacefully for 15 to 20 minutes. This is to make the gluten relaxed. Also keep the container packed where it is resting to avoid drying the surface. A wet cloth or kitchen napkin will also do.
Rolling
Make equal sized small balls or pedas out of this dough. Dust with flour. Here I take flour in a circular bowl & press the pedas along the base of the bowl towards the rim on both sides, So that the flour is evenly distributed & no need of extra dusting. Start rolling the pedas into chapati in round shape turning them clockwise & further rolling in between.
Toast them in griddle or a tawa. Set the temperature to medium flame [temperature also plays important role; if kept on high it becomes more hard & if on slow, uneven distribution of heat may not cause it to blow up]. You could see small bubbles blowing up on one side. Press & turn side. The roti completely blows up after turning them. Check the video to see how it blows up
Once completely blown take them from the tawa into a plate & if required, smear a tsp of oil or ghee on top of it.
Looks good.I think most of the time soft chapatis depends on what kind og flour it is.Swad is good,I agree.
Puffed chaptis look good Dhanya:)
-Yes ashaji, Here all of my friends use the same one & has a good feedback..
Dhanya
Those chapati’s do look soft. Usually i don’t have enough patience to knead for long or sometimes the time to rest the dough. So now i get it why these are important to get soft roti’s.
-Do give a try…Let your hands get some excercise…Sure u ll get those soft ones Pravi 🙂
Dhanya
Dhanya,about blog roll,check this site out below.Sign in and put the URLs.
http://www.google.com/reader/view/
Thats some good tips for a beginner!!! 🙂 Nice post Danya 🙂
-Thats the only one I know…Soon gonna try your MBP enteries:)
Dhanya
Dhanya, I do the same way as you do– once the roti is done, I brush them with oil both the sides, it stays softer for long time. I use pillsbury, but some of the indian grocery stores carry expired packets in the store….so I just pick some wheat flour which is not expired….will try swad soon…
-Yes Priya…Try Swad 100% wheat…also Swad stone ground is good!!
Dhanya
I have never been able to master the art of making roti.They become round all right but do not remain soft at all.I will surely try making it your way 🙂
– Keep practicing archana…One day u ll succeed like me:)
Dhanya
Dhanya, Those rotis look so soft. I knead with hot water.
-Thats the only thing i never tried…Let me try with that now…Thanx dear:))
Dhanya
Hi Dhanya…..making chapatis takes so much practice…and the type of flour makes so much of a difference…I had posted my version of chapatis too…I knead the dough with hot milk though…makes really soft ones….
I read your comment on the music….the music can be slow sometimes, depending on the traffic at my site…since the music is hosted on a web server, it can take a while to upload….but thanks for pointing it out, If it keeps happening, I’ll have to recode it.
Trupti
Its very true Trupti, you certainly require lots of practice in making roti…And at last succeeded:))
Dhanya
Hi Danya, thanks for stopping by my blog and I am so happy you did because I have discovered yours.
Roti/Chapati – that is the test of many Indian cooks here in the Caribbean. If you can make a good roti, you can cook. 🙂 It is the same sort of tests in various countries here also. In Barbados (where I live), if you can make Macaroni and cheese pie well – you can cook. In Guyana, (where I am from), if you can make curry, roti and cook-up rice, then you can cook; In Trinidad & Tobago same thing but instead of cook-up rice, pelau.
Thanx for stopping here too!!
Thats so nice to hear that your tradition & recipes matches our taste…Luv to try some of your recipes too:))
Dhanya
thanks a lot dhanya for making soft chappatis. i made it yesterday and after a long time i also learnt how to make soft ones.v v helpful ur
explantion.it was really a hit in our home
Hi,
I have tried all possible ways of making soft rotis just like you tried kneading with oil, milk, hot water, changing wheat brands, etc. Finally i ended up making puffy rotis, but still when kept for more than 2 hours, it is not soft. What am i doing wrong?
Hi Dhanya, nice and fluffy chapatis looks great.
I too agree with the brand. Not all the brands are giving dgood results.
Dhanya,
Your chapath’s do look soft and fluffy. I had the same prob too initially until i got hold of a good chapathi/ wheat flour. I use Bhavani atta and found this one to be the best among the others. The chapathis not only remain soft for hours but for days. I have tried Swad too but found this one to be even better than swad. Your step to step depiction about how to make the chapathis will surely come in handy for all the beginners and I must say your chapathis look really round.
Thanx for sharing.
Dhanya,
Chapathis look so beautiful and yummm!!
Thanks for the recipe and the whole explnation, its really nice!
I use Nirav whole wheat atta, will surely try swad next time!
-Anu
Dhanya, my chappathis used to be the same as mentioned earlier in your post…..it can really cut off anybody’s head if thrown. I got some tips from Annita and Shynee….It was Ok for 4-5 times, then again I had the same trouble… I switched the brand . I use 100% whole wheat Lakshmi brand now….and it turns out Ok. will sure give Swad a try next time. Thanks for all the tips. Nice work!
Btw, Happy vishu to you and your family.
