Khamiri Roti

Khamiri Roti, a traditional Indian bread that was a staple in the Mughal era. It is made with whole wheat flour, yeast, and milk and is extremely soft and spongy. Do try this one for your festive meals. Here is how to make it.

During my childhood days, weekends were extremely special, especially when it comes to food.

My mother used to make these royal dishes for lunch and we used to wait from morning to relish them, as the house used to smell of the aroma coming from these delectable and rich dishes.

Along with royal curries and dals, she used to experiment with different types of desi Indian bread every weekend, which made this meal even more irresistible.

One of my favorites was KHAMIRI ROTI.

The day she made it, we loved it so much that it became a tradition to make this piping pot Khamiri Rotis at least once a month.

Even now, when I crave my mother’s food, I make these Roti with some rich and creamy curries.

It is extremely soft and spongy, because of the use of yeast in it.

Yeast is also called as Khameer in Urdu and thus the name, Khamiri Roti.

In olden times, people used to leave the dough overnight to ferment it, but with the yeast and baking soda available nowadays, it has become a fast process to make these Rotis.

What is Khamiri Roti?

It is a super soft and spongy roti that was said to be a staple in the Mughal era.

This is a rich Indian flatbread that is made with whole wheat flour and is still a staple bread in the Muslim household, who resides in the old parts of New Delhi.

It is even a popular bread among Pakistani homes.

Yeast is added in this roti, which makes it extra soft and spongy. Along with whole wheat flour and yeast, other ingredients such as milk, sugar, and salt are added to make it softer and add a little hint of sweetness to it.

Traditionally, it is cooked in a Clay Tandoor, but if you don’t own one, you can even make it in an oven.

I often make them in the oven and then cook it on the direct flame to give it a nice smoky flavor.

While serving, don’t forget to add some desi ghee on top of the roti, as it adds more taste to this fermented roti.

Ingredients

How to make this roti without yeast?

You can make homemade roti without yeast too.

Just substitute the yeast with the right amount of baking soda and acid to ferment and make the dough rise.

For acid, you can use lemon juice, buttermilk, or milk combined with an equal part of vinegar.

Follow the same recipe, just instead of yeast, use a combination of acid and baking powder and your Khamiri Rotis will turn out soft and spongy.

For one cup flour, add 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp lemon juice.

Khamiri Roti vs Naan

Both these Indian Bread uses yeast, which helps to ferment the dough and almost all the ingredients are the same to make this bread.

But there is one major difference in the ingredients!

While Khamiri Roti is made with whole wheat flour, Naan is made with all-purpose flour.

Thus the texture of both the rotis is different! Khamiri Roti is soft and spongy, on the other hand, Naan has a slightly chewy texture.

Check out my amazing Naan Recipe here.

Serving Suggestions

If you have ever visited the streets of Old Delhi, you would have seen that the locals serve this chewy Khamiris along Nalli Nihari or with a rich Mutton Korma.

It makes for an exceptional combination!

Other than North Indian Kurmas, I also like to serve it with rich and creamy Indian Curries and Dals.

Serve it along with your festive meals, it tastes great with almost everything, even simple raita.

So, if you haven’t tried the it yet, it’s time to gorge on these soft and spongy rotis that are definitely going to leave you asking for more!

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