How to make Roti(रोटी)

Every morning millions of households in India churn out rotis. It is the simplest form of bread in the world, along with the Mexican tortilla. The ingredients are whole wheat flour and water, and nothing else. Other than a rolling pin, all that one needs is a flat pan or Indian tawa(तवा) and a source of heat. What can be simpler than that? I don't know the historical origins of roti, but I am willing to bet that the original inhabitants of the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley were probably making roti in 2000 BC.

Ingredients: Whole wheat flour. One could use any whole wheat flour from any of the bulk stores in US(example: Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods), however I have found that the best flour is the one that is imported from India. For whatever reason, the rotis made from Indian flour turn out better, they puff easily and also taste better. It may have to do with how the flour is milled or perhaps the type of wheat. I have no idea what the reason behind this is, but I have had good luck with Sujata Chakki Atta.

I typically use one cup of flour and about half cup of water, the exact amount has to be tweaked depending on the flour. The recipe produces eight rotis, this is a lot and meant for one hungry adult.

Utensils: Any flat pan would do, but the ideal shape is the Indian tawa(तवा), it has a slight curvature that seems to produce better rotis. I prefer the heavy cast iron ones, because they can retain more heat.

Recipe: Add half cup of water to one cup of flour and knead the flour by hand in a mixing bowl. Add additional water to make the dough with a smooth texture. Break small balls of dough and roll in to a ball by hand. Press the balls and flatten them in to a circular shape by hand. Sprinkle flour on both sides and roll the dough with a rolling pin. To keep the shape circular, rotate the flattened dough as you roll it. It takes a lot of practice to get them perfectly round, mine are a bit squarish, this only impacts the aesthetics, remember I am not competing with the Indian housewives here.

Heat the flat pan to a medium heat. Toss the flattened dough on to the surface of the pan. Make sure the pan is not too hot, if it is too hot then the dough will stick to the surface, at the right temperature the dough can still slide around easily.

Wait for small bubbles to form all over the roti. These bubbles are formed by the water in the dough turning in to steam. Flip the roti, and let another set of bubble form on the other side. Then flip again, and start spot pressing with a kitchen cloth. This locally heats the roti and creates even larger steam filled pockets, I flip it once more and press locally again covering the entire area. Pretty soon the entire roti will puff up. Typically, the first roti that I make does not puff as much as the subsequent ones. This is most likely because the pan is not hot enough.

I transfer them to a plate and cover them with a kitchen cloth to keep them warm.

Nutritional Information: 1 Cup of whole wheat flour(132 grams) has a total of 440 calories, 16 grams of protein(for the protein junkies), 96 grams of carbohydrates, including 12 grams of fiber(almost 50% of ones daily fiber requirements!). Other than that there is Iron, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin. Cost of 1 cup of flour: 18 cents.