Roti (Buttery Indian Flatbread)
I can’t get enough of this Roti bread recipe! It’s a super easy and delicious Indian flatbread. It is amazing when served with a saucy Indian dish and is perfect for sopping up extra sauce. Use lots of butter!
Originally posted March 28, 2012
One morning last week I was rushing around trying to get baby Charlotte and myself out the door. We were late for playgroup, and directly after that we had several errands to run. I was trying to simultaneously dry my hair, feed Charlotte oatmeal, and get a package to my sister ready to take to the post office.
I finally had everything ready to go and in my arms: purse, diaper bag, Charlotte, package to my sister, keys. Wait, keys? Where are my keys? Nooooo!!!
After searching the entire house with a flashlight, I called Eric at work, exasperated. Can you check your pockets, you must have accidentally taken my keys. (I’m sure he could hear what I was really saying: This is all your fault. Sometimes I wonder why Eric puts up with me.) After he convinced me that he really didn’t have them, I dejectedly hung up and stared around my torn-apart house. Finally I decided to check my car. (Only after I fought the urge to grab my keys. How am I supposed to get in my car without the keys?)
So I took Charlotte with me down to the car, and there they were: sitting on the back seat in the unlocked car, fully visible from the window.
Sigh. At least we still have a car. And at least Eric got “I’m sorry” brownies later that day at work. I’m not entirely heartless.
How to make Roti – Indian Flatbread
This Roti flatbread is so delicious! I can’t get enough of it. It is really good by itself, but it is amazing when served with a saucy Indian dish, like this Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala I just posted, or this Slow Cooker Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce. It’s perfect for sopping up extra sauce. This recipe is super easy. It can be made ahead of time and re-heated in the microwave with good results. Use lots of butter! You only live once!
Mmmmm… look at those bubbles!
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Roti (Buttery Indian Flatbread)
Makes 6 roti adjust servingsI can't get enough of this Roti bread recipe! It's a super easy and delicious Indian flatbread. It is amazing when served with a saucy Indian dish and is perfect for sopping up extra sauce. Use lots of butter!
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (I have used both and can't tell the difference)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2/3 cup water
- lots more butter, for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour and salt. Add melted butter and mix in with a fork until flour is crumbly. Mix in water until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (I do all this in my stand mixer.) Cover and set aside for 45 minutes. (I have tried this with and without resting the dough and cannot tell a difference.)
- Divide dough into six equal parts. Form each part into a round. Roll out each round as thinly as possible; dust with flour if necessary to keep from sticking. (You seriously want to roll these out super-duper thin. Another tip: do not roll these out all at once and stack them with wax paper in between. It will stick to the wax paper and then you will want to tear your hair out. If you want to roll them all at once, spray wax paper with nonstick-spray, then stack.)
- Set a griddle to high heat, or if you are using a frying pan, set the stove a couple notches above medium heat. When the pan is hot, use a spatula to spread about a half teaspoon or so (eyeball it) of butter on the pan. The butter should melt immediately. Transfer very thin roti dough to the pan. Wait about 6 or 7 seconds, then flip the roti over. You may need to add more butter; if there is not enough, the roti will not be soft. Roti will cook in 30 to 50 seconds. You will know it is done when light brown spots appear on the side that is cooking. Flip the roti back to the original side (using more butter) just until the brown spots appear.
by The Food Charlatan
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Thanks for sharing this great recipe. Definitely gonna try this next weekend.
So simple – and sooo delicious.
This was my 1st attempt at making roti and it really didn’t disappoint: lovely result! Even my mother in law took seconds :-)
Very easy to do and very effective
I followed the recipe to the letter and the roti is the nicest I have ever had!! I used plain flour and kneaded in the cake mixer for 8 minutes with the kneading attachments. So absolutely delicious.
Would recommend placing a knob of butter on pan when you flip as well.
Thank you so much. Deb from lockdown 4 in New Zealand.
These are delicious. The fact that all of Southeast Asia uses these suggests that food appropriation doesn’t exist. Someone invented roti. Then other people adapted it to their own needs and cultures. As people always have. Cultures are fluid and don’t exist in a vacuum. All cultures have borrowed from others. This is not a power issue. And nobody from any culture “owns” roti. Changing something to make it more palatable for your tastes or easy to make, or to change the recipe to reflect available ingredients, isn’t in any way bad. And these are delicious.
