How do you make the perfect chapatti(roti)?

Question

Mine alway come out a little hard, how do I keep them soft?

Answer 1

Hi... I make chapatti's atleast twice daily. Mine always come very soft and fluffy. This is how I do it:

- I add salt to the flour (I use the whole wheat unrefined flour to get all the fiber) and mix it well. Then add warm water, little at a time, to bring all the flour close to form a slightly sticky dough which is not too stiff or dry. Then knead the dough by the fold and press method (spread the dough with your knuckles in the bowl and fold it over and press down press down with your knuckles again.). Repeat this for atleast 3-4 whole minutes or until the dough has a smooth feel. If the dough is too stiff then add little water, if it is too sticky then add little flour. The more oyu knead, the sofer the chapatti.

- Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a lid and keep in a warm place or on the kitchen counter. Let it sit undisturbed for atleast 15-30 minutes.

- While rolling out the chapattis, use minimum flour. Roll the chapatti first from the centre out and back, rotating it. Then once it is little big, start rolling from the sides to evenly flatten the chapatti. This will prevent thick edges.

- Put the chapatti on mediumly hot tava. The moment you see small rising spots, reverse the side. Once the spots rise again, press very lightly with a wooden spatula, with a feather touch near the spots, to make the whole chapatti rise. Not all chapattis may rise.

- Finally store it in a casserole (which keeps hot food hot). Place a fine muslin or paper towel on the bottom and stack the chapatti one on top of the other. Close the lid after every chapatti you palce in. This will trap the heat and moisture and keep the chapattis warm.

- No oil is needed at all.

I hope this helps you!

Answer 2

i make nice soft lovely chapattis everyday so heres my take:

always use "white chapatti atta" - brown wont do

1) 2 cups of flour, and 2 teaspoons of oil,
knead the dough with boiling hot water - use a spoon initially as you keep adding water, add the water very slowly and keep knead slowly - then use your hands when the hot water starts cooling into the dough a bit... knead well and dont add too much water.

if you knead with cold or warm water, the chapattis will be hard - no matter what you do.

2) once the dough is nice and ready, cover it for atleast 10-15 minutes - the hot water will steam around, making the dough softer

thats a top tip

3) dip your fingers in some cooking oil and knead the dough again.

you are ready to roll !!

4) use some flour when you are rolling, to avoid sticking. roll out evenly with even pressure on sides and the middle

5) ensure the tava or gridle is hot when you place the roti on it.

6) turn the first side when you see tiny bubbles forming and the second side after about 5-7 seconds, press gently with a spadle and it will pop up like a baloon .

remove from the tava and apply some butter... yum !

guaranteed soft chapattis !!

remember it takes practice so be patient and keep trying :)

good luck and tell me how they turned out !

Answer 3

Chapatis (Indian flatbread) are the perfect accompaniment to most Indian dishes. Learn how to make them with this step-by-step photo tutorial on making Chapatis. Don't be fooled by the number of steps there are in this tutorial because making a single Chapati from start to finish, takes 1 1/2 to 2 minutes at the most! Chapatis are not difficult to make but the old saying "Practice makes perfect" was probably written for them.
All you need is:

2 cups wholewheat flour
Water (Using yoghurt or milk will give you super soft Chapatis! )
Salt to taste
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
This recipe makes roughly 12 Chapatis.

I have added link below to help you make the chapatis.

Happy cooking

Answer 4

Use a premium "atta " flour which is a mix of wholewheat and plain.

Add a tablespoon of veg oil and boiling water from kettle to mix

knead whilst still hot

The hot water starts the gluten working in the flour which makes the dough more malleble and this and the oil helps the texture

Make sure you knead dough till smooth and pliable , and then roll thinly

Answer 5

Add a little oil to the dough before you start making the dough leave your dough a little hard and keep it covered with a wet cloth for a while (10mts) Again take a tsp of oil on your hands and knead it for a few mts then roll your chapatis.

good Luck.
(took me 6 months of making chapatis every day to master the art) have patience and do not get discouraged.

Answer 6

I suggest that you have a look at Vicky Boghal's fantastic book "Cooking Like Mummiji" (Real British Asian Cooking). It has wonderful recipes in it, and one for roti - I've just had a look at it and I'm really hungry now!

Answer 7

In India, they mix the atta (wholewheat flour) with some of the whey left over from making paneer.
This method always results in soft chapatis.

Answer 8

A list of things could be going wrong:

*Add more water to the mix..
*Knead, knead, knead!
*keep the second stage chappatii well coated in ghee..
*moderate to hot pan..not too hot..experiment.
*this sound funny but some people put ghee in the pan...DO NOT DO THIS!!
*Wrap them (and the plate they are on) in tinfoil during and after you cook them.
*don't overcook them, small freckles on the surface is a good thing, flip them at this stage!!
Yummy.

Answer 9

If perhaps it's a fruit it includes seeds, otherwise it's a vegetable. And vegetables are usually grown in the ground while fruits are grown in trees.

Answer 10

LOL Yes I read the rest. Curiousity got the best of me LOL *throws you a star*