Soft Roti Recipe | Fiji Style Roti Recipe

Ingredients:
Makes 10 rotis

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon neutral oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup hot water (you may need slightly more or less) 

• 1/4 cup flour for dusting 

• ghee/oil/butter for oiling (use oil or vegan butter for vegan option)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add 2 cups of all purpose flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well. 
2. Gradually add water in 1/4 cup increments. Mix with a spoon. Add only enough water to bring the dough into a crumbly texture. 
3. Once dough is cool enough to handle with your hands, bring dough together and knead into a dough ball. Add more water if needed, being extra careful as the water is hot. Use a spoon if needed, or let dough cool before touching again. 
4. Once all of the flour has come together into one ball of dough, add 1 teaspoon of oil and knead for a few minutes. Cover the dough with the additional 1 teaspoon of oil, cover with tea-towel, and let rest for 10-15 minutes. 
5. Divide dough into 10-12 equal portions. Shape each portion in a round ball and then press the ball to make a flat circular disc. Store the discs covered while you roll out all the rotis.
6. Dust each circular disc/loiya with additional flour, and make circular roti with rolling pin. Use light pressure to roll out roti, and don't worry if it isn't perfectly round, it will still taste amazing! You can add more flour as you are rolling to prevent the dough from sticking. 
7. Heat a tawa/frying pan/griddle on medium heat. Place rolled roti on the tawa for 10 seconds or until little bubbles start forming. Flip roti and brush with ghee/oil/butter (your choice). Wait for more bubbles to appear and flip roti again, brush with desired ghee/oil/butter and let cook for just a few seconds. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before storing. 
8. Store rotis wrapped in a clean tea towel or paper towels in an air-tight container. I like to use an insulated container. 

Notes:

• Be careful to not use all of the water at once. Depending on the weather, altitude, and flour you may require more or less water. If you have added too much water and the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour and knead. 
• It is crucial that the dough rests for at least 10 minutes. This will help the rotis puff up and be soft. It also makes it a lot easier to roll them out. 
• Use hot water to knead the dough, not warm or room temperature water. The hot water makes the rotis super soft!
•  MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: Making roti takes practice. Do not give up. With practice, you WILL get better. You will get a feel of the dough and the process and with each roti you make, you will get better at it.