Easy Paratha (Oil) Roti can be achieved with the perfect recipe! One of the first videos I posted to my youtube channel 6 years ago was a step by step tutorial for oil roti. The video (click here to watch) received over 500 thousand views and has some really good tips for roti making. Like with anything the more you do it, the better you become at it. Working with roti dough is no exception and over the past 6 years my roti making has evolved to a point where I really understand what makes or breaks a good roti, but the best tip I can give you is to start with a fail proof recipe!
Teaching my son to make roti
Teach your children to cook! Cooking is becoming a lost life skill. Teach your children (including your sons) to make basic dishes so that they can become self sufficient adults. I recently taught my 7 year old son how to make roti. He loves roti. It’s in his top 3 favorite things to eat, right next to my homemade mac and cheese and Papa John’s pepperoni pizza. So I thought, why not teach him how to make the dough? Since he’s only 7 I knew kneading the dough would be tricky and I wanted him to be successful so that he remained interested in the process. That is how this easy paratha (oil) roti recipe was created. The rotis pictured below are from the batch that my son made.
The Easy Roti Tutorial on Youtube:
Making roti shouldn’t be such a laborious task. That is why I am giving you this easy paratha (oil) roti video tutorial. With a little guidance my son was able to complete every step with pride. I want you to feel that same sense of accomplishment. So if you’ve struggled with roti making, please give this recipe a try! And don’t forget to follow me on instagram. I’ve been sharing lots of tips there and snippets of my every day life!
The Printable Roti Recipe:
- 3 cups of all purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon of rapid rising yeast
- 1¼ cup of water
- ¼ cup of room temperature fat, like vegan butter, ghee or oil
- ½ cup of oil for cooking, like sunflower, canola or vegetable oil
- In a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder and rapid rising yeast
- Mix together with a whisk to combine
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water
- Use a spatula to mix the water and flour together to form a soft dough ball
- Turn your dough ball onto a clean, floured surface and slightly knead the dough adding a little bit more flour if needed
- Return the dough ball to the mixing bowl, cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes
- After the dough has rested for at least 20 minutes, divide the dough into 5 equal pieces
- On a floured surface, roll a piece of dough out until it is a large, round, flat disk (like a large tortilla)
- Add about 1 tablespoon of fat to the rolled out dough, brush the fat over the entire surface of the rolled out dough
- Using a knife make an incision from the center to one end of the dough, and roll dough to form a cone
- Tuck the ends of the dough into the bottom of the cone and push the cone tip into the base
- Repeat for other 4 pieces of dough.
- Cover and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes
- Preheat a large skillet / tawah (traditional cast iron skillet for roti) on medium heat
- Roll out one of the buttered roti doughs (oiled off roti) into a large thin disk, about ⅛ inch thickness (like a large tortilla)
- Place roti on the warm skillet or tawah
- Cook until tiny bubbles / air pockets appear on the top of the roti (for about 30 seconds to 1 minute)
- Flip and brush with cooking oil and cook for about 1 minute (or for as long as it will take to apply the oil)
- Flip again and apply oil to the other side. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove from heat
- Clap the roti (if you have those skills) or put the roti in a covered bowl and shake to separate the layers and release the air pockets (see video for how to)
- Serve Warm with your favorite curry
Check out my Youtube Videos:
Here are some of my recents videos that you may have missed!
Hi: i made the oil roti with the yeast trick and it worked so well!! Thank you!! I now have a roti recipe that makes me look like i can make roti!! LOL!! Delicious, soft and easy to make.
That was quick. Awesome. Thank you for trying it and isn’t it so surprising how perfect it is with little effort!
THIS WAS WONDERFUL… LIGHT FLAKY AND DELICIOUS…. IM A TRINIDADIAN AND PROUD US CITIZEN…. I MADE THIS WITH CURRY SHRIMP
I have never even made bread and tried this recipe for roti.Oh my gosh it came out perfect..I always thought its hard work but it was so easy Thanks a lot
You’re so welcome. Enjoy!
Can i ask why You include yeast in this second version of roti? So which one is better? The old one or this new version?
Hi. I wouldn’t say that either is better than the other. They are different but both produce a good roti. I included the yeast to help those still struggling with perfecting roti dough (even after trying my original recipe). This recipe was actually born when I was making dhal puri one day and ran out of peas and decided to make the remaining dough into rotis. Then when I was trying to teach my son how to make the dough I thought how can I make it easy for him so he doesn’t have to knead it and wait for it to rise, etc. If you’ve had luck with my previous recipe. Keep using it. It’s a great roti recipe. If you are still struggling and want a non-traditional advantage, use the yeast! Hope this helps.
Ok thanks. BY the way i made your fruit cake for christMas and it was Really good. Very soft and moist. I sent you a mail and a pic of it cause i tried to upload a pic on the blog but i couldN’t.
That’s awesome and sorry about that. I don’t think the comment sections allows pics but if you are on social media please share it with me there so I can repost!
Hi i made your dholl puri recipe it came reallt nice i cant believe it really yummy am going to try your roti now
That’s so great. Thanks for sharing. You’ll nail the roti!
Hi Althea,
Sorry but i CANNOT understand why i can ONL write with caps. So please excuse this.
I find that adding yeast makes PARAThAS have the texture of BREADMACHINE BLEACED FLOur texture which i do not like. The ROTIS made in the Trinidadian Roti shops in NYC taste like this too.
And just to add one last point…PARATHAS and ROTIS ARe real Hindi WORDS and PARATHAS are INDian breads not Indian influenced Bread. ALMost all the indian foods from ROTIS , CHOKHA to CURRIES are Indian, period.This is just to make sure that tribute is paid to our ancestors.
THANK you for sharing your recipes.
Hi thanks for reaching out. I don’t find that the texture of these rotis are different than when I don’t at yeast. I’m guessing it’s because of the tiny amount of yeast that’s added but we all have different taste buds and react differently to different ingredients. Also thanks for the note about Paratha and rotis. Sometimes when writing blog posts we choose words that maybe should have been omitted in the second edit. This may be one such occasion. I say this only to assure you that I’m well aware of the origins and absolutely want to honor our ancestors. No ill-intent was meant this was simply a case of over thinking while writing.
She’s corr, its influenced . Indian pe dont make roti this way. If you think You think your ancestors should get credit for inFluencing a changed dish , then you can go back to india and give it to them. Obviously you have some issues which need Phycological influence. Its a recipe being sHared, you should not Be on here sharing you racial issues. Get a whole of yourself woman and grow up. One life to live, stop hating on humans.
THIS WAS WONDERFUL… LIGHT FLAKY AND DELICIOUS…. IM A TRINIDADIAN AND PROUD US CITIZEN…. I MADE THIS WITH CURRY SHRIMP
Thank you so much for sharing.
Sis, ThanKs so, so much for taking the time to perfect this recipe. I used it today to make roti for the first time in over a decade ( i typically buy or wait for Family to make), and this recipe produced some Soft and Delicious roti. I will definitely be trying this again.
Thanks so much for trying my recipe and trying it.
Hi I have never made Roti before until today using your recipe. It was delicious. Thank you.
Thank you for trying my recipe and for sharing.
I have attempted roti making a few times. I finally got it right thanks to this recipe. So easy even impatient me could do it. I call it roti making for dummies. Thanks so much. I will try to make often till they are perfected.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and sharing.
Hello i don’t have that type of cup can i WEIGh the flour ?of yes how many grams ?sorry for my english i speak french or can i use a another type of cup?
Hi. It’s 1 lb of flour or 453g
Thank you
This was a simple and helpful recipe. its been a while since ive made Roti so this was a Great reminder of the process.
