Makki Ki Roti – a winter staple in North India. This flatbread is gluten-free and is made with corn flour.

The roti is traditionally served with Sarson ka saag! It’s one of my favorite things to enjoy in winters.

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Few things are so traditionally associated with winters in Delhi.

Like aloo methi, methi paratha, gajar halwa or makki ki roti and saag!

Whenever I make sarson ka saag, I always make makki ki roti along with.

It’s like I can’t have the saag with my normal roti or rice. I need the makki roti.

However in spite of me making the roti several times, I didn’t want to share the recipe until I perfected it.

What is Makki ki Roti

It’s a flatbread made with makki atta (maize flour).

It is gluten-free and served with saag.

The basic recipe only involves kneading the dough and making rotis from it.

As a variation, greens like methi (fenugreek), spinach are often added to it. Such rotis with added greens are also served as such for breakfast.

I love them with a dollop of butter and cup of masala chai.

Makki ki roti can be little tricky to make. It uses makki ka atta (maize flour/corn flour) which is a gluten-free flour and as with any gluten-free flour, the trick lies in rolling and cooking it properly.

On paper, the recipe looks simple. But you need some practice in order to roll these rotis without breaking them.

I have learned several tips along with way and I am happy to share them with you today.

Tips to Make Perfect Makki ki Roti

Use the right flour: don’t confuse! in India you would often find corn flour which is not maize flour. It’s white in color and is actually cornstarch. You don’t use that for makki ki roti.

Here in the US, you do get yellow corn flour which is in fact maize flour. And you can very well use it for making makki roti.

Knead with hot water: for me hot water works best to knead the dough. It makes the rotis pliable and easy to roll.

Some people like using lukewarm water, I think it would depend on the type of flour. Here in the US with the flour that I get, hot water (though not boiling) works best.

Add water little by little in the beginning and then let the flour sit for 5 minutes before kneading.

This way flour absorbs water and rotis are softer.

Knead the dough balls again before rolling them: once you have kneaded the dough, you make dough balls from it.

Before you start rolling the dough balls, knead them again using the heel of your palm.

This again makes the dough pliable and easy to roll.

Grease your hands with water while rolling them: this helps in the rotis not stick to your hands as you press/flatten them.

Shape into a roti using a parchment paper: so what I do is that I first flatten the dough ball a bit using my palms.

And then I transfer it to a parchment paper and then press more until it becomes a round of 7 to 8 inches diameter.

Parchment paper makes the whole process super easy, there’s no sticking!

Keep heat of the tawa on medium: these rotis are little thick and hence need to be cooked well on medium heat.

Add atta (whole wheat flour) to make the rolling easier: if you want to simplify the rolling process, you can add some wheat flour to the dough.

The rotis won’t be gluten-free then, so keep that in mind. But the rolling becomes so much easier!

 

Method

1- In a bowl mix together makki ka atta, salt and ajwain.

2- Start adding water, little by little. Mix to incorporate the hot water into the flour.

3- Add around 1 1/4 (10 oz) cups at this point,  you may do this with a spoon and leave it for 5 minutes.

Don’t knead the dough at this point. Leave it for 5 minutes.

4- After 5 minutes, add more hot water (remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup) little by little and start kneading.

5- Knead to form a soft dough. You may need more or less water depending on the type of flour you have.

Let the dough rest for 10 mins then divide dough into 6 equal parts (around 90-95 grams each).

6- Take one dough ball and wet you hands with hot water. Using the heel of your hand knead the dough ball again. This will make the dough pliable.

Now roll the dough between you hands by moving the top hand in circular motion (remember to grease your hands with water).

I roll like this until I have a circle of around 2.5 inches diameter.

7- At this point, I transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Remember to have some anti-slip sheet beneath the parchment so that it doesn’t slip as you roll the roti.

Using wet hands again start rolling the roti on the parchment paper. Keep pressing and patting the dough and move the parchment paper around to roll it from all sides.

You don’t have to roll it thin, it should be little thick.

8- You may use a rolling pin too here, whatever you prefer. I just do with my hands since I like the look of the rotis better when I pat and roll with hands. Roll until it reaches a diameter of 7-8 inches.

9- Heat a tawa on medium heat and place the rolled roti on it. You may add little oil or ghee to the tawa before you place the roti on it.

If you are afraid that it will break while you lift it from the parchment paper, simply put the roti with the paper directly on the tawa (with the paper side up) and then carefully peel the parchment paper from the top.

Cook until one side has brown spots on it and then flip and cook the other side as well.

10 & 11- Once my roti is cooked, I like to transfer it directly on heat to give it that charred look. I roast from both side until it gets little charred.

This step is optional and you may skip it.

12- Cook all the rotis similarly. Apply ghee on rotis before serving.

Serve Makki ki Roti with sarson ka saag, butter and jaggery. Yum!

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