Soft, thick and chewy, stone-ground whole wheat Indian roti flatbreads remain flexible for days. Special mixing and rolling tips for success. Whole grain, oil-free, dairy-free and delicious as a side dish or stuffed with fillings.
Place 2 ⅓ cups whole wheat bread flour (300 grams) in a large bowl. You can use the mixing bowl of your stand mixer.
Put 1 ½ cups water (355 grams by weight) and 1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove water from heat as soon as it boils. That way, it won't evaporate.
Pour boiling water over the flour. Mix with a heavy spoon. A sturdy wooden spoon works great. You should be able to moisten all the flour and clean the sides of the bowl without using your hands.
Knead in mixer
Knead for 3 minutes on low speed with a mixer. The dough will remain sticky and won't form a ball. After 3 minutes dough will be soft and elastic and cooled enough to touch. Kneading too long will toughen the dough.
No-knead method
If you aren't using a stand mixer to knead the dough, let it cool for 5 minutes or until the dough can be handled. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and shape it into a ball just enough to make the dough uniform.
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for one hour and up to 3 hours.
Divide and pre-shape roti
Very lightly flour your work surface and hands. Use a spatula or dough scraper to turn the dough from the bowl onto the counter.
Shape dough into two logs, each six inches long. Keep the dough covered with a damp tea towel so it won't dry out while cutting and shaping. Cut each log into six equal pieces. This will give you 12 roti.
Take one piece, dip it into a small bowl of flour and shake off excess. Flatten with hands to a 3 to 4-inch disc. Smooth the edges of the disc to seal any cracks. Place each piece on a counter lined with parchment paper or on a non-stick surface. Keep shaped roti covered with a damp towel as you finish all 12.
Roll Out roti
Pre-heat a cast iron skillet to medium temperature.
Give yourself plenty of elbow room, and use a smooth rolling pin. Take a flat disc of dough and rub both sides with flour. Use flour as needed with each flip and turn of dough to keep it from sticking to the counter. Scrape counter clean as needed while working.
Begin by rolling firmly from the center of the roti towards the North. Roll again from the center of the roti to the South. Roll dough to about 5 inches long.
Flip the roti over and dust the new top side of the roti with more flour. Turn dough 90 degrees and repeat rolling from center North to South. Now you should have a nice square roti.
The final rolling step is rolling diagonally across the dough. Roll from the center to the upper right corner and then to the lower left. Reverse the direction and twist the rolling pin slightly across the dough to coax the roti into a circle.
The ideal size roti for this recipe is 6 inches. Rotis rolled too thin tend to stiffen and dry out while cooking.
Roll out all 12 roti and place them on a sheet of non-stick parchment paper as you go. Keep them covered with a damp tea towel. This is very important.
Cook Roti
Lay a roti in the cast-iron skillet or tawa and let cook for about 1 minute. Watch for bubbles. When the first ½-inch bubble is forming, flip the roti. Roti should be lightly flecked with brown spots. Adjust the temperature of the pan if necessary.
Press around the outer edge of the roti and lightly stroke a spatula across the top. When a large bubble begins forming, apply gentle pressure with the flat side of the spatula to coax the bubble to expand. Rocking and stroking helps the pocket to grow. Once the roti makes a balloon, it's ready.
Stack cooked roti on a plate and cover with an inverted bowl or tea towel. The towel will absorb some moisture and keep roti from getting soggy.
Continue cooking roti one at a time until all 12 are done.
Store
Whole wheat roti keeps easily for a week refrigerated and sealed in an air-tight container or bag. They can be frozen for one month.
Notes
TIPS FOR SUCCESSMix wholemeal dough with boiling water.Mixer dough can be shaped and rolled right away.No-knead dough should be wrapped tightly and rested 1-3 hours before rolling.Keep dough pieces covered at all times so as not to dry out.Use plenty of flour when rolling.Scrape rolling surface clean as needed.Roll roti 6 inches, not too thick or thin.Roll evenly and avoid pressing edges too hard.Roll all your flatbreads out before cooking and keep covered.You can separate them with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel.Then you can tend your hot cast iron cooking surface without interruption.Place cooked roti on a plate as you go and cover with an upsidedown bowl or dry tea towel.