Nice post Dhanya with the video. i agree getting the hold of the brand and art of making chapatis needs a good practice.
hi folks
sorry for sneaking into your zone….the other day i wanted to make roti ( after an unsuccessful attempt earlier ). i dont know how to knead the dough to make it soft. So I googled my way to this site. guess what i could not find the “procedure” to knead. So i took the matter into my hands and came up with a “good” idea.
now the process( the whole process takes less than 10 min)
—- take a vessel ( little hallow but relatively large area). put say 1 to 1.5 cups of “hot” water in it.
—-now sprinkle some salt in the water
—-now take the flour and sprinkle it on the hot water evenly till you fill the water, and more as you start kneading to make it soft
—-after some kneading add two tablespoons of oil and knead
i tried it and got soft dough!!!
Disclaimer: experience may vary from person to person, dough to dough ….
HI DHANYA,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I AM A CHAPATHI LOVER. BUT IN OUR HOUSES THEY WON’T PREPARE SOFT CHAPATHI. AFTER GOING THROUGH YOUR RECEIPE I TRIED ON MY OWN. I GOT A SOFT CHAPATHI. BUT NOT FULLY BLOWN. MAY BE DUE TO WHEAT FLOUR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IN THE SAME WAY IF TEACH HOW TO PREPARE JAWAR ROTI (MAHARASHTRA DISH) IT WILL BE VERY MUCH USEFUL WITH VIDEO CLIP.
HI DHANYA,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I LOVE TO HAVE CHAPATHI. BUT IN OUR HOUSES THEY WON’T PREPARE SOFT CHAPATHI. AFTER GOING THROUGH YOUR RECEIPE I TRIED ON MY OWN. I GOT A SOFT CHAPATHI. BUT NOT FULLY BLOWN. MAY BE DUE TO WHEAT FLOUR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IN THE SAME WAY IF YOU TELL US HOW TO PREPARE JAWAR ROTI (MAHARASHTRA DISH) IT WILL BE VERY MUCH USEFUL WITH VIDEO CLIP.
chechi ithellam chachi thanne cheythathano?????
am kidding. u know me i like chappathi very much . but here the chappathi amma makes doent suit my taste. for gods sake when ever u cme here plz prepare something like this specially for me….
Hi, I’ve just ‘discovered’ your blog, and was so glad to find this chapati recipe & instructions! I’m from Croatia, but I adore eating and cooking Indian food. I’ve been exploring it with generous help from Indian friends, through blogging and through my own attempts.
I tried making chapati a few days ago, and was looking for a chapati recipe. However, my internet connection was bad that day, and I managed to find only one, a rather basic one, with little tips, much needed to someone like me! I think using wholemeal flour only may have not been a good idea, either!
In any case, I’ll try your chapati, and some other dishes, and let you know how it went!
Thanks for posting the recipe!
Yupp do try & let me know!!
Dhanya
Hi, was just going thru google when i read ur recepie for chapatis ,i used to have the same problem but then a friend of mine told me to always use sharbati gehu ka atta in New Zealand we have Kohinoor which is made of sharbati gehu n since then have never had trouble of hard n crisp chapatis n they staynice n soft for a couple of days too.
Thanx Meher…Suggestions always make improvasition :))
Dhanya
hi
this is a very detailed explanation… thank you for this one…
Again, made wonderful chappathies with your recipe today. Perfect measurements dhanya. Also, your tip to knead very very well until soft and also to rest it for a while (covered), no matter what brand of flour we use, yields perfect chappathies. so again, thanks a lot Dhanya. 🙂
Thanks a bunch Rg
Dhanya
hmmm….that’ s a great explaination..looks like u r the real baker…its not only the brand..but the art of kneading n the resting time that also takes into count..but the videos were just neat n great..right now am using golden temple..but will try swad next time…
thannx
mamtha
Hi Dhanya (that’s a nice name)
I’m really interested in your recipe. i’ll try it next week. But before, I need to know how long you have to knead the dough. Can help me please?
Can I use breadmaker to knead it ?
thank you
Hey, Thanks a lot for the demo. I have also tried a number of permutation and combination to keep it soft but somehow after sometime they start getting hard.
But your demo sure will help! Thanks for the effort!
very lovely site.. i am going to try making chapatti your way.. mine is soft when i make it, but when i keep it, it becomes hard 😦 so will try your method.. Thank you. seema
Your roti looks delicious! They’re the perfect shape :). What a tasty recipe!
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KI Chief Blogger
I make soft phulka..Phulka is done without oil and my mother thought me this before marriage… In US houses with electric stove… GRRRRR… Only way it works is pat a couple of times, a small rough towel while keeping gas in medium flame… Phulkas come soft.
However, my mother couldnt teach me chapathis, as I got married then 🙂 She made wonderfully soft chapathis. So my chapathis turn out hard. If u add oil they are chapathis, that is the distinction. However I smeared oil only when chapathis are baking and not when making the dough itself.. Guess thats the mistake,
When you stuff with potatoes or other veggies they are called parathas.
Thanks, after visiting your blog I hope to make soft chapathis as well…
mm… thanks ))
Thanks for ur suggestions. I kneed well, roll them into round shape and they get puffed too… but my only problem is they do not stay soft for long. They get kind of dry… can anyone tell me a suggesstion? do i need to wrap them in some cloth i am not sure…. any suggesstion?