FLATBREADS — N°03
Bajra Roti for Cold Mornings
TIME
40 min
YIELD
Makes 6
LEVEL
Takes a little practice
Bajra is a winter grain — warming, dense, faintly sweet. In our families it's eaten through the cold months with a knob of white butter and a little jaggery, or torn into garlic chutney. It dries out faster than any other flour, so the whole game is keeping the dough warm and working quickly.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups bajra flour, plus extra for dusting
- About 1¼ cups hot water
- A pinch of salt
- White butter and jaggery, to serve
METHOD
- 01Boil the water with the salt, pour it over the flour, and bring it together with a spoon. Knead while warm until smooth — keep a cup of hot water beside you to loosen it.
- 02Take one ball, keep the rest covered with a damp cloth. Pat it into a thick disc with damp palms; bajra rotis are meant to be a little heftier than wheat.
- 03Cook on a medium-hot tawa, pressing gently with a cloth so it cooks through. Flip once each side is speckled brown.
- 04Top with white butter while hot, and a little jaggery on the side.
ONE THING THAT MATTERS
Work one roti at a time and keep the remaining dough under a damp cloth. The moment bajra dough cools and dries, it crumbles — warmth and moisture are everything.