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Besan roti on a plate.
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4 from 2 votes

Soft Besan Roti

Make soft besan roti that is gluten-free and filled with good-for-you spices. This easy roti uses only besan with no added whole wheat flour or any other type of flour.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: besan roti
Servings: 5 roti
Calories: 95kcal
Author: Shilpa Joshi

Equipment

  • 1 tawa or griddle
  • 1 tongs
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 work surface for rolling roti

Ingredients

  • ½ cup water plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup besan flour 105g
  • ½ tsp black pepper powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder roasted jeera powder
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder
  • 3 tsp ghee For spreading on cooked roti

Instructions

Making the dough

  • Place a pot on the stove and add water. Turn the gas on to medium-high heat. Add spices to the water.
    Spices in rolling boil water in a pot.
  • Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the besan flour.Turn down the gas to low. Mix until it combines and forms a rough dough.  It doesn’t need to combine entirely and may have a few dry spots. That is OK.
    Besan roti dough in a pot.
  • Turn off the gas, remove the pot from the stove, and cover it.   Let the dough rest for 5 minutes and reach room temperature.
    Covered pot on the stove with besan roti flour inside.
  • After 5 minutes, remove the dough out onto a surface for kneading.  Keep a small bowl of water to the side.
    Use the water to wet your hands and sprinkle a little water onto the dough.  Knead for five minutes.  Add a sprinkle of water or two more, if needed. You are looking for a pliable, yet firm dough.
    Besan roti dough.
  • Divide the dough into five equal portions.
    Five besan flour dough balls.

Rolling out roti

  • Place the griddle or tava on medium-high heat and allow it to get hot.
  • Each time you roll out a roti you will take a dough ball and knead it once more before rolling it into a ball again and flattening it.
    Dip it into dry flour to prevent sticking and place it on a rolling board or a clean surface. Sprinkle a little besan flour (you can also use a little wheat flour if you are okay using a non-gluten-free flour) on the work surface.
    Besan dough ball with besan flour sprinkled on top.
  • Use a rolling pin (belan) to gently roll out the dough ball into a thin, round circle. Start from the center and work your way out, applying even pressure. 
    Lift and rotate the roti as needed to maintain a round shape. Dust with dry flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll out to a circle.
    Two hands rolling out a roti with a wooden rolling pin.

Cooking the Roti

  • Each roti will be cooked on each side twice.
    Place the roti on a heated tawa on medium heat. Cook for 30-45 seconds or until you begin to see ​air bubbles form.
    Besan ki roti cooking on a tawa.
  • Then, flip the roti using tongs and let it cook for another 30-45 seconds.
    Now, flip again and lightly press with the back of a flat spatula. And flip and do the same to the other side.
    Spatula pressing down on a roti being cooked.
  • Now, place the roti on a paper towel-lined plate and lightly coat the roti with ghee. Repeat with remaining dough balls and serve warm!
    Ghee greased roti on a paper towel lined plate.

Notes

Puffing the Roti:
To encourage the roti to puff up, you can gently press the edges with a clean kitchen towel or a soft cloth, moving in a circular motion. This helps distribute the heat and create steam inside the roti, causing it to inflate.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 484mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg