How To Make Soft Chapati / Super Soft Chapathi Recipe With Tips

Chapati

“How to make soft chapati??” was my biggest worry when I was a beginner in cooking. I was not aware of the secrets, tips and tricks for making hotel style soft chapati when I was new to cooking. Not just me, making a super soft chapathi that stays soft for long time would be the dream for many. When I was a beginner I used to make hard, chewy chapati and sometimes like roasted papad too.  As we were newly married, Sendhil couldn’t scold me instead he used to make fun of my chapathi. Once my MIL told this method, ingredients and suggested me to give a try. When I tried it for the first time, I couldn’t believe the results. It came out super soft. I felt very happy and excited to see my chapathi soft like a kerchief. More than me, Sendhil was feeling much more relieved 😃. Thanks a ton to my MIL for teaching me this wonderful recipe. 

After making this chapathi successfully, I attempted phulka/roti without oil and now I can confidently make phulka/roti and chapathi anytime. Soon I will share my phulka recipe too. Before going to this recipe let me tell you, this is not chapathi without oil. It is not North Indian phulka or roti. I hope you know the difference between roti and chapati.You would have come across different types of soft chapati recipes using milk, hot water, ghee etc. This is one such kind. 
Many of you must have tasted this kind of chapati in Tamil nadu hotels. Here I have used oil & curd to bring the softness. So fat is used in this recipe. Please do not attempt this recipe if you are calorie conscious or if you are in diet. This recipe is purely for beginners & bachelors who craves for making soft chapathi. You can dare to try this recipe for your lunch box and to your guests as well. It stays soft for long time. 
If you follow this recipe, you do not have to worry about the wheat flour brand. It works for all the brand like Aashirvaad, Pillsburry, Any multi grain atta, Swad etc. You can even try with homemade wheat flour ground using ration wheat grains/ ration godhumai. I have also given some general tips to make soft chapathi dough. Hope this will help. Lets see how to make soft chapati with step by step pictures.

Soft chapathi recipe
Chapathi recipe

Soft Chapati recipe 

Soft chapati How to make soft chapathi at home with tips and step by step pictures !

Cuisine: Indian
Category: Dinner
Serves: 5 nos for 1 cup
Prep time: 35 Minutes
Cook time: 1 Minutes
Total time: 36 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250 ml

  • Wheat flour/atta – 1 cup
  • Refined oil  OR Gingely oil (Nalla ennai) – 1 tbsp 
  • Curd – 1 tbsp ( Not too sour & thick, I use semi solid curd)
  • Water – 1/3 cup (+/- 1/2 tbsp)
  • Salt – 1/4 tsp

Oil or ghee – for brushing(optional)

HOW TO MAKE SOFT CHAPATI 

  1. Mix wheat flour/ atta, curd, oil and salt.
  2. Add water, knead for 5 minutes.
  3. Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
  4. Make small balls, dust in flour, roll chapathi.
  5. Cook both sides brushing oil or ghee !

SOFT CHAPATHI – METHOD 

  • In a wide bowl or plate, measure the flour/atta & take it. Add curd, oil & salt to it. Mix it well so that curd & oil spreads well with atta/ wheat flour. Now sprinkle water in small quantity & try to make a soft,non-sticky dough. No problem if the dough sticks lightly to your hand. Knead the dough well at least for 5 minutes. If possible beat in a hard surface. Keep it covered for minimum 30 minutes.

Soft-chapati-1
Soft-chapati-2

  • After 30 minutes, dough would become very soft. Now make golf sized balls out of the dough & keep in the bowl. Take one ball, roll it without any cracks, pat it slightly & dust in the flour. Keep the remaining balls closed till use. Roll the ball into a uniform, thin circle. Dust it once in the middle only if necessary.

