Tandoori roti
Vegetarian
तंदूरी रोटी · tandoori roti
A thicker whole-wheat roti slapped onto the wall of a clay oven so it blisters crisp outside and stays chewy within. At home an inverted iron tawa over a flame or a very hot oven stands in for the tandoor.
Tandoori roti is a Punjabi bread from India, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and butter. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 206
Method
Step 1
Mix the atta (opens in a new tab) and salt, add the water and knead for 6–8 minutes into a soft dough a little firmer than for phulka. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Divide into 6 balls (about 80 g). Pat or roll each into a 15 cm round about 4–5 mm thick — thicker than a chapati — and press a few dimples with your fingertips.
Step 3
Inverted-pan method: heat a heavy iron tawa or cast-iron pan with a handle over high heat. Brush the top of a roti lightly with water, and lay it wet-side down on the pan; it will stick. Cook 40–60 seconds until bubbles form, then turn the pan upside down so the roti faces a medium-high gas flame and rotate it over the flame for 40–60 seconds until charred in spots. Prise off with a spatula or tongs (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
- high heat
- Cast-iron skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
- Tongs (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Use a pan with a sturdy handle and an oven glove; never invert a pan over the flame without one. Non-stick pans must not be heated empty this hot or held over a flame.
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 4
Oven (opens in a new tab) method (no gas flame): put a pizza stone or upturned heavy tray on the top shelf and preheat at 250–275 °C (maximum) for 40 minutes. Bake the rotis directly on it for 3–4 minutes, then 30–60 seconds under a hot grill/broiler for blisters.
- 5 min
- 260°C · maximum oven setting, preheated stone
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Baking stone / pizza stone (opens in a new tab)
Step 5
Brush with melted butter (opens in a new tab) while hot and serve at once — tandoori roti firms up as it cools.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Punjab, India · Commonly attributedAssociated with the Punjab region on both sides of the India–Pakistan border, where communal tandoors were common.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Toasted
- Taste
- smoky, nutty, buttery
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-fibreWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre - Good for
- Everyday · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Whole-wheat flour · Butter
- Techniques
- Baking · Broiling · Toasting · Tandoor cooking · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
- Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
206 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 78 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 13%
- Carbohydrate 68%
- Fat 19%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 206 kcal | 262 kcal |
| Protein | 6.9 g | 8.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.2 g | 47.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 31.7 g | 40.4 g |
| Sugars | 0.2 g | 0.3 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 5.5 g | 7.1 g |
| Fat | 4.7 g | 6 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.4 g | 3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 9 mg | 11 mg |
| Sodium | 320 mg | 408 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 189 mg
- Calcium
- 22 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 72 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 29 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 23 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Water on the top side is what glues the roti to the tawa; too much and it slides off when inverted.
- Wipe the pan with a damp cloth between rotis if flour scorches.
Common mistakes
- Rolling too thin: you get a crisp cracker instead of a chewy roti.
Serve with
- Serve with dal makhani, chana masala or any tandoori dish and sliced onions.
Storage
- Best eaten within 15 minutes. Keep the dough in the fridge for up to 1 day.
Reheating
- Re-crisp on a hot tawa for 30 seconds a side.
Variations
- Maida tandoori roti: Restaurants often use part plain flour with a spoon of yogurt for a softer, paler roti.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 40 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 45 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 5 min at 260 °C
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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