Janta Roti is an Odisha Style Flatbread. It is one of the softest roti I have made on a stovetop. This soft roti is made with precooked dough hence the soft texture and also makes it an easy bread to digest.
We are on to the Alphabet 'J' in my A to Z International Flatbread series and I can't wait to talk all about this Janta Roti. Janta Roti is by far the softest roti I have eaten and it is so simple to make.
I talked briefly about a flatbread that I made over the stovetop for being the really best one in my Emirati Khameer post. My husband's aunt always made this roti when we went to India.
I never knew that this had a particular name and it was famous in one of the states in India. My husband's grandfather who was in his 90s then liked to eat rotis but the lack of strong teeth made it not very comfortable for him.
My husband's aunt made this soft roti specifically for him as it was comfortable for him to chew and eat. Also, she mentioned that this is from a precooked dough and since it is double cooked, it makes it very easy on sensitive stomachs to digest.
My little one got attached to this soft roti and last year when we went to India, he asked me to make this roti for him and also name it after her. He called it the Patta Paati Chapathi and that is how we ever since call it. Now that it officially has a name, I am going to call it the Janta Roti from now on.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
E for Emirati Khameer
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme
H for Himbasha
I for Indian Fry Bread
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 30 minutes Resting time
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Recipe adapted from - Cooking 4 All Seasons
Ingredients to make Janta Roti - Makes about 16
- Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
- Water - 2 cups
- Milk - 1 cup (I used 2 % milk)
- Sugar - 3 tsp
- Ghee - 2 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
Procedure to make Janta Roti -
- In a wide pan, add the water, milk, and sugar and bring it to a boil.
- Add the ghee and then the flour to the boiling water and mix well to combine.
- Turn off the flame and cover the pan tightly.
- Once the dough cools down to a comfortable temperature, knead the mixture into a soft dough. It does not take long at all and the dough has a beautiful texture when kneaded.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal-sized balls.
- Roll the dough, dusting it with a little flour. When rolling, the dough could tear a bit as we work with half-cooked dough. The edges will not be too smooth, so don't fret if the dough breaks apart. Just try to keep it together as much as possible and keep rolling.
- Heat a pan/tawa. Place the rolled roti on the hot tawa and cook on both sides until it is light brown and fluffy. The roti fluffs up very well and it is incredibly soft. There is no need for any oil or ghee when cooking the roti.
- If you prefer, brush the cooked roti with a little ghee before serving. Keep the Janta roti warm until ready to serve.
Suzi For This Odisha Style Roti
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Recipe
Janta Roti
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- as needed Water
- 1 cup Milk I used 2 % milk
- 3 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a wide pan, add the water, milk and the sugar and bring it to a boil.
- Add the ghee and then the flour to the boiling water and mix well to combine.
- Turn off the flame and cover the pan tightly.
- Once the dough cools down to a comfortable temperature, knead the mixture into a soft dough. It does not take long at all and the dough has a beautiful texture when kneaded.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal sized balls.
- Roll the dough, dusting it with little flour. When rolling, the dough could tear a bit as we working with half cooked dough. The edges will not be too smooth, so don't fret if the dough breaks apart. Just try to keep it together as much as possible and keep rolling.
- Heat a pan / tawa. Place the rolled roti on the hot tawa and cook on both sides until it is light brown and fluffy. The roti fluffs up very well and it is incredibly soft. There is no need of any oil or ghee when cooking the roti.
- If you prefer, brush the cooked roti with little ghee before serving. Keep the Janta roti warm until ready to serve.
Shanthi says
Looks soft. Would like to try.
Is sugar needed ? Can we make it without the sugar?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Shanthi, thank you! You can absolutely skip the sugar.
harini says
Same pinch Sandhya. Love how you took the pictures with the roti hanging off a finger! Very nice.
Padmajha PJ says
Such a soft Roti Sandhya. Now I feel I missed making this even though it was on my list but made jowar roti instead!
preeti garg says
This janta roti looks so tasty and easy to make.
Srivalli says
I remember commenting on this post but not able to see my comments....Janta Roti was a real surprise in terms of texture and I so loved it. You have got it done excellently!..good pick.
code2cook says
I started liking precooked dough rotis. though I am yet to make one. really janta roti looks so soft but yes making a dough seems a bit tricky, what of water is more by chance? definitely a must try recipe.
Renu says
This roti looks pillowy soft and yum. This method of cooking is new to me, would love to try
Ritu Tangri says
First Harini and now you have said so good about this Janta roti, I feel like trying it just now. Whatever was left, is explained by your pics. Will try it soon
Mayuri Patel says
Sandhya your step by step method of making the janta roti makes it look so easy. My recipe had failed and so I had to look for another recipe for J. However, not giving up, will make it again till I get it right. The rotis are so soft.
Sowmya says
The rotis look so soft and inviting Sandhya! Love this idea of pre cooked dough...got to try it asap!
Gayathri Raani says
Wow! This is one of the softest rotis I have seen. Totally in love with the technique. And very interesting to read about your experiences, Sandhya.
Priya Suresh says
Your picture itself says that how soft this rotis will be. Odisha flatbread looks absolutely prefect to please anyone easily with some spicy paneer gravies. Awesome rotis there.