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  • Put the chapathi in a news paper or sheet & cover it well. Do not keep it one over the other. Roll the other chapathis & spread it. Heat a good conditioned non-stick pan & put the chapathi. Reduce the flame to medium. Keep rotating it. U will see some bubbles appear on the top of chapathi. Immediately flip the chapathi.

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  • Cook the other side in low flame by pressing it using a ladle so that corners will cook well. Remove and brush with ghee or oil if needed. Serve hot with vegetable kurma.

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  • If you want to store the chapathi, spread a towel inside a hot pack. Brush the cooked chapati with oil or ghee. Then stack the chapathis one above the other. Wrap it with a cloth napkin & store it.  It will stay soft for hours. If you want to pack the chapathis for lunch box, brush it with oil /ghee. Just fold the chapathi like a triangle and stack it. It will remain soft for long hours.


TIPS TO MAKE SOFT CHAPATI

These are some of the general tips and secrets to be followed to make a soft chapathi or phulka.

  1. The quantity of water may vary based on the atta/wheat flour brand you use. Aashirvaad takes little more water than Pillsbury. The water quantity I have given here is an approximate measure. It may vary for multi grain atta.
  2. Do not add all the water while kneading the dough. Sprinkle water only in small quantities. If you feel you have added excess water, you can add little flour to it but you should add few more drops of oil & knead it really well else chapathi will come out hard.
  3. Rolling the chapathi of uniform thickness is necessary for uniform puffing else chapathi won’t puff up in some places. Also never roll the chapathi very thin like a transparent sheet. They will roast like a papad.
  4. Do not over dust the chapathi in flour. Do it once or twice. If you dust more, chapathi may come out soft but it will look dry.
  5. Do not leave the chapathi dough or rolled chapathi in air for long time. It will become dry & gives you hard chapati. So keep it closed till use.
  6. Heat of the flame is very important while cooking chapathi. It should be low to medium. Never cook in high flame. It will become a papad. Flame should be high only for making phulkas and that too while showing in direct flame.
  7. Always brush the chapathi with oil or ghee if you keep for long time. No need to brush  if you consume immediately.
Try this recipe at home & enjoy soft chapathi for dinner or lunch with your favourite side dish. I served it with paneer kurma ! It was yummly !!
Soft chapati

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73 thoughts on “How To Make Soft Chapati / Super Soft Chapathi Recipe With Tips”

  9. Unknown

    It was very useful for me being a bachelor, I've tried many times before but I adjusted myself with out come, mystery was chased lol, very very soft roti, I'm proud of myself lol, thank you so much Chitra ji!

    Reply
  11. Makesh

    I found my mistakes: dough is getting dry due to fan above and always cooking in high flame. I will cook properly today.

    Reply
  14. Unknown

    Hi Chitra, i tried this recipe today and was pleasantly surprised. The chapatis turned out so nice and soft…compared to the chapatis i have made in the past. The addition of curd is fantastic. This is a keeper, thank you!

    Reply
  15. Unknown

    Hi Chitra, I tried your recipe today and i was so pleasantly surprised. The chapatis turned out so nice and soft. They were definitely the best chapatis i have made. I loved the addition of curd as i think this helped with the texture. Thank you for an amazing recipe. This is a keeper!

    Reply
  16. Unknown

    Hi wat about storing the dough added with curd in fridge will it ferment the dough will it change the taste the next day

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      Add fresh curd and make the dough.Store in a tight box and refrigerate for a day.Keeping the dough outside ferments the dough and make it sour.So refrigeration keeps it good for one day.Not more than that.Hope it works.Thanks

      Reply
  17. Hari

    Hello chitra we are running a company where we produce chapathis in bulk . We use kneading machines and pressers for making chapathis. We supply to hotels and mess. Actually we have never tried using curd. Our clients are asking for soft chapathis. Can this method be used for our production? We are also planning to pack and sell chapathis. Will this "Curd" tip work for us?

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      Hello Hari,
      This technique works well.But try it for small quantity,see the results and then go for bulk.Make sure you use fresh curd.Thanks.

