Rajastan is famous for it’s rustic cuisine and Bajra ki Roti comes front and center. Bajra, or Pearl Millet, is a hearty gluten free grain that is easily digestible and contains many beneficial nutrients. It is packed with protein, high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. Try this recipe for Bajra ki Roti with Kande ki Subzi (Onion Subzi)…simply delicious!
Prep Time: 5 minutes plus 15-30 minutes dough rest time
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes: Approximately 7-8 rotis
Ingredients:
Bajra (Pearl Millet) Flour – 1 cup
Chapati (Whole Wheat) Flour – 1/3 cup (for gluten-free rotis, replace chapati flour with equal amount of Bajra Flour)
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Warm Water – 1/2 cup
Clarified Butter (Ghee) for topping
Method:
1. Mix Bajra Flour, Chapati Flour and Salt in a flat bowl.
2. Add Oil and mix to incorporate the oil into the flour.
3. Slowly add a little Water at a time to form a stiff dough.
4. Drizzle a few drops of Oil and coat the dough to prevent a skin from forming.
5. Cover and let the dough rest for 15-30 minutes.
6. Heat Tawa. Knead dough and divide into equal portions (7-8).
7. Lightly grease hands with Oil and flatten the ball into discs (dip the discs into dry Millet Flour to help flatten them further, approx 6 in diameter).
8. Place roti on a hot tawa and wait for bubbles to appear.
9. Flip to the other side and cook for 1-2 minutes.
10. Optional – Finish cooking roti on an open flame using a mesh screen to get a rustic char.
11. Smear roti with Clarified Butter (Ghee) and serve hot.
After making the dough with the bajra flour, within how long does it have to be used? Can it be refrigerated for later use?
Hi Roja,
We just allowed the dough to rest about 20-30 minutes and used it. Bajra Flour tends to change color so it is best to make it and consume it, else the rotis will not look very pretty. But having said that, we suggest you use it up in a day of so.
Hello Hetal and Anuja,
I tried this recipe with half bajra flour and half quantity of chapati flour and it came out awesome and i was able to roll roti with rolling pin… so that was easy for me
Why is my roti breaking up ? After I knead it, let it rest for some time, when I try to make the round chapati look, the dough starts breaking up.
I am using Bajra and Wheat flour.
Thank you.
dear hetal and anuja,
You both are a joy to watch. You make women world so proud.
Have you experimented chapathis with Quinoa. I tried it, it comes out good, half cups quinoa flour, half a cup kabul chana flour, quarter cup flax seed flour. and one eigth teaspoon xanthum gum, salt and any spicing mix, place the round dough between to wax paper, and press it using tortilla presser or poori presser, then transfer on to tawa as you would for chapathis. take care shantha
Hi Shantha,
We have a multigrain chapati recipe, but we have not used the combination of flours you used. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I love cooking and always on a hunt to find some great recipes. I check your website every now and then to try some new recipes. I love the tips that you give to the viewers. Could you please tell me where can I find the mesh that you used for the roti. I think that can also be used for roasting eggplant( provided it doesn’t trigger the smoke alarm). My oven is not working, not expecting the Landlord to replace it any time soon. So,I just peel the skin and chop the eggplant into small cubes and cook. If you have any other suggestions to cook Eggplant for making bharta that can work, please let me know.
Thank you
Sree
Hi Sree,
You can find the mesh at the larger Indian stores that sell pots/pans/utensils. You can also try splash guards available at department stores (but get a heavy duty one as the thin ones burn sometimes). You can roast an eggplant on the stove, but you have to be careful because if it punctures while turning, it can ooze all the liquid onto the stove and you’ll have a big mess to clean up.
Can you freeze this Roti? My sister is pregnant and she is asked to eat Millet after baby for good nursing supply. She has no help so, if this can be used as frozen like paratha or wheat roti, I can make few in advance that she can freeze and use. Please, reply ASAP as she is very close to her due date.
Most rotis can be frozen and then reheated for later use. Please note that the texture will not be the same as fresh ones, however, in a bind, it can be done. On a separate note, fenugreek or methi is also great for milk production post delivery.
In the gluten free recipe for rotis, it says to substitute millet flour, making it 1-1/3 cups. Could your basic gluten free flour mix (amaranth/sorghum) be substituted instead?
Sorry, we have not tried it out so cannot give you an accurate answer. If you do try it, we would love to hear your feedback.
I am a male well past 75 and I relish Bajra ki roti but never felt brave enough to try making it until I tried it your way. As per tradional practice of my family, I used 1 part milk and 6 parts water for kneading. The results were astounding. I made the rotis very crisp as per my liking. Photo attached. No prizes for guessing which was the first roti.
Hello Ajitji,
Thank you for your kind words…so happy to hear your feedback.
Help! I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe and my roti came out of the pan (I used a cast iron griddle, since I didn’t have the traditional dish) as hard as rocks and grainy inside – completely inedible. They began to crack and dry on top before the bottoms began to change color. The whole thing was a disaster. Have you ever seen this happen before? Any words of wisdom for a novice? Thanks!
Sorry to hear that Rachel. Bajra is definitely tricky to work with. We have never heard of it becoming grainy, though. Was the flour fresh (because it goes rancid pretty fast unless kept in a fridge). The only thing we can think of is to smear water over the top as it cooks to prevent cracking.
hi hetal n anuja,
i tried out the bajra roti and kande ki subzi as per your recipes and it was great u know..my rotis had come up so nice and easily..an the subzi being very simple also was very tasty..i had given it to my friend also and even she liked them a lot…
thanks guys for your easy methods.u both rock…
Hey H & A, can I use food processor to knead this atta? this way i can be sured it kneaded well. Or you hv any reason for not using food processor this time?
Hi Gayatri,
We have never used a food processor for this dough but it should work. The only thing I can think of that can go wrong is that the flour does not have as much gluten as normal dough so it may not come together.
Hi Hetal n Anuja..
I made this today n its yummy!!
Thanks a lot!!
hi hetal and anuja thanks for this recipe
AMAZING!WILL MAKE THIS TOMMOROW TO ENJOY SUM WITH GUJARATI KADHI!
Hi Gurpreet,
Amazing combination 🙂
Enjoy!
Hi Ladies,
What a nice and helpful site!!! Your work is much appreciated and you are both doing a great job. I’ve been trying a lot of different cuisine at home and Indian is next. A BIG thank you from a Tajik family.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
My good lord never in my wildest dream did I think I could make this lovely bajra roti,I followed every single detail of yours & hola it came out just wonderful. I heard one can add garlic & green chillies to the dough, is this possible ?
I am smiling ear to ear with my success..thank you !
Hello Hetal and Anuja, I tried this recipe with half bajra flour and half chapati flour and it came out awesome…it tastes really good with kande ki sabji and (jaggery+ ghee)..my dinner was awsome today…thanks to you 🙂
I love your website…
Hi Pari,
You are inspiring us to make this now 😉
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
HI Hetal and Anuja,
I am wondering if i can use the same basic recipe shown here and use ragi flour(i have a bunch of it)as a substitution. These flours are so good for us!
thanks
stephen
Hi Stephen,
You can surely try it and yes, ragi is very good for us.
I have at times combined a lot of different flours and made chapatis out of it…
Thanks Anuja,
This is one of the greatest resources on the web for learning how to cook Indian food.
I made the above recipe substituting ragi flour. they were a bit dry when i rolled them and the edges were not even. they stuck to the rolling pin a bit. do you think they need more water? more oil? or do you think the ragi to atta ratio needs to be more close to 1/2 and 1/2? they tasted ok dipped into my dal, but they were a bit brittle.
thanks for all of your help
stephen
Hi Stephen,
Ragi tends to be dry compared to Chapati Atta/Whole wheat flour. If you use it with Flour, it is easier to work with and easier to roll – the more Ragi you add, the harder (not impossible) and the more jagged edges. The taste is great so if you are adding more Ragi and managing it well – kudos to you and the jagged edges are a minor issue 🙂
I’ve tried making millet and sorghum rotis by mixing the flowers in pot of boiling water. This gelatenizes the starches in the dough and, once cooled, makes it very easy to handle. But I think some of the flavor may be lost. I’m going to try it your way, next time.
Hi Jan,
Yes, please do give us your feed back 🙂
When I make they are like a baloon and not cracked like yours so knead very very well ==it with luke warm water no oil at all while kneading and see it will baloon
Hi helta,I was wondering some of the foods you cook are similar to mexican food.Spanish rice looks great but your flat bread reminds me so much like flour tortillas.And do you have a food that is like tamales????I enjoy your ladies videos.=D
Hi,
Pls let me know wat goes well as side dish for this bajra roti?
Hi Ramya,
Kande ki Subzi goes well. Here is the link: https://34.233.61.50/subzis-vegetables/kande-ki-subzi-onion-subzi-rajasthani-cuisine.html
Hi Heetal,
The rotis came out well. Thanks 🙂
great recipe !!
can you please post video of how to make gur(jaggery)roti!!
Thank you
Hello Hetal and Anuja,
My eldertly aunt taught me the easy way to roll rotlas made with bajri flour only and water – between two sheets of wax paper brushed with little water to keep from sticking. Remove the top wax paper and lift the rotlo with the bottom one and flip over the hot tawa and then peel off the bottom one.
What a great tip! Thanks for sharing. We have tried it with plastic sheets but they tend to melt if they accidentally touch the hot tawa. Wax paper is made to withstand the heat so perfect for this application! Another “Ah-ha” moment! 🙂
you can even roll between a damp cloth
Wow ! long last I can make this roti, i used to try so hard & finally throw it on the celing !! joking.Never could get this thing together, either got broken or can’t roll.
