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Tips for Making Soft Chapatis/Roti/Indian flatbread

Chapati/Roti is Indian flatbread made of wheat and forms a major part of Indian meal. The chapati/roti is made differently in different parts of India. In some places, it is prepared as Phulka devoid of oil, whereas in some places it is made as a Paratha with oil applied in the folds before rolling out. Different areas of the country produce different varieties of wheat like the native/desi (Khapli), Sharbati, Sehore, Lokwan and many more hybrid ones too. In earlier times, people were very particular about buying good quality wheat to get good chapatis. Some people use Khapli wheat though it is costly as it is more nutritious and has high fiber content. Many people use mixture of different varieties of wheat to make wheat flour for chapatis. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides were not used much in earlier times. For good quality chapatis, people would buy wheat and get it ground fresh in the flour mill. Some joint families buy wheat in large quantities and store for yearly use, so generally the wheat is applied with some insect repellent powder. Before grinding, this wheat will be washed and then dried in sunlight.

In modern times, the women started working and this cumbersome process of buying wheat grain and getting it ground in the flour mill took a back seat. Many wheat flour producing companies started production and the readymade wheat flour made life easy for the working ladies. Some people still follow the traditional methods of making wheat flour. The traditional wheat flour can be used easily by kneading with normal water, little salt and oil and then rolling into flat rolls. The phulkas are first roasted on hot tawa and then directly on the flame and they puff up automatically, hence called phulka. For oiled chapatis, oil is applied on the roll and it is folded twice and then rolled out thinly. It is then cooked on hot tawa and oil is applied on both sides. These rotis will generally turn out to be soft.

Nowadays, as most households are using readymade flour/atta, some find that the rotis do not turn out to be really soft like in the case of traditionally home-made wheat flour. Many of my working friends needed to know tips about making soft chapatis/rotis from readymade flour. I have also been using readymade wheat flour for many years now and did some research for tips to make soft chapatis.

The readymade wheat flour needs to be kneaded with hot water along with little salt and oil. Take flour quantity as per requirement, add salt and pour hot water. Cover and knead into a smooth dough after 15- 20 minutes, add little oil to bring the dough together. Cover and leave for 25-30 minutes and then roll out rotis/chapatis. This tip of kneading with hot water helps a lot to make softer chapatis from ready-made shop bought wheat flour.

For storing chapatis, use a stainless-steel container and soft muslin cloth. Chapatis can be stored even without a cloth. Some people use casserole for storing chapatis. Chapatis will remain soft for longer periods.