      Reply
  19. Shwetha

    Hi chitra, even i tried ths my chapathis are coming out very hard for later consuming. frying also matters i guess. Pls guide me on hw to fry the chapathis so that it remains soft for my daughters lunch..

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      Yes Shwetha,frying matters much.When the dosa tawa becomes hot,reduce the flame completely.Cook it in low to medium low flame on both sides. Brush it lightly with oil or ghee and stack them one abovee the other.Close them in a hot box lined with kitchen towel.All these tips would help you to get soft chapathi even after hours.

      Reply
    1. Chitra

      Just brush a drop of oil on tawa before frying the chapathi and brush it with a drop of oil on chapathi after frying.

      Reply
  21. Unknown

    Thank you for this wonderful recipe and the thorough directions. A friend and I just came back from a trip to India and want to make an Indian meal. We were lucky to find all the recipe's ingredients at Punjab Grocery in Baltimore and made them today. The soft chapathi turned out great: tender, very tasty, soft and flexible. They tore apart just right and will be perfect for the Indian dinner we are planning (we plan to practice a few more times before the dinner).

    Reply
  22. Manish

    Hi,
    You did not mention how to roll the chapatis. Generally chapatis should be three layers and thin, if you just roll the dough the chapatis would not puff on the tawa. Thats how traditionally chapatis are made. Correct me if I am wrong.

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      Hi, you are right. Chapathis can also be rolled as u mentioned but what i have given here is an easy & simple way. It won't puff up on tawa but comes out super soft.

      Reply
  24. Anonymous

    Hi Chitra, I am following this recipe more than a year and my chappathis come out good every time 🙂 This is one recipe I have book-marked 🙂

    Reply
  25. rajrama

    Hi usually i prepare dough in night before sleeping and keep it in an air tight box for morning tiffin. I dont refrigerate. Can i use yogurt. Will it become sour in the morning?

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      No, Keeping the dough outside if adding yogurt is not advisable, It will become too sour. If you want to make the dough and keep it outside, just add oil. It will come out soft 🙂 Thanks

      Reply
  27. Sana

    Hi chitra actually itx a VERYYY nice recipee but I was planning to FREEZE THEM .. Can this work ????
    I mean making it half done and then freezing it ???

    Reply
  28. Sana

    Hi chitra pzzzz can u guide me that can I use the same recipee and make these chapatis half done and freeze them ???? As I don't have so much tyme to cook them all the tyme

    Reply
    1. Chitra

      Hi Sana, You can try it. Just half cook the chapathi and stack them in between butter paper so that it won't stick with each other. Freeze them. Thaw it before using just like store bought readymade chapathi 🙂 share your feedback on how it works.Thanks

      Reply
  29. gais

    Hi chitra i tried this today and got soft chapathis. I ve doubt do we need to increase the amount of curd if we use 4 cups od flour.

    Reply
  32. Unknown

    Thanks this worked very perfectly thanks… Iam have tried it and now have this reason to be happy while returning from office for these soft chapattis every evening
    Yogesh Goa

    Reply
  34. Unknown

    can we use sugar a bit.we are trying to make soft chapati with oil and sugar a bit but we wont get softness,can we use instead of curd oil more

    Reply
  38. Ramaa N

    Thank u for the recipe. I relly loved the chapathis I made and ate more and more. Thank u chitra. I am really happy to have found the recipe

    Reply
  41. Unknown

    Thank you for this systematic explanation. In midst of lockdown without our cook who made chapatis we were at wits end on what to do. I had mastered your soft upma recipe so turned again to you. Chapatis came out superb right from first attempt. Some learning iterations about quantity of water as per flour as we make 20 chapatis whenever needed. But one third water to flour qty seems to work well. And patient through kneading for 10 mins.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  42. Rams

    Will these stay good if made in night and to be eaten next day for lunch.. I want to take them for journey

    Reply
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