Truly appreciate the way you made this roti recipe. Everything is so nicely described that really helped. Looking forward for more such recipes in future too.
Yes. I didn’t think it would be good because how good can flour, salt, water, butter be. Right? Well. It was SO GOOD! The only mistake I made was turning down the grill to quickly. Thank you.
Ha! This is what I think every time I make this. It’s so simple, how is it so good?? Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reviewing!
Ok so i accidentally mixed flour, water and melted butter, Just to see what it make. I googled it later ok and found this later! Thanks you giving me a delicious use of the dough!
I made the naan with garlic butter . The recipe is for naan bread . Roti bread bubbles up and has a pocket and you can fill it with Potatoes and cilantro or garlic and cilantro. my friend from India use to make it for me. Sadly she died from cancer. I miss her and her delicious food . thanks for posting the recipe . I have Fond memories with roti’s and naan
Roti worked beautifully the first attempt. Rolled out so thinly so cooked very softly. Yum with a prawn masala. Excellent.
These roti were so buttery, delicious and easy to make! I will definitely be using this recipe again and again.
I loved making this recipe. I had it once at a restaurant and this recipe taste just like it.
Easy to make and delicious. I am in heaven
Love this recipe, those breads are driving us nuts! Been trying to do nan breads for so long but these are far better.
I made roti bread for the first time using the recipe and we were all amazed at how easy the recipe was and how great the roti tastes! Thank you for sharing.
So happy to hear that Garbiela! Thanks for commenting!
This doesn’t look like roti… roti is darker and more flat. This looks more like paratha, which is more common in S India. Paratha is delicious! But it’s a different bread than roti.
Simple recipe. It was delicious paired with Fijian curry. Thank you!
So can you please tell me do you use plain flour or self raising flour. I’m confused.
Fran
Hi Fran, plain all purpose flour!
I used all purpose
Awesome. So easy. My favourite bread.
It’s a super easy and delicious Indian flatbread
I love this recipe so so good for a beginner roti maker like me. Yum!!
Easy to follow. thank you much for sharing!
Absolutely delicious, quick to make and the whole family loves it.
Love Indian food, please , send me what you can. Thank you.
Quick easy and delicious
This really came out. The additional note about putting more butter when frying to make them soft really helped. Loved them!
Thank you
Absolutely useless recipe 2 cups of water added to the other ingredients makes a batter like a Yorkshire pudding mix. Start with 1 cup at the very most and add if necessary.
Look again! It’s 2/3 cup water, not 2 cups😁
I actually scanned the comments before adding the water as I wasn’t sure if it meant 2 – 3 cups or 2 thirds of a cup. Could be clearer as I can see why some might think the latter. Glad I came across this!
Superb recipe! So glad I found it. Yeah!
Your rotis look great! Nothing like fresh warm roti with a slather of butter… YUM!
If you fry it earlier than when you need it for, is it ok to keep in oven or will it dry out? This happened with another flat bread I made which is why I’m asking. Thanks!
Hi Emma! I suppose it depends on how long you are planning to keep them in the oven. I think they would be ok on the “keep warm” setting (about 170 degrees F) for up to an hour. I would cover them with a tea towel probably. I haven’t tried this so I can’t guarantee results, but I think it would work! Let me know how it goes!
Awesome, omg I love it so much, it’s irresistible, it looks delicious and beautiful.
Thank you so much 💕,the easiest, best roti recipe.
This was awesome…. if you use butter do not add salt. You can also make this with butter and finish with olive oil or use olive oil for the entire recipe…..
Omg this was sooo good. Just like roti but easier to make….
I haven’t tried this with olive oil, good to know it works! Thanks for reviewing Shondel!
My dear that’s not roti
And we indian don’t use butter, we use ghee
And please don’t call it sauce it’s a gravy
Please fall indian chef and see the proper recipe.
Agreed… you need to be using Atta (whole wheat) flour for roti.
If you are using break or AP flour, then you’re making basically making a tortilla — the fact that you can’t taste a difference is a little weird (and neither would give you the same flavor as actual Roti).
