Ingredients

Roti

This recipe is the result of quite a number of experimental batches using ideas found on the web and, of course, modeling it after that served at my local restaurant. Roti is flat bread; naan is baked in a tandoor oven and is leavened using yeast. Roti is formally not leavened, but I use baking powder in mine and I roll it thin, like a chapati. I have experimented making naan, leavened with yeast, without a tandoor oven and have largely failed.

I have cooked this variously in a large, cast-iron skillet over a medium fire and on a stone in a very hot oven, 550°. There are advantages to both. The skillet cooks faster, but burns the bread very quickly. I still brush with vegetable or olive oil containing minced garlic and fresh-chopped parsley.

Preparation

1. Mix dry ingredients, then add yogurt, egg and water or milk until a soft dough is formed that is somewhat sticky. If dough is too dry, it will crack.

2. Preheat a large-diameter cast-iron skillet to medium low or an oven stone to very hot, 550°.

3. Divide dough into 8 parts on floured surface. Flatten each piece out with a rolling pin or with your hands and fingers. I roll mine as flat as possible. The shape you are looking for is a tear drop or round. I find I need to use some flour to keep it from sticking to everything. I've heard this isn't authentic, but I see no way around it.

4. Place 1 or 2 pieces into the skillet or on a stone in an oven depending on what will fit. After a few seconds, flip with a spatula. Cook other side and remove from heat to a plate.

5. Brush with garnish if desired. Having minced the garlic and soaked it in the oil for a few hours beforehand yields a nicer result. If you boil the whole garlic cloves before passing them through the press, the flavor is better still.