Indian Bread Recipes: Classic Flatbreads and How They're Made

When you think of Indian food, you probably think of curry—but the real backbone of every meal is the Indian bread recipes, a family of unleavened and leavened flatbreads made daily across India, from village kitchens to urban homes. Also known as roti, chapati, naan, or paratha, these breads aren’t just sides—they’re tools for scooping, tearing, and soaking up flavor, made with just flour, water, salt, and sometimes ghee or yogurt.

Not all Indian breads are the same. Roti, a simple, round flatbread cooked on a hot griddle, needs no yeast or baking powder—its puff comes from steam and technique. Naan, a soft, slightly chewy bread baked in a tandoor oven, uses yogurt and sometimes eggs for richness. Then there’s Paratha, a layered, flaky bread often stuffed with potatoes, spinach, or paneer, fried in ghee until golden. Each one serves a different purpose, fits a different meal, and carries regional pride. You won’t find a single Indian household that doesn’t have a preferred method for making at least one of these.

What ties them all together? Simplicity. No fancy equipment. No long fermentation. Just skill, heat, and patience. That’s why so many people try to replicate them at home—and why so many fail. Too much flour? Dry and tough. Wrong temperature? Won’t puff. Over-knead? Gummy. The difference between a good roti and a great one isn’t the recipe—it’s the touch. And that’s what the posts here are built around: real, tested methods that work in Indian kitchens, not just on blogs.

You’ll find guides on how to get roti to puff without baking powder, how much water to use for perfect dough, why soaking urad dal matters for dosa (yes, it’s related), and how to make paneer that doesn’t turn rubbery when you add it to your paratha curry. These aren’t theoretical tips—they’re fixes from people who’ve burned bread, wasted flour, and learned the hard way. Whether you’re making breakfast chapati or weekend naan, the answers are here—not in fancy techniques, but in the small, repeatable steps that make all the difference.