Monday 25 March 2013

Soft Roti

Hot water dough, resting
I've been really happy with the yeasted flatbreads I have been making recently. My naan and pita are fluffy, flexible and delicious. They have pretty much displaced rice in our meals.

Paul has been particularly happy with my naan, because not only does he enjoy eating them, he's been getting all sorts of kudos at work with his Indian colleagues for having a wife who makes her own naan. Sweet that there is that sort of rivalry but just a little bit stuck in the 50s, no?
Still-warm dough brushed with a little melted butter and rolled into a sausage.

But for a recent curry meal I didn't want to make naan again. Partly because I was out of strong white flour so I wanted a bread made with softer plain flour. Partly also I wanted a challenge. I have made roti in the past and haven't been entirely satisfied with them. They've been a bit heavy, a bit leathery, not the light, puffy flakes I think they should be.
Roti waiting to be cooked.
I rootled around on the internet and found this recipe for Amma's soft roti, which I thought looked like just the thing. Now, this family is South African Indian, so these may not be "authentic" Indian roti as some things do get slightly changed with time and displacement. The samosas that Paul gets nostalgic about from a Cape Town childhood are not very much like Indian samosas at all.
Puffing up like a good thing.

So, this bread was completely delicious and successful but if your Indian grandmother didn't do it the way her Indian grandmother did... please be understanding! I don't have an Indian grandmother's experience to call on.

I think my rolling technique still needs a little work, as some of my roti weren't proper rounds, and I also need to work on getting the temperature right to ensure an even cook.  But the hot water technique and rolling the dough into a sausage definitely made a roti that I was proud to serve.
Glistening with a little extra butter

12 comments:

Alexandra Stafford said...

You are an Indian-bread-baking goddess! I need to get in on this action. Adding all of these to the top of my to-make list!

Joanne said...

I love discovering new Indian breads! These roti look so tasty!

Food Like Amma said...

Glad you found my recipe thanks for blogging about it!. Looks fantastic! About the rolling technique and cooking it gets better with practice do try it again. All the best Georgia.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Ali - thanks!

Joanne - they were gorgeous. I would be quite happy with a plate of these and a bit of dal.

Georgia - thank you! You've got lots more of your Amma's recipes that I want to try now as well.

Mary Bergfeld said...

You have the making of Indian breads down to an art form. Today's bread looks wonderful and sounds delicious. I hope you day is off to a great start. Blessings...Mary

hungryandfrozen said...

All my attempts at making such flatbreads have never worked out well - possibly a combination of not making the dough right, not rolling it thin enough, and not a hot enough oven/pan. Luckily there are a million Indian takeaways near me if I've really got to have them!

Sunshine - www.cancersurvivor26.blogger.com said...

That looks so good!

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Yasmeen said...

Great effort, your roti looks fantastic to me. It's no easy feat with the thin rolling, but you seem to have managed just fine. Curious to know bout about these South African samosas, too.

grace said...

if i could have but one starch for the remainder of my days, it'd probably be a yeasted flatbread. how nice that you've tweaked your methods to perfection! :)

Couscous & Consciousness said...

Gorgeous looking, roti - I'm totally impressed. I've made pita a few times with reasonable success, but roti is something I'm yet to try.

Simona Carini said...

Naan has been on my to-do list for ages. I get close to making it and then get distracted by other projects. I like flat breads in general so I admire the roti you made.

wildtomato said...

Your rotis look charming, and I bet they taste fantastic. I do need to get on the Indian bread bus and give some a try.

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