The delicious bajra rotis are a storehouse of nutrition. In English, Bajra is called pearl millet, which is one of the most common millets available. Rich in fiber, proteins and essential minerals, pearl millet flour is a healthy gluten-free alternative to wheat.
While Bajre ki roti is a traditional Rajasthani dish, it is very popular all over North India and now because of its plenty of health benefits, pearl millet and other millets are frequently used in place of wheat even outside of India. Check out my ongoing glossary, for names of different types of millets in Hindi and English.
Why Bajra? Health benefits of Bajra/ Pearl Millet
- Bajra or pearl millet is fiber-rich, protein-rich and has essential minerals like magnesium, iron and phosphorous.
- It is naturally gluten-free and alkaline, so very soothing for the body.
- Because of their high nutrition profile, bajra and other millets can tackle many common illnesses like constipation, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
- Bajra has complex carbohydrates which release energy slowly. As a result one feels fuller for a long time after a millet meal, making it a perfect grain for weight-loss diets.
We shifted to gluten-free grains because we realized gluten was causing the bulk of our digestion problems. We knew of rice and quinoa as gluten-free wheat alternatives. Rice is fine but quinoa is expensive in India. Using it every day was not working out. Also, I like to use a variety of grains for everyday meals. Millets are perfect! Right around our little town of Udaipur, there are so many different types of millets crops. We easily connected with the farmers and now I buy trusted organic millets right from the source. Millets are still not very common in Indian households but awareness about health benefits of millets is slowly increasing.
Neither of us has gluten-allergy but just after 1 month of absolutely no gluten, we could feel the difference in our bodies. It has been almost a year and at home, we rarely cook with wheat. Once in a while, I enjoy a plain paratha and we still have an occasional pasta, burger, and cookie but mostly while traveling or eating out.
Cooking with Bajra Flour
But I really had to learn cooking with millets, especially millet flour rotis. Because it has no gluten, pearl millet flour doesn’t stick together well. As a result, rolling a bajra flour roti is not as easy as rolling a wheat flour roti. Initially, the dough would just stick to my rolling pin. I tried rolling it by just pressing with my fingers but then the roti was very thick and didn’t cook evenly. Finally, I figured out how to roll bajra roti! I cut open a food grade plastic bag and used it to roll each chapati. That way the bajra dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin and it is easier to transfer the roti to the pan.
Even cooking it was different. Bajre ki roti needs to be cooked at a much lower heat to ensure even cooking. It took a lot of trial and error but now it is wonderful to see the lovely, earthy bajra rotis coming down the pan and disappearing in the stomach.
The best side dish for bajra roti is jaggery or gud. Smear the hot bajra roti with ghee and eat it with a little jaggery. That’s the rustic, Indian village-style lunch. I like to pair it with some homemade yogurt raita or a simple kadhi recipe.
If you like this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and/or leave your feedback in comments. It will really encourage me to keep exploring, learning and improving.
How to make Bajra roti
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 2 cups bajra flour / pearl millet flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp jaggery (gud), to serve
Instructions
- Take Bajra flour in a bowl and mix in salt. Add hot water little by little and mix together with a spoon till all the flour is incorporated and you get a thick dough consistency.
- Leave it for 5 minutes till the bajra dough is cool enough to knead by hand. Knead it till it gets soft. If the dough is too sticky, that means there is more water than needed so add a little more flour. Likewise if it is too dry, add a little water. Like regular wheat dough, kneading the millet flour dough takes a bit of practice, so start with a small batch.
- Heat a tawa or flat pan on medium-low heat.
- Divide the dough into small balls (1.5”-2” diameter) and cover with a damp cloth.
- For each bajre ki roti, take one ball of dough and roll it out gently, between two sheets of food grade plastic, to as round a shape as you can get! 🙂 [check the image in post above]
- Carefully transfer the chapati to a hot tawa/ pan and cook on both sides till it is cooked through (has brown spots on both sides).
- Smear with ghee and serve with jaggery and/ or pakoda kadhi.
Notes
Another popular winter Bajra flour recipe is a warm drink called Bajra raab which is made by roasting bajra with ghee and warm spices like ginger.
Did you know India is the largest producer of bajra or pearl millet? Maybe it is time that we start making it a regular part of our diet. I am also very new in exploring millets as the grain of choice. Here are a few healthy millet recipes that I cook very often. As I learn more, I will continue to share more in this space.
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Would love to start a conversation, share recipes, cooking experiences and food stories from India and around the world.
Good recipe
Thank you! I am glad you liked it 🙂
I am a great fan of bajri and I now know how to make easy bajri roti! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thanks, Hetal!
I am so happy you like the recipe. It really is very easy once you get a hang of it. Many of my friends find gluten-free flours difficult to roll but with a plastic sheet, it becomes easy.
Excellent research and practical tips. I will try it out some day. Not sure if pearl millet is available in USA. Mabe I should inquire at some desi store
Thanks, Hasan!
