Soft Butter Roti are a South African flatbread often served with spicy Durban curry or channa masala, but I find they are so delicious and light that they can go with so many more dishes. We often eat them with Indian Chicken Tikka, Middle-Eastern inspired kebabs or grilled haloumi.
These Soft Butter Roti are easy to make – much easier than many other flatbreads. They are very soft and keep their softness if stored in a ziplock bag overnight. They also freeze really well and remain soft when re-heated. To re-heat wipe a little water over the surface with your hands and heat in the oven (180ºC) for about 45 seconds.
This recipe makes about 10 roti. I would recommend 2-3 roti per person as part of a meal.
EDIT: I have now included instructions on using a dough mixer in a separate section below.
Soft Butter Roti
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
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Add the butter and blend with your fingers and thumb to incorporate the butter and flour.
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Add the oil and stir to mix it into the flour.
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Pour in the just boiled water and quickly mix with a spoon. As soon as you are able use your hands to knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until a smooth dough is formed.
Be very careful as the fat from the butter heats easily and can burn. -
Pull off small pieces of the dough and roll to form balls.
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Place the balls on a plate and cover with cling film. Leave to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
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When ready to cook sprinkle some flour on a flat surface. Roll a ball of dough into a thin circle less than half a cm thick.
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Heat a dry flat-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Place the dough circle in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until there are brown spots on the bottom.
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Flip the bread and cook for 2-3 more minutes until cooked through. The bread should puff up but don't worry if it doesn't puff too much.
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Wrap the cooked bread in a clean kitchen towel and then continue cooking the rest of the breads.
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Serve warm with your favourite curry or kebab.
Using a dough mixer
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Place the flour, salt, butter and oil in the bowl of the dough mixer.
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Add the just boiled water and then turn the mixer on to a medium low speed - I used level 4
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Continue mixing the dough for 3-4 minutes until the dough forms a soft warm ball.
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At this stage, the instructions can be followed from the hand-made instructions above from stage 5.
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