Padhuskitchen


Phulka-How to make Soft Phulkas-Roti-Phulka Recipe (Direct flame method)

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Phulka also known as roti or chapati is a popular Indian flat bread made with wheat flour. Making phulka or roti is not difficult. All you need is practice. Once you practice and get the hold of it, making phulka on direct flame is a breeze. Though I have posted how to make soft rotis on tawa long time back, today I am going to share with you tips to make soft phulkas on stove top (direct flame method).

How to make phulka

How to make Phulka (on gas top)

Yields – 6 rotis/phulkas

Ingredients needed

Whole Wheat flour (without maida) -1 cup
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – a pinch
Tongs specially sold for making phulkas
Rolling pin and board

Quality of Wheat flour (atta)

Buy good quality wheat flour (atta) without maida. Maida is not good for our health. So do not buy wheat flour with maida. Read the ingredients on the pack before buying. Use any good quality atta. I personally prefer Aashirwad brand. You can use homemade atta also.

Kneading the dough- How to make phulka dough

Kneading the dough well is very important to get soft phulkas. Let us see how to make phulka dough.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt and oil using your finger tips. Add lukewarm water little by little and gather the dough with your fingers. Once it comes together, grease your palm with 3-4 drops of oil and knead well. Use your knuckles or heel of your hand for kneading.(If you feel that the dough is sticky, you can add a little more atta and if you feel that the dough is dry and hard, you can add little water)

Once you finish kneading, the dough will not stick to your hands.The dough should be soft and pliable with a smooth texture. Leave it covered for 15-20 minutes.

You need approximately little less or a little more than 1/2 cup of water for 1 cup of flour depending upon the quality and brand of wheat flour used.

Rolling out the dough

Rolling out the dough is equally important as kneading.

Divide the dough into equal sized smooth balls. Keep some wheat flour or rice flour for dusting. Take a dough ball, flatten it with your finger tips, dust flour and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to form a circle of 2 mm-3 mm thickness. It should not be thicker on one side and thinner on the other side. It should be uniform on all the sides. There should be no holes or puncture in the rolled out dough. The roti will not puff up, if there is a hole.(have a look at the picture of the rolled out dough below)

phulka dough and rolled out phulkas

As far as possible try to use minimum flour for dusting. Beginners might need more flour for rolling out the dough but once you practice, you can overcome that. The rotis will become dry, if you use too much flour for dusting.

Cooking the phulkas on gas stove

Heat a tava or skillet on medium high heat, once heated, put the rolled out dough on it. Cook for few seconds, until small bubbles start to appear. You do not have to cook the first side for more than few seconds as we will be putting it on direct flame.

how to make chapati

Flip it over to the other side and cook the other side for a little longer time than the first side and then transfer it to direct high flame with the first side down. (hope I have made it clear)

The roti will puff up like a balloon.(see first picture) Once it puffs, remove it from flame immediately using the tongs or else it will get burnt.

Apply a little melted ghee and keep it wrapped in a soft cloth in a bowl with lid. This will prevent the roti from drying or becoming soggy.

Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough. Beginners can roll out 3-4 rotis and keep it ready before heating the tava.

Phulka

Note – Do not loose heart if your rotis do not puff up, they still taste great. Keep practicing and you will succeed.

If you do not have a gas stove, you can make phulka puff up on electric stove also with the help of a tava. I used to make rotis as shown below in my earlier days of marriage. The rotis prepared as shown below also tastes delicious.  Check it below-

How to make Rotis on tawa 
roti steps
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Anonymous

    Great presentation, with very good useful tips.i searched every where for making good pulkas, but you have given useful tips from the scratch.thank you very much.

    Reply

  11. PadhuSankar

    I got it in Rathna stores- T Nagar. Buy tongs with blunt edges otherwise it will make a hole in the phulka while lifting. You get it in all stores which sell utensils. Ask for tongs used for making chapati.

    Reply

  12. Kripa Vijay

    Hello Mrs.Padhu… I am Dr.Kripa from Chennai. I am a regular follower of ur blog and ur recipes come out awesome. Should thank u for sharing your recipes with us…I ve recently started making these phulkas and all at home like them more than chapathis so I make them often.but I do have a doubt about them.when we put them directly on the flame will there be any chemicals emanating from the gas which wouldn't be good for our health?I would really be happy if u could clarify this query for me….Thank you….

    Reply

  13. PadhuSankar

    We are going to put it just for a second. If you feel that way, you can buy a wire rack and put it on top of that. This method has been followed for years, so I don't think it is bad for health. You have another option- to puff it on tawa top itself.You can go for that.

    Reply

  15. Narindra Ervah

    Thank you so much for all the tips and even the great picture to show it, very helpfull post indeed especially for foreigner like me 🙂 . I do have one question though, when i prepare it ,it comes out hard :(. Please do help me.

    Reply

  16. PadhuSankar

    Narindra Ervah – Thanks a lot for liking the post. Glad you found it useful. About your question- The dough must not be hard, it should be soft and pliable. Kneading the dough is very important to get soft phulkas. Quality of the dough is also equally important.

    Reply

  19. Rathna hanuman

    hi sister! i hope i can cal u so! really ur receipes r fantastics, i started loving kitchen all becoz ur receipe, i was watching ur page for the past one and a half years, but nw only am replying u, expecting more receipes from u,one more kind obligation, if possible post the receipes along with the photos, its easy for freshers like us to compare and go ahead to the next stage-yours lovingly rathna

    Reply

  27. Swarna Nirmal

    Being alone away from home my little kitchen follows always Padhu's recipes which is easy n perfect for we Tamil people.. I get a lot of help n instructions from your posts..i simply follow your recipes n try out making tasty foods

    Reply

  29. Gayathri V

    Padhuskitchen is a life saver. You are an angel in disguise ma'am. I simply followed your instructions for kneading and rolling out chapati. And Hurray!!!! All puffed up. It was soft too for a long time. This is my second time. I served it with bindhi masala (again from your Blog!!! ) and everyone liked it very much. Thank you for your useful tips. Hats off and salute.

    Reply

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