Chapati Tips: Perfect Flatbread Every Time with Proven Techniques

When you're making chapati, a simple, unleavened Indian flatbread made from whole wheat flour, water, and salt. Also known as roti, it's the daily bread in millions of Indian homes—not a side dish, but the foundation of the meal. If your chapati isn't puffing up like it should, it's not because the recipe is broken. It's because of how you're handling the dough, the heat, or the rolling. Most people blame the flour. The real issue? Technique.

The dough, a mix of atta flour and water kneaded until smooth and elastic needs to rest. Not five minutes. Not ten. At least 30. Skip this, and your chapati will be tough, not soft. The tawa, the flat iron griddle used to cook chapati has to be hot enough—test it with a drop of water. If it sizzles and vanishes in a flash, you're good. Too cool? The chapati will stick and stay flat. Too hot? It burns before it puffs. And don't use oil on the tawa unless you're making paratha. Chapati needs dry heat to trap steam inside and inflate like a balloon.

Rolling matters more than you think. Don't roll it thin in the center and thick at the edges. Aim for even thickness, like a disc, not a UFO. Press down gently with your palms as you roll—don't just push the roller back and forth. And flip it early. The second you see dry spots forming, flip it over. Let the second side cook for just a few seconds, then press it lightly with a cloth. That’s when the steam builds up and the chapati puffs. If it doesn’t? Your dough was too dry, your tawa wasn’t hot enough, or you waited too long to flip.

You’ll find posts here that break down why roti won’t puff, how to fix sticky dough, and what water temperature actually does to the gluten. One post talks about the seven mistakes that turn perfect dough into rubber. Another shows you how to adjust for high-altitude cooking. There’s even a guide on why your chapati cracks when you fold it—something most people never think about. These aren’t fancy chef tricks. These are the fixes used by mothers and grandmothers who’ve made hundreds of chapatis every week for decades.

There’s no secret spice. No magic ingredient. Just timing, temperature, and touch. Get those right, and your chapati will rise on its own. No oven. No yeast. Just heat, patience, and a little know-how. What follows are real fixes from real kitchens—no theory, no fluff, just what works when your dinner’s waiting and your chapatis keep coming out flat.