Gluten Free Jowar Rotis
Meals, Vegan

How to make Jowar Roti

This blog / video will show you “How To Make Jowar Roti” in the best possible way! After you try this method you will never go back to making gluten-free rotis in any other form. Also known as Sorghum Flour Tortillas our method ensures you get unbelievably soft and pliable rotis  that will level up your game of a gluten free meal by several notches!

Everyone loves a good bread from time to time. Whether they are in the form of rotis, tortillas naan or flatbreads one can’t deny the basic joy a good bread brings into ones life. Well, we are here to recreate a little bit of that joy with our gluten free Jowar Rotis.

Jowar or Sorghum is a healthier alternative to all purpose flour. While it is not Paleo, it is slightly primal. It’s high in fibre, rich in protein and is packed with varied essential vitamins and nutrients. It is widely grown and consumed across India and other parts of Asia and has been gaining popularity elsewhere as it health benefits continue to come to the forefront.

How To Make Jowar Roti

How can I make Jowar Roti Easily?

If you have worked with this flour before you know that it can get a little tricky especially if you are a beginner. Our method removes all the complexities and makes sure you get perfectly soft rotis each time. Made with just 2 ingredients the trick to make soft and pliable rotis easily is boiling hot water. Unlike the conventional method where we add water to the flour, Here I am going to add flour to boiling hot water and cover the mixture and let it rest. This method increases the pliability and gives your dough an almost gluten like effect.

Water is also helpful to keep Jowar from drying out. Once on the skillet the Jowar Roti needs a splash on water to maintain form and structure.

While one may assume Jowar Rotis and Bhakris (also a form of flatbread made out of Jowar flour) are one and the same, it is not the case. Traditional Bhakris are often rolled out with the help of just the palms of ones hands (and no equipment) into a round shape and cooked on an iron cast skillet in pretty much the same way as the roti here; However they have a completely different texture and taste a little different too. They are more on the crispier side but in a good way.

While we do enjoy a good traditional Bhakri, the roti is more of an all rounder and our ‘go-to’ whenever we want some glutenfree flatbread.

What can I pair these gluten free Jowar Rotis with?

You can easily pair these Jowar Rotis with your favourite curry or daal (lentil soup). These ones go so well with it:

Goan Chicken Curry – Paleo

Chicken Peshawari – Paleo | Keto

Pithala (Vegan Chickpea Flour curry)

You can also make them into wraps, turn it into a modest Bombay Frankie, pack them into your kids lunch,  or just surprise me with your creation. The possibilities are absolutely endless

How To Make Jowar Roti Easily

Can I freeze the Jowar roti?

The one drawback with these Jowar Rotis is that they don’t freeze very well but they are good in the refrigerator for about 3 days. I like to roll them out well in advance cover them with the plastic wrap stack them on top of one another in the refrigerator so that I can cook them when I need to. This ensures I get fresh rotis each time.

You can also make these rotis using a tortilla press but I always prefer rolling the roti out myself. It just makes for a thinner much softer rotis somehow. But then again tortilla press is very convenient on a busy day and it does a decent job so take your pick!

Lets dive straight in:

Gluten Free Jowar Rotis

How to make gluten free Jowar Rotis

Snehal Vaidya
These #JowarRotis or Sorghum Flour Tortillas (#glutenfreerotis) will surprise you with their texture and level up your game of a gluten free meal by several notches! They are soft, are easily rollable and can be paired with your favourite curry or can be made into a wrap to carry along. Pack these in your kids lunches, take them to your office or surprise me with your creation. You are never going back on this one!
Prep Time 35 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Meals
Cuisine Indian
Servings 10 Rotis

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Stock Pot
  • Iron Cast Skillet
  • Spatula
  • Rolling Surface
  • Rolling Pin

Ingredients
  

  • 2 + ¼ cups Jowar or Sorghum Flour + extra for rolling rotis
  • 2 cups Water + extra ¼ cup to apply while making
  • 1.5 - 2 tsps Ghee or Avocado Oil
  • Salt as per taste

Instructions
 

  • Add 2 cups of water to a stockpot and wait until it comes to a vigorous boil
  • Halfway through the process add ghee or avocado oil and Himalayan Pink Salt to the water
  • Once it comes to a vigorous boil turn off the stove and add the jowar/sorghum flour to the hot boiling water
  • Mix with spoon until well incorporated and cover the stockpot and leave it for approx 25 mins to cool down
  • Use a solid lid to cover the stockpot and not the ones which have a small hole for the steam to escape slowly
  • After it has cooled down completely transfer the dough to a plate and knead it into one single dough-ball. It should all come together easily
  • Spend a little time on the dough even after it comes together by muscling and massaging the dough for about 30-40 seconds - this helps smoothen the process of rolling the rotis
  • Cover the prepared dough with either a tissue paper or a kitchen towel
  • Now pull out a small portion from that dough and once again massage it before you begin
  • Use your hands to roll it into a ball and then press it into a disc like shape. Make sure there are no uneven surfaces, use your fingers to smoothen the disc as much as possible
  • Now coat the disc with extra jowar flour from all the sides and sprinkle a little flour on the rolling surface as well
  • Use a rolling pin to roll out the roti preferably into a circular shape. You can also use a tortilla press to do so
  • Keep sprinkling a little flour to the roti to make the rolling process easier
  • Push the fat ends of the roti towards the edges and concentrate on keeping the middle portion thin and even
  • Take a circular shape like a plate or a very large cookie cutter and carve out a circular shape using a knife
  • Place the roti on a pre-heated iron cast skillet and apply a little water all across the rotis exposed surface, this will ensure that the roti or tortilla doesn’t dry out
  • Cook one side for about a minute or so or until the water dries out and then flip over
  • Cook from the other side for about a minute or 2 as well and then flip it over again
  • It should slowly start fluffing up from all the sides. Flip the roti and repeat the same process from the other side
  • Now use a kitchen towel and gently press the edges of the roti against your skillet and rotate the roti in a circular fashion
    Jowar Rotis, GLuten Free tortillas
  • Once the roti is thoroughly cooked remove and set it aside on a plate lined with a tissue paper (this will prevent the roti from getting soggy due to the moisture)
  • Slather some ghee on the rotis (optional but so worth it) and enjoy them hot with your favourite curry or lentil soup a.k.a daal

Video

Notes

  1. Jowar Flour can vary from brand to brand which can then impact the ratio of water to jowar flour that you add. With some brands the ratio of  1:1 works. i.e. 1 part of water to 1 part of flour,  however the same ratio will yield a slightly drier dough/roti with some other brand and hence you might need more than one tries to get this right. 
  2. Jowar Flour is easily susceptible to cross contamination. Most often brands use the same mill to process jowar and wheat flour. Make sure you buy a trusted brand.
  3. Millet Flour may or may not refer to jowar or sorghum flour as there are a variety of millets available like foxtail millet, finger millet, pearl millet etc. Read the package carefully for instructions.
  4. Make sure you don't skip the part where you have to knead & massage the dough for about 30-40 seconds as this will ensure softer rotis in the end.

 

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