Make the best use of your sourdough discard with this simple Sourdough Roti – Sourdough Chapati, best with any of your favorite Indian gravies/curries.
If you are well into your Sourdough Starter journey, you will have a big jar of Sourdough discard in your fridge. Now there are a several ways you could use your Sourdough discard – from crumpets to pancakes to crackers and just about any recipe that uses flour and/or yeast. The very first thing I did was to start incorporating it into rotis/chapatis. The first few times I used it while making roti dough, I didn’t see any difference in texture or taste. But since my starter took 10 days to grow fully ripe, my discard jar had many feeds of starter. Probably on day 5 or so, it was just sour enough and it had enough yeast activity as I noticed that the rotis tasted texturally different. These sourdough rotis puffed up beautifully and had large dark spots, had the texture of leavened bread like naan even though I didn’t rest/proof my roti dough. That was the wild yeast in the discard doing its magic.
I debated sharing Sourdough Roti or Chapati as a recipe here as it is pretty basic – I just added some discard to atta in my regular roti dough but looking at the number of people who requested for it, I decided to share it here. The one thing that I would like to say is that it has an acquired taste, as the rotis taste ever so slightly sour while the texture is bread-like. The husband is not a fan, he wants his plain tasting rotis on most days. I on the other hand have no issues dipping these fluffy, soft, bready rotis in creamy gravies and curries. So, I would suggest you start with a couple of tablespoon of discard to begin with and work your way up, especially if you have been saving your discard for a few days.
You could make variations to this basic Sourdough Roti – 1) roll it with a mixture of grated garlic, sesame seeds & finely chopped coriander leaves like whole wheat garlic naan. 2) add spice powders like red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder similar to masala roti. 3) You could roll it into layered flaky plain parathas. The rotis stay soft, pillowy if you roll them slightly thicker than the regular rotis. I puffed a few of them directly on flame like phulkas and they had a nice smokey flavor to it, smeared with some ghee on top.
Oh and by the way, if your discard jar has collected a bit of water (colorless or dark colored) on top often referred to as hooch but still smells fruity and not funky, you can just mix it in. Check more details here.
How to make Sourdough Roti | Sourdough Chapati
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Roti | Sourdough Chapati
Equipment
- Flat Pan
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour/Atta
- 4 tablespoon Sourdough Starter Discard
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Warm Water as needed
- Oil/Ghee as needed to drizzle on rotis
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add whole wheat flour, sourdough starter discard and salt.
- Mix it roughly using a spoon. This should show how much more water might be needed.
- Sprinkle water in small batches and knead the dough using your fingers.
- The dough should be firm but soft and pliable. Add a few drops of oil on top and let it rest for 15-20 mins.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
- To roll it, dip a ball of dough in flour on both sides and press it flat.
- Roll it into a not so thin, but even circle. Set it aside and repeat the same with rest of the balls.
- Heat a flat pan on medium flame. Place the rolled out roti, within few seconds you should notice bubbles on the surface, flip it over. Drizzle some oil over it.
- When both the sides have dark golden spots, remove from heat.
- You could also put the roti on direct flame. Just cook it for 10secs on each side (without oil) and put it directly on flame both the sides.
- Serve hot with any gravy or curry.
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Sourdough Roti | Sourdough Chapati
In a large mixing bowl add whole wheat flour, sourdough starter discard and salt.
Mix it roughly using a spoon. This should show how much more water might be needed.
Sprinkle water in small batches and knead the dough using your fingers.
The dough should be firm but soft and pliable. Add a few drops of oil on top and let it rest for 15-20 mins.
Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
To roll it, dip a ball of dough in flour on both sides and press it flat.
Roll it into a not so thin, but even circle. Set it aside and repeat the same with rest of the balls.
Heat a flat pan on medium flame. Place the rolled out roti, within few seconds you should notice bubbles on the surface, flip it over. Drizzle some oil over it.
When both the sides have dark golden spots, remove from heat.
You could also put the roti on direct flame. Just cook it for 10secs on each side (without oil) and put it directly on flame both the sides.
Serve hot with any of your favorite gravy or curry.
Recipe Notes
- You can add as low as 2 tablespoon or as high as ½ cup of sourdough discard to your regular roti dough.
- Adjust salt per preference and water levels as needed, as it can vary depending on the type/brand of atta.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
It's All About Food
Sounds interesting!
chcooks
Thanks Anjali 🙂
Laura
Lovely recipe; thank you for sharing! One question – would these be good batch cooked to serve later? If so, do you recommend par-cooking on the stove before freezing?
Ramya
Hi Laura, sure you can wrap them in an aluminium foil or clean kitchen towel and serve later. They will remain soft for over a few hours. If you want to freeze them, please par-cook them on the stove first. Hope this helps!
Leedia B
Wow thank you for this recipe! They turned out amazing. I used all purpose flour. My husband and I made them and enjoyed the process just as much as the eating. He said he hasn’t had the opportunity to make them like that since he was a young child in Pakistan and it meant a lot to him. Will be making them all the time!
Ramya
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing this with me 🙂