Roti Making: Easy Tips, Common Mistakes, and How to Keep It Soft

When you make roti making, the simple art of shaping and cooking unleavened Indian flatbread from whole wheat flour, water, and salt. Also known as chapati, it’s the backbone of countless Indian meals—from dal and curry to pickles and yogurt. It’s not just bread. It’s a tool, a utensil, and sometimes the only thing you need to enjoy a full meal. But get it wrong, and you’re left with hard, dry circles that crumble instead of wrapping around your food. Get it right, and it’s soft, pliable, and warm—just how it should be.

Most people think roti making is just rolling and cooking. But the real secret starts before you even touch the dough. The flour matters. The water temperature matters. Even the bowl you mix it in can change the outcome. If your roti turns out stiff, it’s not because you’re bad at rolling—it’s because the dough didn’t rest enough, or you used too much flour while rolling. And if your roti puffs up like a balloon but then gets crispy instead of soft? That’s usually a heat issue. Too hot, and it burns before it softens. Too cool, and it never puffs at all. The ideal griddle should be medium-hot—just enough to make the roti rise slowly and evenly.

And then there’s the biggest mistake: storing roti wrong. You can make perfect roti, but if you stack them hot in a closed container, they steam and get soggy. Or if you leave them out on the counter, they dry out in minutes. The trick? Stack them while still warm, cover with a clean kitchen towel, then put them in a sealed container. That’s how restaurants keep roti soft for hours. You can even reheat them on the stove for 10 seconds to bring back that fresh-from-the-tava texture.

Related to this? soft roti, the goal every home cook wants—fluffy, stretchy, and never tough. It’s not about fancy equipment. It’s about timing, moisture, and patience. And if you’ve ever wondered why your roti doesn’t stay soft past lunchtime, you’re not alone. That’s why so many posts here focus on storage tricks, dough ratios, and the exact heat level needed for the perfect puff.

What you’ll find below isn’t just a list of recipes. It’s a collection of real fixes—from why your dough cracks when you roll it, to how a pinch of oil in the dough makes a huge difference, to how to revive stale roti without a microwave. These aren’t theoretical tips. They’re the kind of advice people share over the kitchen counter, passed down from mothers to daughters, or learned the hard way after burning three batches in a row.

Whether you’re new to Indian cooking or you’ve been making roti for years, there’s something here that’ll help you get it right next time. No fluff. No jargon. Just what works.