What Is Roti?

Roti is an unleavened flatbread that is extremely common in India. It can be wrapped around pieces of food, used to sop up sauces and curries, or eaten on its own drizzled with honey.

Most families have their own, slightly unique recipe for roti, and make it on a regular, if not daily basis. The only three ingredients needed to make roti are flour, water, and oil, though roti is often finished with a smear of clarified butter or ghee before serving. The flour, good quality atta flour ground from semi-hard durum wheat, is combined with water and kneaded until soft. After resting for 15 to 20 minutes, the dough is kneaded five minutes more with a small amount of oil or ghee. Small pieces of dough are then rolled very thin and cooked on a skillet or tawa (a metal griddle designed for cooking flatbreads) until they fill with air. The roti's popularity has even inspired modern appliances like the automatic flatbread maker, the Rotimatic.

If you want to make roti, click here for our best recipes.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.