Not sure why you
Thank you for your note about the whole wheat. I am trying that.
Is yhat 2/3 (two thirds of a cup) water, or 2 to 3 cups ????
Hi Jane, 2/3 is two thirds of a cup!
Very delicious and easy to make. I’ll make a bunch once, freeze too
This was so easy and Absolutely awesome delicious
made butter chicken perfect Complement with it everyone enjoyed this no leftovers.
Thanks so good will make again
So happy to hear you liked it Sylvia!! Thanks for reviewing!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I’m on thirds as we speak. I made two additions that I thought were nice. I added a fistful of rasins and a cinnamon stick. This is going on the list.
I followed all directions and made this and it came out dry. It also didn’t puff up or bubble up..Unsure if I need alot of butter on pan. It seemed to soak the dough when I put butter on pan to cook. I tried it two diff ways but didn’t turn out right, it didn’t bubble and soaked butter. I tried to roll it thin and thick it didn’t help same issue..
I used organic all purpose flour…maybe need self rising flour
.
This is Indian Naan Bread, not Roti. Atleast research about before posting. Both are 2 different thing.
That is incorrect Amit. Naan bread is leavened with yeast and is intended to be thicker than roti. Seeing as how this has no additional leavening agent (apart from the self-rising flour) and is rolled as thinly as possible this can not be considered naan. Perhaps you should consider your sources before correcting an author who is providing free content.
Great Roti recipe, just the way I like it. First time I’ve attempted to make flatbread and it was not only easy but delicious too. The whole family loved it, paired it with a butter chicken and lamb rogan josh.
nice bread works okay if doesnt rest full 45 mins as recipie suggests. 1 to 2 whole wheat makes a nice mixture.
Amazing. Such an easy recipe. It took me about 20/30 minutes maximum from weighing out the ingredients to putting it on my plate with my chicken curry. Very tasty. I would definitely make it again.
So happy you enjoyed it Andrea! Thanks for reviewing!
I’m not sure what kind of roti you’re trying to make, but Indian roti is not by any means buttery, and it’s made of whole wheat flour.
Roti is WW flour, water, and salt (per taste). That’s it.
this was delicious and easy to make whatever people wanna call it :)
My 10 yr old son made the dough and rolled it out. his sisters asked for a second helping of the flatbread. that’s saying something.
We had it with a chicken korma. And the kid also ate it with sugar.
thanks for the recipe :)
The roti CAN indeed be rolled out earlier and separated by lightly floured parchment sheets. No sticky!
I found I needed to change the amount of water as needed, but this is an excellent guide for rotis. Thanks!
Thank you so much! I love this recipe!
Wow – so good and so easy to make. I’ve been trying a lot of flatbread recipes lately but few use butter and the dough as a result is hard to get just right. But with the butter – they are soft and almost ‘flaky’. I used a little too much salt – but had it with left over rice which wasn’t quite salty enough – combined – perfection!
With respect to what is or is not Roti – I’ve enjoyed many varieties in Sri Lanka, India and the Caribbean. They all call it Roti – but no two were alike :) I’ll call this Charlatan Roti to satisfy the ‘purists’ below ;)
Charlatan Roti! I love it! Thanks for your input Jason!
Must use baking powder unless you use self rising flour, which in my opinion is too salty
Not a roti bro. Looks more like a naan. Also roti “bread/flatbread” is redundant. Roti literally means bread. And uses no butter. This isn’t a “spin” on roti it’s appropriation.
Whete is the baking powder?
Cant proceed without that?
I’m South Asian and this is not even remotely roti. Traditional roti is wheat flour and water. That’s it. My mom has made these everyday of my life.
This recipe looks really delicious and I will definitely give it a try because I have bread flour that I need to use. However, authentic roti chapati is made with a special flour called “atta”. This flour is what gives the chapati its signature texture and taste. How does this compare to that? Does it taste more like a tortilla?
Hey Bella! I’m not sure, I’ve never had truly authentic roti, I’ve never been to India. I just know that this recipe tastes delicious :) Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi Bella
The “atta” you have mentioned is Hindi (an Indian language) for flour.
In case of roti, we use wheat flour mixed with water to make authentic rotis. We do not use any baking soda.
