How do you make a soft roti?

Roti or Pakistani version of a soft flatbread is a staple and a must have with pretty much every sabzi vegetable), kabab, or salan(curry).

Roti, unlike naan, is made on a tawa(flat plan) over a gas stove and is eaten more often than naan. Most families buy a 10kg bag of Atta (flour) in the beginning of the month and make rotis at home. Buying naan for every meal is not very common in Pakistan.

Rotis are generally preferred hot off the stove. Growing up my mom would crunch out a roti/minute for the family. She would make hot rotis while everyone was eating and was usually the last person to eat. This was definitely my least favorite part about the entire roti making process.

Good news is you can make and eat rotis anytime! Surprisingly or not so surprisingly, it is very easy to mess up the dough and turn the roti into a pappad(crunchy bread).

So how do you make a soft roti? I am going to share my mom's very simple everyday roti recipe that is also pretty healthy!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2-1 cup hot water

Making Dough Traditional Way:

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add salt

2. Begin adding water slowly into the flour and mix with a spatula (since the water is hot)

3. Once the mixture reaches a crumbly texture, you can stop adding water and begin kneading the dough with a moist hand. A good kneading taken 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before you start making dough balls.

Modern Alternative:

This is how I make dough for roti!

1. Put flour and salt into KitchenAid bowl with a dough hook or flex edge attachment.

2. Start mixing on speed 2 while slowly pouring in water. Increase the speed to 4 and mix for 3 minutes. Voila, the dough is ready!

Making Roti:

1. Make 2 inch dough balls and flatten it on a pre-floured surface. Start rolling out the dough ball with a rolling pin into a circle. Rotate the roti 45 degrees every 10-15 seconds to make sure its even all around. Dust flour on the roti as needed so it doesn't stick to the surface. Aim for a roti with a 6-8 inch diameter.

2. Transfer the roti on a sizzling hot tawa(flat pan) and flip it over once you see little air bubbles forming. Press with a paper towel or a spatula to expand the roti with steam. Don't flip the roti too many times as it can make your roti stiff.

3. Once the roti has beautiful brown spots on both sides and is cooked, remove from heat and cover in a linen cloth.