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Malaysian Flatbread Roti Canai
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4.98 from 38 votes

Malaysian Flatbread (Roti Canai)

Authentic Malaysian flatbread recipe or famously known as roti canai. Fluffy and soft with crispy edges. This homemade roti canai is very easy to prepare.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Passive Time8 hours
Servings: 10 pieces
Author: Bea & Marco

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread flour (520 g)
  • 1 egg , room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (40 g), melted
  • 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 ¼ cup water (310 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (not shown in video)

Instructions

The Dough

  • In a standing mixer bowl, add in flour, salt, egg, melted butter, condensed milk and water. Mix to incorporate and knead for 10 minutes. Leave to rest for 10 minutes and knead for another 5 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 10 small balls. Coat each ball generously with unsalted butter and place them in a container that has been generously buttered. Cover the container tightly with cling film and keep in the fridge overnight.

Shaping

  • The next day. Spread some unsalted butter on the working surface. Take one ball and lightly flatten it. Press and push the dough with the heel of your palm to make it bigger. Stretch it as thin as possible, until you can almost see through it. Now and then spread some soften unsalted butter on it to help the stretching. Optional, lift up one edge of the dough and gently pull to stretch it even more.
  • Scrape and push the upper end of the dough to the middle. Do the same to the lower end, forming a wrinkle thin log. Starting at one end of the log, roll it into a circle and tuck the other end inside. Leave aside for 10 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile you can continue with the rest of the balls.

Cooking

  • Once ready to cook, take one rolled circle and flatten it into more or less 10-15 cm diameter. Heat some unsalted butter on a pan using medium heat. Place the flatten dough on the pan. Cook for several minutes and then flip. Continue cooking for some minutes more.
  • This is important for a fluffy roti canai. Remove the cooked roti canai and place it on a working surface. Immediately yet carefully grab it using both of your hands and squeeze it to the center. We want to fluff it. You can see this part more clear in the video above.
  • Keep the roti canai under a kitchen cloth to keep them warm. They're best eaten with dhal curry or any type of curry with some sambal. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. If the balls are a bit difficult to spread (the next day), rest them at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
  2. This roti canai is with less salt because it's not intended to be eaten alone. It's usually dipped in varieties of curries. Add more salt as needed, depending on how you want to eat it.
  3. Using All Purpose Flour
    • I've tried using all purpose flour and my verdict is; although it's not as flexible as using bread flour (due to lack of gluten developed), it is still workable. The dough also tends to break when you stretch it very thin.
    • Use LESS water. I'd suggest start with 1 cup (250 ml). When kneading, look inside the standing mixer bowl, the dough shouldn't stick to the bottom or side and the bowl should be clean of dough (nothing sticks). Add flour bit by bit as needed. I ended up adding around 4-6 tablespoon (30-50 g) more.
    • The dough should be soft but not sticky. Watch the video above to see the right texture.
  4. Substitute To Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • I've tried using ½ tablespoon (10 g) honey, it works just fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 234.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 39.5g | Protein: 7.2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Cholesterol: 28.4mg | Sodium: 248.7mg | Potassium: 68.3mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 1.3g | Calcium: 18.6mg | Iron: 0.6mg