Our Easy Indian Flatbreads recipe is very quick and simple to make, using just four ingredients. Absolutely delicious served with your favourite curry or dahl, when you don't have time to make a Naan Bread, but also useful used as simple wraps for your fajitas or lunch wraps. Mix flour, baking powder, water and oil and you have yourself a lovely flatbread to enjoy with a variety of meals!
And if you keep a sourdough starter, try our Sourdough Roti recipe!
We had always made naan bread (or sourdough naan) to go with various Indian-inspired meals until we tried rotis. Rotis (a.k.a. chapatis) are traditional Indian Flatbreads that are made without any yeast. No yeast means no waiting. It doesn't have to prove, so you can mix and cook it right away. However, resting the dough for a short period of time goes a long way. You can use wholemeal flour, add garlic powder or herbs, but here we're sharing the simplest recipe for rotis you'll ever find.
Not only do we serve these with dahls and curries, but we also use these every time we make fajitas (hope Mexicans won't take offence) or make any lunch wraps.
With so few ingredients and not much work, I am always impressed at how tasty they turn out. Mixing self-raising flour, some salt, oil, and water produces something of amazing flavour and texture - an Indian Roti. All ingredients mixed together will produce a firm dough. I knead the dough for 5 minutes and pop it in a bowl. Cover with a tea towel (or clingfilm) and leave for 20 minutes to an hour to rest. Whilst you can get away without resting the dough, it certainly helps the texture of the cooked rotis. As the dough rests, gluten develops making these Indian flatbreads more elastic, easier to roll out and very soft when cooked.
Once rested, divide your dough into four equal pieces. Roll each of them into very thin circles (approx 15cm/6in). Make sure to dust the surface and your rolling pin with flour, although the dough shouldn't be too sticky.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost for you! Thank you!
If you make chapatis, tortilla wraps and other flatbreads on a regular basis, or make them in large batches, it may be worth investing in a Tortilla Press! It's an excellent piece of kit to have in your kitchen!
Heat a large frying pan on high heat and brush it with a bit of oil. I normally use a pastry brush to make sure it's a very thin layer. Once hot, pop your rolled-out roti and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then flip and fry for another 30 seconds. In summary, the cooking time depends on how you want to use your rotis.
If you want them crispy, fry for longer. If you want to use them for wraps (so they are soft, flexible and bendy), you only need to get them just cooked. Should you, by accident, overcook them and they are getting brittle and break as you try to roll them, spray them with a little water and pop in a microwave for 10 seconds. They will soften and be flexible again.
Check out the Indian Style Fajitas that we love using these Rotis for. We also love serving them with our other Indian and Pakistani-inspired meals:
- Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Basa Curry (Easy Fish Korma Recipe)
- Creamy Chicken Pasanda (Easy & Mild Curry Recipe)
- Lazy Chicken Karahi | Pakistani Chicken Curry
- Autumnal Red Lentil & Butternut Squash Dahl
- Mushroom Dahl with Coriander Relish
Easy 4-Ingredient Rotis (aka Chapatis)
Ingredients
- 100 g self-raising flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 50 ml water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Using your hands bring together into a rough dough. Then knead onto a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and cohesive. This should only take 4-5 minutes.
- Wrap a ball of dough in clingfilm and set aside for 20 minutes to rest.
- After 20 minutes, divide the dough in four. One by one, roll the dough pieces into thin circles (approx. 15cm).
- Preheat a large frying pan and lightly brush with oil. Place the first roti in the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 30 seconds to a 1 minute until blisters start forming on the top. Then flip it over and cook for further 30 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the rotis.
- If you want your rotis soft (to use for wraps), cook them for a short period of time. If they crisp up, spray them with a little water, and microwave for 10-20 seconds.
Video
Heidy says
This recipe came out beautifully. So soft, warm, and delicious. I had no idea these were so easy to make! I also loved there were only five ingredients!
Ieva says
Thanks, Heidy! They are our go-to flatbreads when the cupboards and fridge are looking dire, and we have no patience to wait for yeasted bakes to prove! 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo says
This was so easy and I cant believe how perfect it came out, better than anything I ever bought! Thanks!
Ieva says
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Yumna says
Can i use sunflower oil for this recipe instead of olive oil
Ieva says
Absolutely! Sunflower, vegetable, rapeseed or avocado oil will work well! 🙂
Tracy says
4 ingredients is just the kind of recipe I need! Such a great, easy recipe! Thanks so much for another great recipe!
Ieva says
Thanks, Tracy! We love how easy and quick it is to make! 🙂
Aimee Mars says
Okay, I'm sold on making these at home! I love that there's no yeast and thus they're quick to prepare. These are going to be a great side for just about any meal we make.
Ieva says
Aimee, these are definitely great when we're short on time. And you're right, they go with anything from soups, to stews to wrapping delicious fillings in!
Gloria says
I love making bread. I have never tried making roti. I need to have some fun in the kitchen and try this recipe out.
Ieva says
Brilliant! Let me know how they turn out! Roti are by far the easiest flatbread you'll ever make 🙂
Lea says
This recipe is unbelievably easy and delicious. I tried this together with a long slow cooked Lamb Madras and I will NEVER EVERY buy store bought chapatis, wraps again. If a lazy unmotivated person like me, can do this in no time with superb results, anyone can. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Ieva says
Oh, this is such a lovely comment! Thanks, Lea! 😍
Owen says
Followed the recipe but cheated as I only had pizza flour. So easy to make and delicious. I toasted the finished roti on a gas ring.
Heaven on a plate
Ieva says
So glad you liked it! And thank you for taking the time to leave feedback 💗
Tamsyn says
Hi Leva
I don't have self raising flour so how do I convert white flour so I can make recipe?
Thanks Tamsyn
Ieva Greber says
Hi! I typically add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 100g of plain flour to make self-raising flour. Hope it helps 🙂
mik says
Been experimenting
1st time: followed the recipe - very easy - very good
2nd time: used white spelt, rubbed in clarified butter and added warmed water - flipped over gas flame to finish as suggested by another contributor - a little softer I think
3rd time: used pasta flour and warmed milk with softened veg fat - rolled out the thinnest of all so far - covered pan after flipping- softest and tastiest
4th time? will try veg suet
Thank you for a great recipe
Ieva Greber says
Wow, Mik, I love how you’re experimenting to get that best roti! Thank you so much for the comment - Can’t wait to hear how version 4 turns out with the veg suet! 🙂
mik says
you asked me to report back well:
depending on what the rotis are served with -
the original recipe is perfect for me when serving with a rich dish like curry
and the enriched adaptation using pasta flour and milk I prefer when serving with plainer foods
These are my preferences and also finishing off with flame as another contributor mentions.
Thank you again for a great blog.
Kirst says
I've made this almost everyday this week to go with your chicken Rogan Josh. it's sooo easy and so delicious!! I usually get store made flatbreads and never again. This cost me a total of $0.26 USD to make the largest portion on here, ~20 times cheaper than store bought. I made it this morning as a substitute for regular bread (I ran out) with avacado and eggs and was soooo good! I plan on trying to use this for pizza next.
Ieva Greber says
That’s amazing to hear – I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Isn’t it wild how something so simple can be that versatile and budget-friendly? Love the sound of it with avocado and eggs – definitely trying that myself. And using it as a pizza base is genius – let me know how it goes! Thanks so much for sharing 😊