Roti Tips: How to Make Perfect Puffy Roti Every Time

When you're making roti, a simple, unleavened Indian flatbread made from whole wheat flour, water, and salt. Also known as chapati, it's the everyday bread across India — simple, but easy to mess up. If your roti isn’t puffing up, it’s not because the recipe is wrong. It’s your technique. And fixing it doesn’t need fancy tools or hours of practice — just a few key changes.

The secret to a puffy roti isn’t magic. It’s heat, moisture, and pressure. The dough needs to be soft, not stiff. Too much flour on the rolling surface? That creates dry spots that won’t expand. Rolling it too thin in the center? It’ll burn before it puffs. And if your tawa or skillet isn’t hot enough, the steam inside won’t build up fast enough to lift the bread. You need that sudden burst of heat — like when you see a bubble form and then *whoosh* — the roti balloons like a tiny balloon. That’s the moment you flip it, press gently with a cloth, and let it cook through.

There are other things you might not realize are ruining your roti. Using old flour? It loses its ability to hold gas. Skipping the resting time? The gluten hasn’t relaxed, so the dough snaps back instead of stretching. Cooking on a gas flame directly? That’s fine, but only if you’re watching closely — one second too long and it chars. And don’t cover the cooked rotis in a towel unless you want them to get soggy. Keep them warm, but dry.

People think roti is just bread. But it’s also a test of touch — how your hands feel the dough, how your eyes read the heat, how your timing matches the bubble. That’s why so many of the posts here focus on the small things: why your roti stays flat, what oil to use on the tawa, how to fix dough that’s too sticky or too dry. These aren’t just tips — they’re fixes for real problems home cooks face every day.

You’ll find posts here that break down the seven most common mistakes that keep roti from puffing — like using cold water, not kneading enough, or flipping too early. You’ll also see what works: the right flour blend, how to use a cast iron tawa, why letting dough sit for 30 minutes makes a difference, and even how to fix roti after it’s already cooked. This isn’t theory. It’s what people actually do in kitchens across India to get that perfect, airy roti — every single time.