If you’ve never made your own roti before, get ready to fall in love! This buttery 4-ingredient roti bread is soft, chewy, and so easy to whip up—no yeast, no fuss, just simple pantry staples coming together to create the most delicious, warm, and flaky flatbread.
Whether scooping up a fragrant curry or slathering it with butter straight from the pan, this homemade roti is the ultimate comforting Indian food. And the best part? You only need four ingredients and a few minutes of your time!
These easy roti bread—also called chapati (don’t be confused by the different names!)—are SO delicious and very easy to make from scratch! Taking minutes to prepare, they are the perfect kid-friendly side dish that, when paired with your favourite main, creates a delicious, fuss-free family dinner.
Serve with your favourite curries like slow cooker chicken korma and slow cooker butter chicken, and mop up every last bit of that delicious sauce!
You can even serve this soft roti bread with dips or soups!
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Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe
- 4 ingredients – just a handful of basic ingredients make these buttery round flatbreads.
- Easy recipe – just combine, knead, rest the dough and fry. This is such an easy roti recipe.
- Much tastier than store-bought – as soon as you taste one of these Indian flat breads freshly cooked, you will never go back to buying them again… they’re just as good as your favourite Indian restaurants!
- Family-friendly – kids and adults love this soft, flaky bread!
- Thermomix and conventional – you can make the roti bread dough in a Thermomix, or use a stand mixer. Both methods are written in the recipe card at the end of the post.
What You Need
You need just 4 basic ingredients to make this buttery, fresh roti bread recipe. You probably already have them in your kitchen!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Bread flour—traditional roti is made with atta flour, I find the more readily available bread flour a great substitute. You can also use plain flour, white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour; however, your roti bread won’t be as chewy.
- Salt – enhances the flavour of your bread.
- Butter- You can use either salted or unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt you add to the dough.
- Warm water – warm water helps create a soft and pliable roti dough.
- Extra butter is needed to fry the roti bread.
Equipment Required
You don’t need any fancy equipment to make these roti breads, just:
- Large bowl and fork – for combining the bread ingredients.
- Stand mixer with dough attachment, or Thermomix – for kneading the dough.
- Lightly floured board and rolling pin – for rolling out the roti.
- Frying pan – or cast iron skillet/cast iron pan, for cooking the roti bread.
Step By Step Instructions
This easy roti bread recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Then, leave the soft dough to rest for an hour and fry it for the tastiest side to mop up all that delicious curry sauce!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
Step 1 – Combine The Roti Bread Dough Ingredients
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Mix in the salt.
Pour in the melted butter.
Whisk the melted butter into the flour with a fork until dispersed.
Pour in the warm water.
Mix until the dough starts to come together into a dough ball.
Step 2 – Knead
Knead the dough until it is very stretchy and sticky.
Step 3 – Rest The Dough
Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a tea towel, and allow it to rest.
Step 4 – Roll Out
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball.
On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out into very thin circles.
Shake off any excess flour.
Step 5 – Fry
Melt a teaspoon of butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Place the roti bread into the hot pan and cook until it’s lightly golden on the bottom, with some brown spots and slightly bubbling on the first side. Flip the roti bread over and cook for 20-30 seconds on the second side.
Step 6 – Serve
Cooking the remaining roti, one at a time using extra butter each time.
Serve immediately – the roti bread are best enjoyed while still warm.
Expert Tips
- Kneading the dough – you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured board, or in a stand mixer with a dough attachment, or by using the dough function on a Thermomix.
- Dough texture – you want the dough to be soft but not wet. Gently press your finger in the dough after kneading – you want it to leave an impression. If it doesn’t leave an impression, add a splash of water and knead for a couple more minutes.
- Resting time – you can omit the resting time if necessary, however your dough may spring back when rolled out.
- If your dough keeps springing back when you roll it – you can leave it to rest a little longer.
- The dough will NOT rise – the resting time helps to ensure the roti is soft once cooked.
- Roll the dough as thinly as possible – this ensures it will be cooked through.
- To keep the roti bread moist and warm while you cook the rest of the roti, place it in a container with a lid (or a ziplock plastic bag). Place damp paper towel or damp cloth over the top and seal to keep the roti warm.
- Serving – best served immediately.
- Leftovers – store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
FAQs
Absolutely! Freeze with a layer of baking paper between each roti bread. Thaw before reheating.
Naan is a leavened bread made with yeast, whereas roti is an unleavened bread that doesn’t contain yeast.
No. As roti is an unleavened bread, it contains no baking powder or yeast.
Roti bread goes with so many dishes, not just curries! Here are some easy recipes that are SO delicious served with some warm roti bread on the side:
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Roti Bread
The BEST buttery and flaky Roti Bread made with just 4 ingredients – flour, salt, butter and water… perfect for serving with your favourite curries and dips.
Print Pin RateServings: 8 serves
Calories: 162kcal
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Instructions
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and mix to combine.
Pour the melted butter into the bowl and whisk with a fork until dispersed.
Pour in the warm water and mix until the dough starts to come together.
- Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until very stretchy and sticky. Note: You can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured board, or in a stand mixer with a dough attachment, or by using the dough function on a Thermomix.
- Place the dough into a bowl, cover with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes. Note: the dough will NOT rise – the resting time helps to ensure the roti is soft once cooked. You can omit the resting time if necessary.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out as thin as you possibly can (paper thin!)
Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Place the roti bread into the frying pan and cook for 30-45 seconds or until it’s lightly golden on the bottom and slightly bubbling. Turn the roti bread over and cook for a further 20-30 seconds.
- Place the roti bread into a container with a lid (or a ziplock bag). Place a slightly damp sheet of paper towel over the top and seal to keep the roti warm. Note: this keeps the bread moist and warm while you cook the remaining roti.
Repeat cooking the remaining roti using extra butter each time.
Serve immediately while still warm.
Notes
- Kneading the dough – you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured board, or in a stand mixer with a dough attachment or by using the dough function on a Thermomix.
- Dough texture – you want the dough to be soft but not wet. Gently press your finger in the dough after kneading – you want it to leave an impression. If it doesn’t leave an impression, add a splash of water and knead for a couple of minutes more.
- Resting time – you can omit the resting time if necessary, however your dough may spring back when rolled out.
- If your dough keeps springing back when you roll it – you can leave it to rest a little longer.
- The dough will NOT rise – the resting time helps to ensure the roti is soft once cooked.
- Roll the dough as thinly as possible – this ensures it will be cooked through.
- To keep the roti bread moist and warm whilst you cook the rest of the roti – place the roti bread into a container with a lid (or a ziplock bag). Place a slightly damp sheet of paper towel over the top and seal to keep the roti warm.
- Serving – best served immediately.
- Leftovers – store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze – freeze with a layer or baking paper in between each roti bread. Thaw before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 94IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
