Jowar roti recipe with step by step pics. These Jowar roti also jowar bhakri or jolada roti are healthy traditional flatbreads made with sorghum flour. While there is a bit of technique required to prepare the recipe just right, it takes only 30 minutes to make with my step-by-step instructions and photos.
Sorghum is a healthy millet that is good in minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron. Being rich in antioxidants, its good for the heart too and is diabetic friendly. Jowar is also an excellent gluten free flour.
Jowar roti has a nice soft texture and even on cooling do not become hard or chewy. On my visits to some parts of Maharashtra, we were served jowar roti in a thali with pitla (a thick but moist gram flour paste spiced dish) and green chili thecha (coarse green chili and garlic chutney). It can also be served with zunka (a dry version of pitla).
Usually when I make bajra or jowar roti, I also make a Maharashtrian based curry to go with it like batata rassa, vangi rassa, mixed sprouts curry, veg Kolhapuri, bharli vangi or usal. This time I served with mixed sprouts usal.
I make these millet and gluten free rotis season wise. In summers I make jowar roti and Ragi roti.
In winter and monsoon I make Makki ki roti (maize flour flat bread) and Bajra roti (pearl millet flatbread) and when we fast during some days, I make rajgira paratha (amaranth flour flat bread) or kuttu ka paratha (buckwheat flour flat bread).
These rotis are also called as Jolada rotti in Karnataka. These flatbreads are vegan, gluten-free and very healthy.
These jowar bhakri are fairly easy to make if you have the practice. I make them a couple of times in a month. I make small to medium sized rotis as I am not good in making large rotis.
The jowar roti can be served with any veggie gravy dish. They also taste good with a dry chutney like peanut thecha.
How to make Jowar Roti
1. In a bowl or a large plate with rim/parat take 1 cup jowar flour. Add 2 to 3 pinches of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon) and mix it with the flour.
2. Then add about ½ cup hot water.
3. With a spoon or spatula, stir and mix the water with the jowar flour.
4. Add the remaining ¼ cup water more and again mix and stir incorporating the water in the flour.
Overall I added ¾ cup water. However, the water amount depends on the type of flour, whether it is fine or slightly coarse. Hence add accordingly.
5. When the heat is enough to handle, then knead the dough with your hands. Knead really well.
The dough should be hot when you knead it. If the dough feels sticky or pasty, then add some more of the jowar flour. Cover and keep the dough aside, till it comes at room temperature.
Rolling jowar roti
6. Now make small to medium sized balls of the dough. Sprinkle a good amount of jowar flour on the rolling board. Flatten a ball and place it on the flour. Add some more flour on top.
7. With your palms, lightly press as well as rotate the roti. Add more flour if required. If you are unable to do this way, then roll the dough ball between two butter papers or ziplock bag as shown in this Bajra roti.
You can also flatten the dough ball on a moist napkin as shown in this Rajgira paratha.
8. Here the roti is done.
9. Now with a spatula gently lift up the roti.
Cooking jowar roti
10. Then place jowar roti on a hot tava or griddle with the floured side facing you.
11. Spread some water all over the jowar roti with your fingers.
12. Let the base cook ¼th and then flip the jowar roti. Allow this watered side to cook till you see light brown spots.
13. With a pair of tongs lift the roti, invert and then place it on the fire. The roti or jowar bhakri will begin to puff up.
14. Here in the below photo the jowar roti has puffed up well.
15. Invert and cook the other side of the roti on the flame.
16. When you see some charred spots and the roti has cooked well, remove and place in a roti basket.
17. Serve jowar roti hot or warm with a regional Indian veggie dish or a lentil-legume dish. If you want you can spread some oil or ghee or white butter on the jowar roti.
A few more roti varieties from Regional Indian Cuisine:
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Jowar Roti
Ingredients
- 1 cup jowar flour (sorghum flour) or 100 grams jowar flour
- ¾ cup hot water or add as required
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or 2 to 3 pinches of salt
Instructions
kneading dough
- In a bowl or a large plate with rim/parat take 1 cup jowar flour. Add 2 to 3 pinches of salt and mix it with the flour. Then add about 1/2 cup hot water.
- With a spoon, mix the water with the jowar flour.
- Add remaining ¼ cup water more and again mix. Overall I added ¾ cup water. However, the water amount depends on the type of flour, whether it is fine or slightly coarse. Hence add accordingly.
- When the heat is enough to handle, then knead the dough with your hands.
- Knead very well. If the dough feels sticky or pasty, then add some more of the jowar flour. Cover and keep the dough aside, till it comes at room temperature.
rolling jowar roti
- Now make small to medium sized balls of the dough.
- Sprinkle a good amount of jowar flour on the rolling board. Flatten a ball and place it on the flour. Add some more flour on top.
- With your palms, lightly press as well as rotate the roti. Add more flour if required.
- If you are unable to do this way, then roll the dough ball between two butter papers or ziplock bag. You can also flatten the dough ball on a moist napkin.
making jowar roti
- Now with a spatula gently lift up the roti.
- Then place jowar roti on a hot tava with the floured side facing you. Spread some water all over the roti, on this side with your fingers.
- Let the base cook ¼th and then flip the roti.
- Allow this watered side to cook till you see light brown spots.
- With a pair of tongs lift the jowar roti, invert and then place it on the fire. The roti or bhakri will begin to puff up.
- Invert and cook the other side of the roti on the flame.
- When you see some black spots and the jowar roti cooked well, remove and place in a roti basket.
- Serve these jowar roti hot or warm with a regional indian veggie dish or a legume dish. If you want you can spread some oil or ghee or white butter on the roti.
Notes
This Jowar Roti post from the blog archives first published in April 2015 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Can this jowar roti be roasted on oven grill (in grill mode) instead of gas flame?
What should be average thickness of this roti?
You can try in the oven and I think it should work. You can opt to use grill mode or use the toast mode with both the top and bottom heating elements on. The thickness can be from 1 to 2 mm.
I love the variety of breads on your website. I am a fan of indian breads and so happy to find your recipes which are plenty. Thank you so much!
Happy to hear that! Most welcome.
I have tried making this rotis but it keeps breaking. If I use butter paper and roll it it sticks. My dough is perfect and by hand I don’t know how to pat as it sticks or it comes thick. What should I do?
Don’t roll the roti thin as then you won’t be able to lift it from the butter paper. Try dusting the butter paper with flour and the roti won’t stick to it. It takes practice to make jowar roti but once you get the knack of it, making the roti is not difficult.
Is it possible to freeze these rotis? Can they be halfway cooked and frozen?
I am not very sure if freezing will work for jowar roti as they are soft and should not get too dried or dense after freezing.
Do these rotis turn dry and hard if we make it in the morning and have them in the afternoon? What are the steps to ensure that they dont dry up
they do not turn hard but some dryness can be there. wrap the jowar roti in a cotton kitchen napkin. then place in an air-tight steel dabba or casserole or roti basket and they won’t dry up.
Hi Dassana
Your recipes are amazing. I wanted to know if I can cook this in night and consume it in lunch. I have a microwave at office, how much time should I keep it to warm it up?
thanks vidhi. you can do this way. in the microwave, it will take some 10 to 15 seconds to warm these rotis.
I loved the detail of this recipe. Please provide recipes for millets. And gluten free too.
Thank you
thanks. i have shared both millets and gluten-free recipes. you can check the below links:
1. millet recipes – millet recipes
2. gluten-free recipes – gluten free recipes