Bajra Roti

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Bajra rotis are gluten-free Indian flatbread prepared from millet flour or bajra flour. Follow our tips and tricks to make thin and soft bajra roti which you can roll easily.

Instead of preparing usual phulka rotis from wheat flour, we try and make different flour rotis for lunch like jowar roti, bajra roti. Also, we always try to mix different flours to prepare rotis. Adding different flours to chapati dough is a great way to consume variety of flours.

About This Recipe

Bajra roti (or pearl millet flour roti) is an Indian gluten-free flatbread. In comparison to bajra rotla or bajri na rotla, these rotis are much easier to roll. Plus they are soft and thin in texture as compared to rotlas that are a bit thick and dense.

To prepare rotla, you have it roll/flatten it with your palms. It requires practice and patience to master the art of rolling the rotlas uniformly and making them puff up. So many of you might feel that bajra flour rotis will also be difficult to roll or it becomes hard after making. But if you will follow exact steps then you can make perfectly rolled bajra rotis that are soft.

Health Benefits of Bajra Flour

Bajra is a gluten-free grain, and so it’s a perfect alternative for people who have gluten intolerance.

It’s high in fibre, rich in magnesium and is a nutrient-dense source of protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant chemicals. You can read more about this here.

Ingredients

To make Bajra Roti, you need just 3 ingredients – Bajra Flour, Water and Ghee.

You can find Bajra Flour at any online store such as Amazon, Big Basket, etc. But if possible try and get freshly ground bajra flour from nearby mill. Sometimes, readymade bajra flour is grainy. If the flour is too grainy, then you may even grind it once before using. Or can even sift it once or twice before using.

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How to make Bajra Roti – Step by Step Recipe

1.Sift bajra flour. Take flour in a bowl. Now add 1/3 cup water and mix. Initially add equal amount of water as flour.

NOTE : The consistency of the mixture should be such that it should drop from spoon or spatula easily (pouring consistency). Mixture should not be too watery. Quantity of water will vary according to the quality of bajra flour.

2.Mix well with a spoon and check the consistency.

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3.Now take water in a pressure cooker and put stand on it. Place vessel containing bajra flour+water mixture over it and cover. Close the lid of the cooker and remove whistle. Pressure cook on medium flame for 6-7 minutes. If you notice that the flour is not cooked well or mixture is too sticky or watery, then cook for 1-2 minutes more.

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4.Once done, remove the vessel and take out cooked mixture in a flat plate. Add ½ teaspoon ghee and knead well for about 2-3 minutes or till dough becomes smooth. You need to knead the dough when it is warm or hot. If the dough becomes cold, it will be difficult to knead it.

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5.Grease palms with little ghee and take the dough between palms and make a smooth crack free dough ball.

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6.Now divide the dough in 3 equal parts and make smooth crack free balls.

7.Flatten the ball slightly and dust it with bajra flour. Roll it in a circle. You can dip the roti in bajra flour/sprinkle bajra flour while rolling.

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8.Heat tava on a medium flame. Place rolled bajra roti on hot tava and immediately sprinkle few drops of water on roti. Let it cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or till you notice bubbles. Flip it over and press gently with a flat spatula or kitchen cloth, then roti will puff up. Take out on a plate. Immediately apply ghee over it. Repeat the process to make more bajra rotis.

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Frequenty Asked Questions

Wheat Roti vs Bajra Roti, which is healthier ?

You can include both the rotis in your diet, since it is very important to consume different millets. But anything in moderation is ok, so try to maintain a balance between different flours and not to consume any one on a regular basis. Especially Bajra flour can be consumed during winters, but try to reduce the consumption during summers. During peak summer period, you can mix bajra flour with other flours like jowar, wheat and prepare rotis.

Also, bajra is a gluten-free grain, and so it’s a perfect alternative for people who have gluten intolerance. Wheat has gluten.

Similarly, wheat flour is slightly lower in carbs and calories as compared to bajra. But at the same time bajra has lots of other health benefits. So, as we mentioned earlier, try to include different flours in your diet in moderation.

What to eat with bajra roti ?

You can eat any Sabzi/Curry or Dal/Kadhi. You can even enjoy parathas with any accompaniments like curd, raita or pickle.

Is bajra roti easy to digest ?

Bajra is high in fibre and so it supports in digestion. But try to limit the consumtion during extreme summers.

Storage

These Bajra rotis can be kept for about 2-3 hours at room temperature. You can keep it in a container and transfer to refrigerator to enjoy it next day for lunch or for same day dinner. Warm it up on a tava or in microwave before eating.

Leftover bajra flour dough can be kept in an air-tight container in refrigerator for upto 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before making rotis.

Serving Suggestions

Pair up these bajra rotis with any piping hot Sabzi/Curry or Dal/Kadhi. You can even enjoy bajra roti with any accompaniments like curd, raita or pickle.

You can also serve Jowar Roti with Baingan Bharta and Gujarati Kadhi.

Tips & Tricks

• For the flour + water mixture, initially add equal amount of water as flour. Mix well with a spoon and check the consistency. The consistency of the mixture should be such that it should drop from spoon or spatula easily (pouring consistency). Mixture should not be too watery. Quantity of water will vary according to the quality of bajra flour.
• It is important to knead the dough when it is warm or hot. If the dough becomes cold, it will be difficult to knead it.
• 1/3 cup bajra flour yields 3 rotis. So 1 cup will yield 9 rotis.

More Millet Recipes

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