Roti Canai (Malaysian Flat Bread)

Roti is a flat bread that is similar to naan but uses a different technique of shaping and stretching the dough.  For my Malaysian Rendang I chose to serve this bread along side it to soak up the delicious flavors of the Beef Rendang!  I am a big fan of all flat breads so I was looking forward to trying a new one out. The method is pretty easy to follow though I wish my dough turned out a little stretchier.  The bread is flaky, tender and breaks apart easily.  Like naan, the oil traditionally used is ghee, or clarified butter, which gives the bread its tasty flakiness.  The dough is rested for several hours which means there’s some amount of prep and wait time involved–but it was way worth it! It was a perfect accompaniment for the Beef Rendang.

Roti Canai (Malaysian Flat Bread)
Adapted from Chef In You
(makes 3 servings)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
• 1/2 cup water
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl.
2. Now add 1/4 cup of ghee into a hole made in the dough.
3. Mix well and gradually add enough water to bind the dough.
4. Next knead the dough on a greased counter top for 5-8 minutes.
5. Place it back in the bowl and let it rest for at least 2 hours. This helps the dough to stretch well.
6. Take a small ball from the dough and roll it out thoroughly on a greased counter top.
7. Gently pull at the corners of the dough until its thin enough that you can see through it.
8. Now fold one end of the dough by bringing the top end to the middle.  Repeat with the bottom end.
9. Bring the right end and then the left and then slowly stretch the dough a bit on all the ends.
10. In a greased skillet, cook 1-2 minutes until browned.
11. Turn and then repeat.