Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Roti

I had a request from Staci for our flatbread recipe so today's blog post is brought to you by my son, Evan. Enjoy!

This is a recipe for Indian-style flat-bread called roti. roti is a lot like naan, however roti is chemically leavened and naan is leavened with yeast. This makes roti much quicker to get on the table, however some time should still be set aside and work out your schedule before starting your meal.

Ingredients:


12 & 3/4 ounces (3 cups) unbleached, all-purpose flour (if you have a kitchen scale USE IT! it's much more accurate and efficient than measuring flour by volume)

1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

6 to 8 ounces (3/4 to 1 cup) water (start at 6 ounces and work your way up to achieve a proper dough consistency)


-In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add oil and water. mix on low using dough hook, or by hand with a wooden spoon or your bare hands to create a soft, but not sticky dough, adding water as needed (your dough will feel dry and be crumbly if you need more water.)

Crumbly:

Good:

-Let dough rest for 30 minutes, then cut into 8 equal pieces (scale helps again here too) and cover with a clean towel and let rest again for 5 minutes (don't skip this part, it allows the dough to relax so it rolls out easier)


-Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, roll the dough balls out into 6-8 inch circles (helps to have a helper do this while you cook the roti... but that's just me)


Brush or spray griddle or skillet with oil (brush dough with oil too if desired) then place roti on the griddle or skillet and cook until the top begins to blister.


Flip and cook roughly one minute more, then remove to plate. Repeat with remaining dough.


(Don't take these instructions at face value, you may need to play with the heat or cook the roti a little shorter. It doesn't take long, and may be better to just go by sight. nice dark spots and a bumpy blistered texture are what you're going for.)


I like to have my roti with curry, but they're also very good for sandwiches too. The roti will stay warm if stacked on a plate and tented with foil for about 30 minutes, but they can be kept in a warm oven too, and re-heat in the microwave nicely. You're lucky if they make it to the table at all though, I'm always catching myself tearing off bits and snacking as the remaining ones cook.

And that's lunch!


Thank you, Evan, for being my very first guest blogger! I hope you all enjoyed his recipe and give it a try sometime soon!

2 comments:

Edgar said...

What a great post - thanks for the recipe and instructions.

edgar

staci said...

Thank you so much for posting the recipe! It looks easy enough, I can't wait to try it out!!!