If you are looking for a healthier version of roti that has very low carbs and is gluten free then this recipe is for you. Almond flour is rich in nutrients, healthy fat and protein so it makes an awesome base ingredient from a health standpoint.
I will warn you - when I was creating this recipe I made a bunch of mistakes and it took me a few tries and mental adjustments to get it right. It was not easy experimenting and there were a few factors I did not accommodate for initially.
I have outlined them in this post and included these in the recipe, so please take the time to read through and follow carefully. If you have ever made regular roti before, then forget everything you know. The dough feels different and works different. It takes some commitment to get it right.
I did some research on almond flour before I started and then on binding agents. Here is what I learned and what I chose for the recipe.
Almond flour
The cost of almond flour is more expensive than regular all purpose flour and even gluten free flour blends. If however you are diabetic, want to lead a keto lifestyle or just make general healthy swaps then Almond flour is an excellent choice. Bellow are 3 pictures of nutritional information on all purpose flour, gluten free flour and almond flour respectively (the picture on the far right being Almond Flour).
Sometimes you can't really draw a linear comparison of cost when you have specific health goals. That being said there are options to reduce the overall cost. Amazon has a 3 lb bag of blanched almond flour for good price if you will be using almond flour more often in baking. You can also make your own almond flour at home if you get a great deal on bulk raw almonds.
To be clear there are 2 types of the ground almond variety. You will hear the term almond meal - this is raw almonds that have been ground with the skin on. The other term is blanched almond flour - this is raw almonds that have been ground after the skin has been removed. You may use a food processor, coffee grinder or high speed blender to grind the almonds. Be sure to pulse only a few times working in small batches. Blending for too long will turn this into almond butter. There is no need to add any butter or oil at any stage since the almond flour has a lot of oils already.
Almond flour has no gluten which is great for the goal to make this gluten free however it is what creates all the difference in the dough. Without gluten the dough is less stretchy and crumbles vs binding together. It makes rolling out the dough difficult. So we also need a gluten replacement or binding ingredient.
Binding Ingredient
There are a few options for binding ingredients and few recipes out there use Xanthan Gum for gluten free baking. My goal was to not use any Xanthan Gum or any gums in general. I have tasted products with it and felt the outcome very gummy and not great. I have since read bad reviews for it as well.
I opted to try Chia Seed with warm water at first but it didn't turn out great for a few reasons. Next I tried Psyllium Husk and this is what worked best! You get powders or whole Psyllium Husks. I used the whole version since it was the only one at the grocery store I was already at and I was excited to try the next batch trial of this keto roti recipe. It worked well but if you prefer a much smoother texture then go ahead and use the powder version. Again if you want to buy this in bulk there are some good deals out there.
The process and the mistakes (so you do not have the same issues)
When creating the dough I used just boiled water - I always do that for regular roti but I read somewhere that warmer water activates the psyllium husks. Add water VERY slowly. Temperature, climate and texture of the almond flour may require a little less or more than the recipe. It may even look like it may need more water but try forming the dough first to be sure.
MISTAKE #1: I added way too much water in my first batch. I am so used to eyeballing things in the kitchen, I was not prepared that such little water was needed for almond flour.
I then let the dough stand for about 15 minutes hoping it will allow it to bind together a bit. When rolling it out do not expect to have perfectly round roti's. You can cut it into a circle using a pot lid if you like but even the best roti rollers will struggle to get round roti's just by rolling. You can make little balls and flatten them on a piece of parchment paper. Then either roll out on the parchment paper directly with the rolling pin or place another piece of parchment paper on the top and roll out with the dough sandwiched between the two pieces of paper. I did a mix of sometimes rolling directly with the rolling pin and then with parchment paper on the top to thin it out. Roll it thin but manageable to gently peel off the parchment paper and kinda flip the roti onto the tava or pan with the bottom piece. Also it's good to makes small roti's (about 5inch - 6inch) - it makes it more manageable.
MISTAKE #2: I expected to have round roti's and that it would be just like rolling out regular roti. It is very different and by my second try I got the hang of the parchment paper trick but still being careful with the very different nature of the dough. I chose not to cut them with a lid and enjoy their natural shapes.
Once it's on the tava or non stick pan - it's like a huge milestone, haha, so congratulate yourself. The next step is to only cook each side for about 30 - 40 seconds. Cooking for too long will make them hard and not pliable.
MISTAKE #3: I cooked it for too long. I tried to get it golden brown and turned out hard like a frisbee. I quickly figured out just a little bit on each side so that it is cooked but not crisp.
We all had a taste and yes it is a little sweeter than regular roti with a bit of the almond flavor but it worked perfectly with the curry. Although the almond flour may make less roti's than regular flour, the almond flour makes them more filling so you don't need as many.
Hope you enjoy. Good Luck!
Keto Roti (Made with Almond Flour - Gluten Free, Low Carb and Diabetic Friendly)
Yield ~ 5 roti's (5"-6" diameter)
Prep time ~ 35 min (including wait time)
Cook time ~ 2 min per roti
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp psyllium husk
~3 Tbsp hot water
Method
Place almond flour and psyllium husks in a bowl and mix together.
Slowly add water 1 Tbsp at a time mixing first with a spoon if water is very hot then use hands to create a dough. Only add enough water to create a dough ball that pulls together.
Let the dough ball sit covered lightly with a clean dish towel for 15 min.
Divide dough into 5 equal pieces and roll into balls.
Flatten a ball into a round disk on a sheet of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll into thin round roti's ~ 5 inch - 6 inch in diameter.
Carefully peel back the parchment paper and place uncooked roti onto medium hot tava or non-stick pan. Carefully flip after 30 - 40 sec. Cook the other side for 30 - 40 sec then remove to cool.
Repeat rolling and cooking the rest of the dough balls.
Serve with curry!
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