Once the dough is kneaded we apply some oil on the surface to prevent loss of moisture and to get soft rotis.
Cheers
Hey, you left out the baking powder, 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of flour.
You would not have a roti without the baking powder.
I’ve never heard that Judy, thank for the tip! I’ll have to try it next time.
Thank you for taking the time to post your roti recipe. I’m a South African Indian and here we make many variations on roti. I commend you on trying and posting the recipe of something that’s out of your norm and that you have also helped other people try this too. To all the roti purists why don’t you post your authentic roti recipe instead of criticising. A big part of human nature is to be a critic. Once again well done for your efforts.
This is not at all a roti. It’s strange cause the allrecipes source you used is more authentic. However, you’ve made so many modifications that it doesn’t remotely resemble roti. It’s fine if you like the bread you made, but at least change the name from roti to buttery flatbread, cause the only common ingredient between roti and this is water (real roti uses atta/whole wheat flour + water; oil, salt, and butter/ghee are all optional additions). The cooking technique is also different because roti is not fried in butter, just finished with some ghee after cooking. Calling this recipe “Indian roti” will confuse people who are actually looking for an Indian roti recipe. It’s fine to represent/be inspired by another culture, but you need to research it first, or you truly will be a charlatan. It’s even fine to make modifications if needed, but this is so far removed from the original dish that it is no longer roti. Hope this helps.
I just tried this as I needed a quick recipe to go with some channa massala I bought at the store. Great instructions and great recipe! I did not have time to make the dough rest, but it still cane out really good. My husband was so impressed . I will surely try this recipe again with a curry or Tikka massala.
This would be so good with tikka masala! I’m so glad you liked the recipe Mel. Here’s my slow cooker tikka masala if you want to try it with that! It’s super easy and SO good. Thanks for commenting! https://thefoodcharlatan.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala-recipe/
100% Roti my favourite will make in future
Ok so this has made so many of my dreams come true I can’t even begin to explain it to you. Have you tried roti as a dessert??? Because everyone in their right mind needs to! Please do another post where you put Nutella and bananas on it! In Thailand you can get these from street vendors with bananas and sweetened condensed milk. Andy and I gained a small child on our guts from this alone. Can’t wait to make this and I’m so glad I was scrolling through you recipe index and found this recipe!
“a small child on our guts” HA! I will never describe being full or gaining weight in any other way now, ever.
And I SO need to try this dessertified!! Nutella! Sweetened condensed miiiilk!!!!!!
once in college i bought groceries for a luncheon at church. i unlocked the passenger side and started loading bags into the car, but my keys were getting in my way so i reached over and stuck them in the ignition. this was a new car, and i had trained myself well to always lock the door, so when i finished, i pushed down the button…and as i slammed the door shut i suddenly started yelling and doing a funny little ‘i-just-locked-my-keys-in-the-car’ dance. at least i knew right where they were!
HA! I wish I could see your awesome dance moves.
Sorry, I must have answered that text in my head instead of via a text back to you. I do things like that sometimes. I’ve also had key mishaps – both in the unlocked car, in my front door, and locked in my car that caused me to be parked in a stupid apt. complex’s lot past too late, thus getting a boot on my car. Oh yeah!
PS, I made the cookies (and the butter was the perfect creaming temperature) and they are, of course, fabulous. THANK YOU!!!!!
Yes! I knew it would work! Fabulous!!
I was sending her ingredients to make a specific cookie recipe. Those particular cookies are very delicate and if I had made them they would have been demolished by the time they arrived. I always send my siblings cookies on their birthday, and since I couldn’t send her the ones I wanted, I sent her the ingredients instead! Genius. Maybe.
And Roti is a lot simpler than Naan. Naan is basically bread (with yeast and eggs) that is fried. Roti has no rising agent, so it is truly flat. They serve the same function when eating Indian food, but they definitely taste different.
Ok, I have to ask – why were you sending Laura cocoa and butter through the mail for her birthday? I don’t get it. It’s not like she lives in a third-world country without butter and cocoa.
And the Roti look a lot like Naan. What’s the difference? They look delicious and they look like naan only round instead of long and oval.
I hear you on the keys, only I usually leave mine in the door so burglars and theives can just walk right in. Kind of me.