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Indian Kitchen BasicsHow to make soft phulkas

How to make soft phulkas

How to make Soft phulkas | Soft roti recipe with step-by-step pictures and video.

Phulka| Chapathi| Soft rotis, fluffy unleavened Indian flatbreads made with whole wheat. Phulkas or rotis are popular in Indian cuisine. They can be had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Filled with the wholesome goodness of wheat, they are extremely healthy and easy to digest even for the elderly.

Ever since my in-laws were diagnosed with diabetes, I started making phulkas regularly for dinner at home. Initially, getting perfectly round and soft rotis was a bit of a struggle. As
for several other dishes, for phulkas too I got inspiration from my mom who is an expert at making them. She makes extremely soft rotis and I still remember they stay super soft for more than 8 hours.

I always ask her the secret tip of getting soft rotis. With practice, you can get soft and round rotis used to be her mantra. After a few months of practice, I can confidently make soft and round phulkas/rotis. There are a few ways of making phulkas | roti | chapathi. In fact phulka is the one, which I have explained in this recipe. Chapati is the one we make full on the tawa, without putting it on direct flame. Those days grandmoms used to make chapathi only. I can say, chapathi is more a South Indian version whereas phulka is a North Indian version.

Phulka can be paired with any side dish of your choice. Even a simple thokku | pickle or a coconut chutney will pair well. Also check out, Plain paratha, Lachha paratha, Zucchini paratha, Ragi chapathi

Also, check out How to make Chapathi dough in Mixie

HOW TO MAKE SOFT PHULKAS
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How to make Phulkas

Soft North Indian phulka recipe with tips and tricks to get a perfect one
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Indian flat bread, North indian recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
Author Jeyashri suresh

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour | atta
  • 2 tbsp atta for dusting
  • ¼ tsp Salt optional
  • 1/2 tsp oil for dough
  • Few drops of ghee to smear on phulkas
  • Water to knead the dough

Instructions

  • In a wide bowl add the whole wheat flour, add salt and mix water slowly to make a pliable dough.
  • Add ½ tsp oil and cover the dough and keep it aside for 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour.
  • The resting time will release more gluten from the dough and make it even soft.
  • While kneading the dough, do not press hard while kneading. Once it is fully done knead it hard by pressing it nicely.
  • Make into equal sized balls.
  • Keep this covered always. Else it will become dry.
  • Roll them into round rotis dusting in the flour when needed. Do not dust too much as this will turn the roti dry.
  • Heat a tawa and keep it in a medium low flame.
  • Place the rolled roti on the tawa on cook for few seconds.
  • Flip it on the other side.
  • Cook till you see small bubbles.
  • Take out the tawa from the stove and place this roti on the direct flame and you can see the roti puffs up.
  • When done on one side flip it and cook on the other side. This step you can get fast once you start practicing.
  • Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the roti dough balls.
  • Normally i use this type of tong to handle this hot phulkas.
  • Brush this with oil or ghee if you want, but without this also the rotis will stay soft.
  • Cover this and keep.
  • You can pack this for lunch box too.

Video

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Notes

1. While kneading the dough little milk can also be added as this will give very soft rotis.
2. If using hot water for making dough, the rotis will be soft but you can not make soft rotis with the leftover dough for the next day for making chapati.
3. While putting the rotis on direct flame be careful not to make any small tear roti else it won’t puff up.
4. While putting the roti on the direct flame flip it soon, if they get overcooked then it will be crispy as papad.
5. Some people will add a tbsp of yogurt while kneading the dough. As I haven’t personally tried this I don’t know how this will come out.
6. The most important thing is making the dough with the right consistency. Ensure that it should be soft. If it is too watery also then you have to dust this too much and finally end up making dry rotis.
7. If it is hard then the rotis will become hard. With a few times of practice, you can get it right.
  • In a wide bowl add the whole wheat flour, add salt and mix water slowly to make a pliable dough.
  • Add ½ tsp oil and cover the dough and keep it aside for 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour.
  • The resting time will release more gluten from the dough and make it even soft.
  • While kneading the dough, do not press hard while kneading. Once it is fully done knead it hard by pressing it nicely.
  • Make into equal-sized balls.
  • Keep this covered always. Else it will become dry.
  • Roll them into round rotis dusting in the flour when needed. Do not dust too much as this will turn the roti dry.
  • Heat a tawa and keep it in a medium-low flame.
  • Place the rolled roti on the tawa on cook for a few seconds.
  • Flip it to the other side.
  • Cook till you see small bubbles.
  • Take out the tawa from the stove and place this roti on the direct flame and you can see the roti puffs up.
  • When done on one side flip it and cook on the other side. This step you can get fast once you start practicing.
  • Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the roti dough balls.
  • Normally I use this type of tong to handle these hot phulkas.
  • Brush this with oil or ghee if you want, but without this also the rotis will stay soft.
  • Cover this and keep it.
  • You can pack this for the lunch box too.
Phulka
  1. While kneading the dough little milk can also be added as this will give very soft rotis.
  2. If using hot water for making dough, the rotis will be soft but you can not make soft rotis with the leftover dough for the next day for making chapathi.
  3. While putting the rotis on direct flame be careful not to make any small tear roti else it won’t puff up.
  4. While putting the roti on the direct flame flip it soon, if they get overcooked then it will be crispy as papad.
  5. Some people will add a tbsp of yogurt while kneading the dough. As I haven’t personally tried this I don’t know how this will come out.
  6. The most important thing is making the dough in the right consistency. Ensure that it should be soft. If it is too watery also then you have to dust this too much and finally end up making dry rotis.
  7. If it is hard then the rotis will become hard. With a few times of practice you can get it right.
  8. Phulkas can be served with kurma or any masala of your choice.

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45 COMMENTS

  1. Wow… Superb Jey!!! I wish I can master this soon, as my rotis are always amoeba shaped or papad like.. Thanks for the video too!! 🙂 Have a fun-filled vacation..

    • No I didn't put any ring or mesh on the stove top, my burner has the one ( in built), Somehow i am not good in handling both tawa and a wire mesh(which many people use for making phulkas)

    • Hi gayatri, the tawa which i use is the Hawkins brand Futura one. You can get in most of the shops in chennai and i got it from Chennai Ratna stores, Pondy bazzar.

  2. nice ones i usually use milk, but u cannot use it next day, but chapathis comes softly. u can add little sugar and salt to get puffed ones.

  3. Nice post Jeyashri…very useful for many people who don't know how to make soft phulkas. I too make the phulkas same way, but instead of non stick I use iron tawa. Keep your videos flowing in..love it.

  4. Had phulkas only in restaurants & wondered how they made those very soft. You have unraveled the mystery with this great post. A simple step of cooking it over direct flame make all the difference. It came out very soft to my surprise. Tomorrow I am buying the long tong & wire mesh. Thanks for sharing the secret !!! 🙂

  5. Thank u soooooooooo much. U ve given exactly I was looking out for. I actually don't like eating chapathis & moreover have tried making chapathis which has always been hard which made me quit even thinking abt making rot is. But always loved eating soft Punjabi phulkas @hotel. Now ur blog is like an eye opener for me. Its inspired me totally NW 🙂 will not quit until I become an expert rot I maker. Thanks a ton 🙂 🙂 🙂 ur blog is Perfectly wat the reader is looking out for. Awesome

  6. Though it's daily meal… my mouth is watering only by reading the procedure… thanks for sharing… my rotis never come out round… and soft.. I will keep trying… any idea of this can be done in microwave as I feel it's all about temperature that makes my roti crisp

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