Bajra Roti Recipe | Roti Bakar | Oil-free Pearl Millet Flatbread

Whole Food Plant Based Bajra Roti Recipe

Having a variety of whole grains like Pearl Millet in our diet ensures that we have better nutrition and the new flavours and textures are a bonus.

Bajra Roti is a gluten free Indian flatbread. This millet roti is extremely nutritious, affordable and easy to make. It is a staple cereal in many parts of the country, predominantly Rajasthan and parts of North Karnataka. Bajra like many millets are hardy crops and grow well in dry conditions making it a boon in hot dry areas.

Having a variety of whole grains like Pearl Millet in our diet ensures that we have better nutrition and the new flavours and textures are a bonus.

Enjoy our whole food plant based Bajra Roti recipe and send us pictures of your experiments with them.

Whole Food Plant Based Bajra Roti Recipe

Course: Course 3: Grain Dishes for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: Rajasthani, Udupi & North Karnataka Recipe from India
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10 Bajra Rotis

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 1/2 cups coarsely ground Bajra Flour (Pearl Millet Flour) for dough
2. 1/2 cup Flaxseed Powder (Ground up Flaxseeds)
3. 1 cup coarsely ground Bajra Flour (Pearl Millet Flour) for rolling out bajra rotis
4. Water as required

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil 2 cups water.
2. Mix bajra flour with flaxseed powder and keep ready. Once water boils, slowly add water little by little into the flour mixture and mix well. Stop adding water once the flour comes together into a kneadable dough. The consistency must be soft but not sticky.
3. Knead for five to ten minutes. At the end, you should be able to make a ball without any breaks. If it breaks, add a little water and knead again. If it is too sticky, add some flour. The consistency should be perfect for the perfect roti.
4. Take a ping-pong ball sized piece of pearl millet & flaxseed powder dough and roll it into a ball between your hands. Flatten into a thick disc.
5. Dust with bajra flour and roll it out into a bajra roti with a rolling pin.
6. Heat a thick bottomed pan or tawa. It is hot enough when a bit of water dropped on the pan dances instead of evaporating immediately.
7. Dust off any extra flour from the pearl millet flatbread, place it on the tawa and reduce flame to sim or medium. Close with a lid. After 30 to 60 seconds, once cooked, flip over. It is cooked on the first side if light brown spots have begun appearing. If the spots are large or dark brown, it has been overcooked. Tear off the dark parts and consume only the unbrowned parts.
8. After 20 to 30 seconds, take the roti / chapathi off the tawa. By now, small, light brown spots should have appeared on both sides and the roti / chapathi should have been fully cooked.
9. Wait for a few minutes until it cools down, then serve.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Bajra Roti

1. Complementary Dishes Bajra roti or pearl millet flatbread is a dry dish. It is preferable to consume it along with a watery dish, such as Vegan Dal Makhani, Garlic Dal, or Tofu Amaranthus Gravy. Bajra roti is especially useful when you need to cook much before your mealtime, as it does not get spoilt as quickly as rice or porridge does.
2. Why whole grains? Whole grains are healthier than refined grains such as white rice, refined flours, maida, rava, etc., as the bran layer is intact, with all its vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Whole grains have been found to be protective against a whole range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and lifestyle-related cancers.
3. Why cool grains? When cooked grains are allowed to cool on the counter or in the fridge, the starch crystallises to form resistant starch. This can be eaten by our good gut bacteria and also reduces the glycemic index (the rate at which glucose is absorbed), making the whole grain even healthier. For the same reason, parboiled whole grains can be used as well.