How to make soft roti / Phulka recipe with step by step pics, short YouTube video and lots of tips, so read the recipe until the end. It is an Indian flatbread, made with atta, well kneaded with water, rolled and slightly cooked on a tawa and finally puffed up in direct flame. Usually, no oil or ghee is used to prepare this phulka recipe, but to retain the softness for a long time, little oil can be applied at last. I have shared 2 ways of making this phulka, first one with a phulka stand, which will be useful for beginners and the second one on direct flame, which comes by practice only. Do check my YouTube link, I have made a video using both the method. If interested check my soft chapati recipe too……
Find my other side dish recipes for phulka / chapati like
1. Paneer Butter Masala
2. Palak Paneer Recipe
3. Restaurant Style Dal Tadka
4. Rajma Curry Recipe

How to make soft Roti Recipe
Checkout my youtube video for this recipe

Phulka Recipe | How to make Soft Roti
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Wheat Flour
- 1/3 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Ghee/Oil ghee
- Salt As Required
Instructions
- First, measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
- Then add required salt to the atta. Start adding water little by little, don't pour all the water at a time, else the dough becomes sticky.
- Start mixing the flour with your fingers. Knead the dough for minimum 5 minutes, it should be soft and pilable. Never apply pressure while kneading the dough, at any stage. If the dough is hard, the phulkas won't puff much. If the dough is sticky, it would become a mess to roll and the phulkas never puff up. Finally, add 1/2 tsp of ghee/oil and knead it again (adding ghee or oil, at this stage gives softness to the phulka). Cover the dough with a damp wet cloth and set aside for 30 minutes (resting the dough lends softness to the phulka).
- After 30 minutes, punch the dough with your palms gently and knead again for 2 minutes. Pinch the dough and divide into equal sized parts. Then roll the divided dough into smooth balls.
- Take a rolling board - pin, and place one ball over the rolling board. Flatten the dough and dust with some flour (don't dust more flour, else the phulka turns hard). Roll it into a medium sized circle, not too thick nor thin. The balls should be uniformly rolled without any holes, else the phulka won't puff up. Heat a tawa well, then adjust the flame to medium and place the rolled phulka over it. Cook the first side 1/4th only.
- Then flip to the second side and 1/2 cook it. Place a phulka stand over the stove, then keep the first side, it starts to puff now.
- Immediately flip it to the second side and it puffs up nicely. Do the same with the remaining phulka.Serve this phulka recipe with veg korma.
1. First, measure and keep all the ingredients ready.
2. Then add required salt to the atta. Start adding water little by little, don’t pour all the water at a time, else the dough becomes sticky.
3. Start mixing the flour with your fingers. Knead the dough for minimum 5 minutes, it should be soft and pilable. Never apply pressure while kneading the dough, at any stage. If the dough is hard, the phulkas won’t puff much. If the dough is sticky, it would become a mess to roll and the phulkas never puff up. Finally, add 1/2 tsp of ghee/oil and knead it again (adding ghee or oil, at this stage gives softness to the phulka). Cover the dough with a damp wet cloth and set aside for 30 minutes (resting the dough lends softness to the phulka).
4. After 30 minutes, punch the dough with your palms gently and knead again for 2 minutes. Pinch the dough and divide into equal sized parts. Then roll the divided dough into smooth balls.
5. Take a rolling board – pin, and place one ball over the rolling board. Flatten the dough and dust with some flour (don’t dust more flour, else the phulka turns hard). Roll it into a medium sized circle, not too thick nor thin. The balls should be uniformly rolled without any holes, else the phulka won’t puff up. Heat a tawa well, then adjust the flame to medium and place the rolled phulka over it. Cook the first side 1/4th only.
6. Then flip to the second side and 1/2 cook it. Place a phulka stand over the stove, then keep the first side, it starts to puff now.
7. Immediately flip it to the second side and it puffs up nicely. Do the same with the remaining phulka. Check my YouTube video link to know the direct flame method.
Serve this phulka recipe with veg korma.

How to make soft Roti Recipe
1. Don’t pour all the water at a time, else the dough becomes sticky. Add water little by little only.
2. Water quantity slightly varies on the atta brand used, so adjust accordingly.
3. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, to get soft phulka. Also knead the dough gently without applying much pressure.
4. Addition of ghee/oil when kneading gives softness to the phulka recipe. But it’s optional, it can be kneaded with water alone.
5. Rest the dough for minimum 30 minutes is suggested, to get soft phulka. If you don’t have time, then immediately start making phulka.
6. If the dough is hard or dry, then the phulka won’t puff much. Add little more ghee/oil and knead again.
7. If the dough is sticky, then the phulka never puffs up and it will be difficult to roll. Add little more atta and knead again.
8. To retain the softness for long hours, knead the dough with hot water.
9. If there is any leftover dough, cover it with a plate or wrap it in aluminium foil and refrigerate it. It can be used only for 2 days, then it changes in colour and smells bad.
2. Don’t roll the phulka too thick or too thin, just medium thickness. If it is thick it takes time to cook and if it is thin, it turns like a papad.
3. Don’t use more flour, when rolling else the phulka turns dry and hard.
2. This phulka can be prepared in tawa alone, like chapati. It naturally puffs up, slightly apply pressure with a cotton cloth or ladle and cook it.
3. To retain the softness for a long time, apply ghee/oil all over the phulka. Store it in a hot pack or wrap it with aluminium foil and use it after.

Phulka Recipe
Nice pictures and great recipe.
Thank you Malathi.