You will easily find pearl millet flour (bajra aata) at most desi stores. It is so popular now that I won’t be surprised if you also find it in whole-foods and other healthy grains sections in regular supermarkets in USA.
Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe or about cooking with millets in general.
I was truly inspired by an article I read about the benefits of millet so for pure health reasons I have decided to switch away from rice and wheat all together. However after my two failed attempts to make the bajra rotis, I am glad I came across your article as you highlight some of the tips which I hope works well at my next attempt
I am glad I could be some help in your journey of adopting millets.
Apart from the tips mentioned in the recipe like using a food grade plastic sheet to roll the dough.. you can also add some boiled potatoes while kneading the bajra dough. It makes it easier to roll and lift up the bajra rotis and also makes them softer. You can check out in my Jowar roti recipe where I knead boiled and grated potato into the flour.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be happy to answer :-). It takes some time to get a hang of making gluten-free rotis but after a few trials, it becomes normal.
I really love this roti. Have not made it at home. But thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I can make this now.
Thanks, Vini!
I am so happy this recipe is helpful to you 🙂 But on your blog, you do have a recipe of Bajre ki roti… did you not make it yourself?
Well written, I thought you would have a different way of rolling the roti but this is helpful, thank you. Wish others could be so simple and honest
Thanks, Victor,
I am glad the description was helpful! Rolling gluten-free flours tends to be difficult. Traditionally they are rolled directly by patting on the palms and put on hot tava but I find using a plastic sheet easier and more manageable.
I also use some wheat flour to avoid the cracks. Nice and healthy recipe.
Thanks, Sandhya!
Yes, adding wheat flour will make it easy to roll. But for 100% gluten-free chapati, I make these rotis with only bajra flour.
Ashima
Hubby dear loves Bajra and due to those difficulties which you have addressed already, I have always avoided making these rotis. But now with your given tips,I’m going to try it again.
Thanks again
Hey!!
I am so glad this recipe and tips for using Bajra flour were helpful. Let me know if you have any difficulty 🙂
If your husband is not gluten-sensitive then you can also add a little wheat flour to make it easier to roll the bajra roti.
I am a Malaysian and we get different varities of millet from the Indian stores. My daughter and I have millet often. I make jeera millet, tomato millet instead of tomato rice and plain millet with curry and vegetables. I also replace the rice for fried rice with cooked millet. It is an excellent replacement for rice. I have not tried Bajra flour yet so I hope to get it soon and try out your recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Viji!!
I am so happy to read that you and your daughter have replaced rice with millets totally! They provide so much more fiber and nutrition 🙂 Since roti is quite an essential part of Indian cuisine, I have started using various millet flours to make roti. I will be very grateful if you would let me know how the recipe goes for you. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer 🙂
love,
ashima
Seriously I loved the way you mention this practical idea of rolling bajra roti. I have found difficulty to rolling roti specially millet but now after seeing your idea I am going to try this method today.
Very informative ideas on different vegetarian recipes.
Thank you
Awesome! I am so glad that the pictures and description of rolling millet flour in plastic sheet is helpful for you! I also used to be amazed by people rolling bajra roti with hands and it not breaking up while for me it would always break up after a particular size 🙁 Until I learned to roll them this way 🙂
Looking forward to how it went for you!
Thanks so much for taking the time to post your recipes… they are perfect guides to creating some very interesting and nutritious meals! Keep it up.
Thanks, Steve!
I am so happy the recipes are helpful 🙂 My intention in posting is to share and support happy cooking! Your words give me encouragement to continue that journey!
Wish you a very Happy New Year!
AssalamuAlaikum
Today I tried to make bajray ki roti with your recipe. Thanks for sharing. With best wishes.
Walaikum Assalam Iqtadar,
I am so happy you tried the recipe! Would love to know how it turned out 🙂
i tried make jowar roti but it became like papad what when wrong
Hello Elwin,
sorry to read that the Jowar roti’s didn’t come out as you expected. Jowar rotis (and Bajra rotis) are not soft and supple like wheat rotis. They are a bit hard naturally as there is no gluten. If you roll them too thin then they can turn out like papad. Roll them a little thick. You can also add grated boiled potato, or grated arbi (colocassia root) for softness. That will also make it easier to roll the rotis.
Hope this helps.
Hi my bajra roti became like papad did not come ok what went wrong
Hello Elwin,
sorry to read that the bajra roti’s didn’t come out as you expected. Bajra rotis are not soft and supple like wheat rotis. They are a bit hard naturally as there is no gluten. If you roll them too thin then they can turn out like papad. Roll them a little thick. You can also add grated boiled potato, or grated arbi (colocassia root) for softness. That will also make it easier to roll the rotis.
Hope this helps.
How insightful and a very well written introduction to cooking Bajra Chappatties and its uses. I have been looking to switch to a low-carb diet and your site has been very helpful.
Thanks, Jyoti!
I am so happy you found helpful recipes for your food changes :-)Let me know if you need any suggestions!