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Bajra Roti (Pearl Millet Flatbread)
Photo: "Gujarati Thali with Rotlo, Kadhi, Olo, Gol.jpg" by Brihaspati, Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gujarati_Thali_with_Rotlo,_Kadhi,_Olo,_Gol.jpg) · CC0

Bajra Roti (Pearl Millet Flatbread)

Bajra (pearl millet)TraditionalNorth and West IndiaLunchFlour (atta)Vegetarian

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min · Servings not given in the source

Make

Ingredients

  • bajra (pearl millet) flour — 1 cup (sieved)
  • hot water — 1 cup (the amount in the 2021 ICAR-IIMR list; add it gradually and stop once the dough is smooth and soft)

Method

  1. Sieve the flour into a bowl. Pour in the hot water a little at a time and knead, stopping once the dough is smooth and soft.
  2. Shape the dough into round balls.
  3. Spread each ball into a round on a plastic sheet, either with a rolling pin or by pressing it out with your palm.
  4. Cook on a preheated tawa until done on both sides.
  5. Serve hot with any curry or dal.

Water and timing

Water: up to 1 cup of hot water for 1 cup of bajra flour (ICAR-IIMR 2021), added a little at a time until the dough is smooth and soft; IIMR's 2016 printing gives the water as 'as required'.

From: ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Millet Recipes (2021), PDF p. 60 (printed p. 58); ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Millet Recipes (2021), PDF p. 29

Tips

  • General practice: bajra dough dries and cracks if it stands, so knead only enough for a few rotis at a time.

Fresh atta: grind small, use soon

  • Millets keep for months as whole grain; flour is best ground as it is needed, because it turns rancid. (FAO, Sorghum and millets in human nutrition (1995))
  • Bajra changes fastest: its grain stores for months, but its milled flour has a very short shelf life. (ICAR-IIMR scientists, Food Chemistry Advances (2023) (DOI 10.1016/j.focha.2023.100190))
  • In an Indian study, untreated bajra flour stayed within the quality limit only about 2 days at room temperature. (ICAR-IARI, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (2016))
  • Ragi flour keeps better than foxtail, barnyard or bajra flour (it carries less fat). (Planta (2024), review)
  • Keep atta closed and cool: bajra flour kept best in polythene and worst in gunny sacks; grains should be dry and in airtight containers. (Chaudhary & Kapoor, J Sci Food Agric (1984); ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines (2024) (DOI 10.1002/jsfa.2740351113))
  • Going off shows first as smell and taste — sour, musty or dusty, then bitter. (Lai & Varriano-Marston, Cereal Chemistry (1980))

So: buy the grain, grind a week’s worth at a time — less for bajra in summer.

Adapted from ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Millet Recipes (2021), PDF p. 60 (printed p. 58), written in our own words.