Hello , Thank you for this recipe. It is perfect . I never thought i would ever make roti because it seemed really difficult. But because of covid 19 i am trying out various meals. My friend’s mother sent me to your sit and it resulted in tasty soft amazing paratha . Thank you. will definitely be trying the dhalpuri recipe also . Have a great day . you have a new subscriber for sure . Stay safe.
Thank you so much for this comment and for subscribing. Yay to a great roti!!
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can you use. Active yeast can get rapid yeast right now sorry for the caps but that is how its typing.
It’s ok. It types in caps but comes through fine. Skip the yeast. You don’t need it. I promise!
I love the BOWL TECHNIQUE TO CLAP THE HOT SUCKER ..
thanks
I was just wondering “why” you have to CLAP the Roti? Does it help make it more fluffy or something????
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This is my new favourite website! I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out extremely well. I clapped the roti with a handtowel between my hands and that worked just fine too. I was second guessing myself through some of the steps but then I watched your video which was so easy to follow and I love that you showed the different ways of oiling the roti. Thank you, I made my parents so proud when i showed them the pics!
Awesome! Yay! You did it! I would love to see pics too. If you have Facebook or instagram please share pics with me there. Facebook.com/metemgee or @metemgee on Instagram.
Hi : I tried the oil roti but didn’t get it . The finished texture was soft more or less but with a stretchy stiff chewing gum kind of softness . Not soft and pliable . The dough when finished mixing looked as if there was an inner part and an outer protection shell . Please guide if possible. Thank you for sharing.
Hi there, couple of things. I always have to ask first if you followed the recipe directly as written. Second did you cover the dough while it was resting. Sounds like it formed a crust which will affect the final product. Additionally a stiff crest texture sounds like it wasn’t cooked enough. Let’s chat some more and I’ll help you figure it out.
Can you use self rising flour instead of all purpose
I don’t recommend it. The ratio of leaving agent will be too much.
I tried this recipe and it came out great! Thanks for sharing.
So glad it worked for you. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for trying it.
I don know what Ii am doing wrong but the roti is not soft and flaky it seem tought and flaky am i rolling it to thin or What . I folowed the recipe directly and I am a seasoned cook. Help? Mary
Hi Mary. And you used regular all purpose flour? You may be rolling it out too thin. Do you have a large tawa?
Hello Althea, thank you so much for the best roti recipe. Very tasty and super easy compared to one I used before. LOL…I gave up on that recipe after one try.
I need to perfect my clap. It’s better than shaking in a container but it is a good substitute. Next time I will add a little salt and just enjoy them plain.
Thank you so much for sharing. Glad it worked for you. A little bit of salt and a pinch of sugar is good to add next time. Makes the flavor so much better.
Girl I made the Easy Roti recipe and it was spot on, it was so easy to follow and it was delicious, I made it three times now with my curry meat and potato, can’t go wrong with this one. Thank You for sharing this, I feel like part of your family because I am always trying a new recipe from this sight or testing out one of your version, cooking happy during this pandemic
Antoinette Browne
That’s awesome. So glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for the love.
Oh MY GOODNESS! I was not expecting that perfection. Thank you for giving me victory over my roti battles.
Only problem . . . husband sooo offended that none is left for roti and tea in the morning.
where is subscribe…lovely recipes but cant find subscribe
Amazing, easy recipe, comes out perfect every time. Love your recipes and videos. They freeze and reheat so well that I make double the amount and freeze them. Definitely a family favorite.
Thank you so much
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Omg, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. It was so delicious and so easy make. My family loved it!
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Wow. Best recipe I have ever tried. Soft and fluffy. Very easy and simple to follow. I was not good at making Paratha until I found this recipe. Now I am confident to share my Paratha/Roti with everyone. Thank you.
Great recipe they came out really well, it has inspired me to try your traditional recipe to see how they come out. Does your all purpose flour have salt? I used UK plain flour which doesn’t so thinking I should add a little next time.
Loved every recipe `I’ve tried so far especially the Salmon bites!