I hope people would eat more bajra rotis as it is really healthy.
Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for sharing these Rajasthani recipes. The Bajre ki roti is thicker than what you have shown and instead of oil you need to use water. The roti should be real thick and after you have cooked it you need to put lots of ghee basically insert ghee with the spoon inside the roti else you won’t be able to digest the bajra easily.
Keep up the good work !
Thanks,
Nitin
Your website says “an Indian recipe website”. You may want to change that to “Indian and internalational ….”
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
Thanx for the wonderful recipe!!! One question,in this recipe can we substitute wheat with some gluten free flour like rice or any other gluten free flour?
Well, to make this roti completely gluten free, you can just substitute more Bajra (millet) flour for the wheat flour. It might be a little harder to roll but at least it will be gluten free. We have not tried adding rice flour.
Love your shows but a question not related to cooking 🙂 Would you know what stain was used for the Kitchen cabinets behind you -they are so good & go well with the backsplash.
Hi Lan,
Unfortunately, we have no idea what stain was used…it was a long time back :(….but thanks for the compliment :).
Hi
I am from Rajasthan! traditional bajra roti is thicker than what you have shown!!
and BTW, cold bajra roti tastes superb with garlic chutney!
Can you please make some sindhi recipes too?
hi Hetal-Anuja..
It’s gr8 that u have started rajasthani food series. we would love to have recipe for Dal bati. Is it in your list?
Hi Hemisha,
Yes…Daal Baati is on our list! 🙂
yes i m looking forward for that too….
Hi Anuja and Hetal, thank you for all the recipes, this one is really useful for the newbies … my 2 cents that if the Millet flour is fresh or bought earlier but kept in a refrigerator will give more sticky texture which we need to make rotalas.
Thanks for all the recipes and I must say your website is really inspiring.
Thanks for your feedback Ashka!
I bought khakras made of millet and wheat flour the other day, and I was wondering how bajra rotis are made. Thank you, your recipe looks so good, I’m certainly going to try this out.
Hi hetal & anuja,
I love all your recipes and i have tried almost every thing…….your my inspiration in cooking. Thanks a lot for sharing lot of recipes with us and its my request plz post the recipes everyday…..love you both
Hi Viju,
Thanks so much for your support! We would love to post videos everyday but a lot of our time goes into pre-production, filming and post production. We do consistently post 2 videos every week. Maybe someday, we’ll get some help ;).
A variation my mom made masala roti.. with all the masala that goes in dhebara..! Yum!
Hello Hetal and Anuja, I tried this recipe with half bajra flour and half quantity of chapati flour and it came out soooooo awesome and i was able to roll roti with rolling pin… so that was easy for me as I am new to cooking rotis… it tasted great with kande ki subzi… thank you for ur efforts and help…
Regards,
Priyanka
Hello,
Iam big fan of your recipes. I love the way you explain the tricks and tips while making any dish. I made bajri roti following the steps. It come out well. I used a ziplock to make roti with hands. That helped me to stretch it well. I have a query, how long does these rotis lasts fresh with/without refrigeration.
Hi Sushmita,
Thank you for your love and support, it is truly appreciated ?
As for the Bajra Rotis, they are best had fresh but if you do have to make them ahead, they would be ok outside for a day (max) and in the refrigerator for a couple of day and in the freezer for a few months.
Happy Cooking!
Wow..thanks for posting it again guys..was waiting for this recipe.
Hetal, I loved the way you knead the flour. This recipe is new to me. I would like to try with Kande ki Subzi. Thanx for your effort and time.
This recipe is so simple for novice like me !
This is not a bajra roti at all. and yr receipe is totally different. never see this kind of bajra roti….OOPS !!! and sorry girls…
Hi Hetal and Anuja….
I saw this roti video…but this is not the way to cook roti’s. You should never put oil to roti and while making dough add hot water and keep it for some time and make the dough. Also as Prajakta said, the moment u put roti on hot tawa, apply cold water on roti…water should cover all the surface of roti, this way roti will not have any cracks and will puff up like balloon. I know you both are a great cook…but with Roti you really need more practise 🙂
practice what you preach… 😉
Hi Priya,
We value your feedback however, we have tried quite a few different methods (even applying water over the roti) before coming up with this one. We are sure that there are experts out there who can make these “hard to make” rotis with the greatest of ease, but this recipe is for the novices who may find it difficult to make them.
Thanks so much for your consistent support!
I really love this method! Thank you very much, I really enjoy your videos, very helpful! keep up the great work 🙂
Hi!!
You can smear the roti with water as soon as you put it on hot tawa and you can flip it once the water starts evaporating and color changes.This way i am sure you will not get any cracks.Also if you faltten the roti evenly it will surely puff like baloon.
Thanks!