Hubby is now insisting too much on home made rotis/chappattis! I have tried so much to learn from my mum and even my in laws tried to teach me but I still haven’t got hang of it.
I tried making rotis at home too but it’s either too hard or burnt. Shape tu door ki baat hai :(..
My kneeding is okkie. It all comes to making roti process.
I have relied too much on shana chappattis and parathas and other brands. Even naan/pitta but hubby still remembers ghar ki roti!
I really want to make it and get it perfect but can’t get around to it. Please help me
Get a roti maker. It’s pretty decent. Will cost you about 50 dollars from amazon. The only thing is that because it’s a press, you don’t get the ballooning effect when you make roti the traditional way, so to don’t get a top and bottom layers separated as you get in hand made roti. Other than that it’s pretty OK.
RoseAli, don’t worry. Its all about practice and nothing else. You will definitely burn it, it may seem like some map of a country too everyone of us here did that initially so don’t get panic. It can take you maybe 3 to 6 months to get a perfect roti IF the roti making thing is not your type!! Kneading the Roti is very important, the best the dough is, the perfect it is easy for you to handle. I like a tight dough and I use less water when kneading. My MIL can NEVER make a roti with a tight dough. She likes super loose dough!! So, you will have to first analyse that which kind of dough you can handle. Second, once you make sure what dough you can tackle, the second point is, how to make a paira. Yes, dough balls, keep practicing making them too. Then, you should not spread it all the way to your slab or anything you use for rolling roti… first, with the help of your fingers, give it a proper round shape using some Flour (khushka). Then put it on the slab and start rolling it. For beginners, there is a really great roller which allows you to just move your hand and it rolls itself. Then handles are not directly attached to the roller. May be you try that. Remember, the flame matters too, it shall not be too high to burn your roti, neither should be too low that it takes you a lot of time. Put the roti on the pan, allow it to stay there for 5 to 10 seconds, turn it and allow it to cook. when you see, keep checking, when you see the roti is almost done, higher the flame, remove the pan and cook it with a tong for 5 to 10 seconds on flame and get it off. Again… practice, practice and only practice!! No one can make you learn it than your own practice!!
Making Rotis might be really difficult in the beginning but If u keep practicing I’m sure u can make good ones too. even I remember my rotis were really bad wen I began makin rotis. rona bhi aa jaata tha. magar roti achi Nahin Banti thi aur ghante lag jaate the. but now alhamdolillah I can make them easily.
My life story! Except roti is really important for me as well and I want my future kids to have the same kind of diet we grew up with.
You just need to practice. I’ve said this before in a thread but that’s my weak point. I am not accustomed to not being able to get things right in the first or second attempt so I got really frustrated when I couldn’t get the hang of roti making straight away. It just comes down to forcing yourself to find some time to practice and accepting it might be a semi-failure.
I find the consistency of the dough determines everything. If it’s right, it will stretch properly when you roll it, thereby shaping well. It will also cook easily and fluff well. Hardness is often an indicator that the dough is too dry. Tava temp is important too.
I’d say, get enough flour just for one roti in a bowl and add tiny amounts of water at a time, combining as you go along until you get to the point that it looks and feels right. It should be sticky but not so much that it doesn’t come off your fingers/hands.
Sometime its a problem to handle roti on flame. so u can make roti on tawa only by pressing roti with clean cloth / rumaal. but in this case dough ball must be in smaller size so the roti will be easily cooked on tawa. Once u learned to manage it then u can keep the practice with flame as well.
Get a mixer that has a dough hook. I recommend kitchen aid. It takes 1 minute to knead the dough. If your dough is good, then your rot is will turn out good too.
For rolling, my SIL taught me to roll in only one direction. Also, I keep roliilg out from the sides until it is flat enough.
You cannot cook rot is on low flame/heat because they will turn hard. Also, using too much flour to powder will turn them hard.
For cooking, my SIL taught me to flip the roti only twice. The side that was on top while rolling, goes face down on the tawa first. You would flip it as soon as you notice the color shane or small bubbles beginning to form. Then you cook the other side completely and flip back to the other side. Normally I take the rot is I already made and put them on top of it to apply pressure and it fills up with steam.
Hopefully you understand what I am talking about. youtube is also helpful.
I used to prefer working with a hard dough because it was easier to handle for me… rotis turned out pretty hard though so I switched to soft dough and they are much better mA.
^^ they are cheaper at your local Indian store
mine has them for $35
But the problem here is that - this will fiz the shape of it. But you still have to transfer it to the tawa and cook it properly. She may end up with burnty rotis anyway.
Thanks Hun! Yes I am aware of pairs and khushka n I also prefer tight atta. My dough balls r okkie, it all comes down to khuska and rolling. Plus during rolling ( ignore the shape), my roti sticks to the bottom base?? I m tired of roti making! Why can’t men love rice!!
Initially (at the stage of learning) try using a plenty of khushka… using that will help your roti, not to stick to the bottom…!! Once you have learnt, you wont have any problem with rolling roti with less khushka in future!! worth trying!!
if your rotis are hard, try using a damp cloth when pressing on the roti to make it puff up. Roti’s cook better on a gas stove too.. i have an electric stove and a damp cloth helps with pressing the roti.
everyone of us here did that initially so don’t get panic. It can take you maybe 3 to 6 months to get a perfect roti IF the roti making thing is not your type!! Kneading the Roti is very important, the best the dough is, the perfect it is easy for you to handle. I like a tight dough and I use less water when kneading. My MIL can NEVER make a roti with a tight dough. She likes super loose dough!! So, you will have to first analyse that which kind of dough you can handle. Second, once you make sure what dough you can tackle, the second point is, how to make a paira. Yes, dough balls, keep practicing making them too. Then, you should not spread it all the way to your slab or anything you use for rolling roti… first, with the help of your fingers, give it a proper round shape using some Flour (khushka). Then put it on the slab and start rolling it. For beginners, there is a really great roller which allows you to just move your hand and it rolls itself. Then handles are not directly attached to the roller. May be you try that. Remember, the flame matters too, it shall not be too high to burn your roti, neither should be too low that it takes you a lot of time. Put the roti on the pan, allow it to stay there for 5 to 10 seconds, turn it and allow it to cook. when you see, keep checking, when you see the roti is almost done, higher the flame, remove the pan and cook it with a tong for 5 to 10 seconds on flame and get it off. 
Again… practice, practice and only practice!! No one can make you learn it than your own practice!!
