Roomali Roti

Handkerchief Bread

VegetarianOrigin Delhi/Awadh/HyderabadPrep 45 minutes, plus standing timeCook 5 minutesMakes 5

An ultra-thin, supple Indian flatbread stretched paper-thin and quickly blistered on a hot inverted pan. It is soft, delicately charred, and best eaten hot.

Ingredients

Wholemeal flour · Atta

300 g

flour

Plain flour · Maidaplus extra for dusting

100 g

flour

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Sift 300 g flour, 100 g flour, plus extra for dusting, and salt to taste together into a broad bowl or deep tray.
Form a well in the centre, pour in 125 ml of water, and gradually draw in the dry ingredients. Mix in another 125 ml of water to gather everything into a pliable dough.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface and knead for roughly 5 minutes until completely smooth and elastic.
Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, drape with a damp kitchen towel, and let it rest in a warm area for 1 hour.
Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each gently into a ball, taking care not to overwork them. Rest them covered under a towel on the floured surface.
Coat a ball in flour and roll it into a 10 cm (4 inch) disc, keeping the perimeter thinner than the middle. Pick up the disc and stretch it by tossing and rotating it from hand to hand until it expands into a translucent sheet roughly 35 cm (12 inches) wide.
Rub a tiny amount of oil over the convex underside of a tawa or wok and set it over high heat until it begins to smoke. Drape the stretched dough over the hot surface and cook for 30 seconds.
Brush the exposed side with a little oil, turn it over, and bake for another 30 seconds until patched with light brown spots. Fold and serve immediately before it toughens, then repeat with the remaining portions.

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Wholemeal flour

Whole wheat flour
Use the same weight; it is almost the same, though slightly finer, so add water gradually.
Plain flour
Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the result is lighter and less nutty.
Flour
Use the same weight as plain flour; reduce water slightly and expect less bran and colour.

Plain flour

Whole wheat flour
Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.
Rice flour
Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.
Cornflour
For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Similar dishes

Tandoori Roti

Bread Baked in a Clay Oven

Tandoori Roti is smokier, richer, and chewier than the soft, ultra-thin texture of this dish.

Same: Tandoori Roti is also an Indian flatbread seasoned with salt and blistered quickly at high heat.
Different: Unlike this dish, Tandoori Roti includes ghee or vegetable oil and is baked thicker inside a clay oven rather than stretched paper-thin over an inverted pan.

Chapaati

Chapati

Chapaati has a denser chew and a nuttier whole-wheat flavor compared to the lighter, melt-in-the-mouth texture of this dish.

Same: Both are soft, unleavened Indian flatbreads seasoned simply with salt and cooked quickly over high heat until blistered in spots.
Different: Chapaati is rolled to a standard thickness and cooked on a flat griddle until it puffs, whereas this dish is stretched paper-thin and blistered over an inverted domed pan.

Phulka

Puffed Bread

Phulka has a toasted wheat flavor and an airy, layered texture rather than an ultra-thin, supple chew.

Same: Both are soft, unleavened Indian flatbreads cooked quickly over high dry heat.
Different: Phulka includes vegetable oil and puffs over open heat, whereas this dish uses salt and is stretched paper-thin over an inverted pan.

Warqi Paratha

Layered Paratha

Warqi Paratha is rich, flaky and crisp from ghee, while this dish is soft, supple and only delicately charred.

Same: Both are unleavened Indian flatbreads made from flour and salt, with no spices or souring agent listed.
Different: Warqi Paratha uses plain flour and ghee and is spiral-rolled into layers, while this dish uses wholemeal plus plain flour, lists no fat, and is stretched paper-thin and blistered on an inverted pan.