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Marie Mitchell鈥檚 Roti


Photo credit: Chiron Cole

Makes six cones
plain flour 300g, preferably a high-protein one such as bread flour
self-raising flour 150g
sea salt 1½ tsp
demerara sugar 1½ tsp
warm water about 300ml
sunflower oil about 100ml, or 100g ghee or vegan ghee, mixed
sunflower oil for oiling

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix through.


2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour around half of the water in, combining slowly. Keep adding water to bring the flour together to form a dough, aiming for a slightly wet, rather than dry, consistency.


3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes or until you have a nice soft, springy ball – you should be able to lightly press your finger in and have it bounce back.


4. Oil the dough and place in your mixing bowl, then cover with a dry tea towel; let it rest for half an hour.


5. Divide into 6 equal balls. I advise weighing the dough, so you can then divide it more evenly.


6. Do a gentle knead in your hand to reshape each round, holding the ball in the palm and gently pinching the outer edge of the dough with the opposite hand bringing it into the centre of the ball; repeat this to seal the dough. Use the thumb on your opposite hand to seal all the pinches together. Repeat for each ball, oil them again and rest in the mixing bowl for another half an hour.


7. After they’ve had a second proof, gently flatten each ball, using your hand to lightly twist the dough into a circle.


8. Roll each portion in an up-and-down motion with a rolling pin, rotating it 180 degrees and repeating to make a round, flat dough. Slice at 12 o’clock to the centre, not all the way through, brush with the oil/ghee mix and then roll in a clockwise direction until it forms a cone.


9. Lift and hold the dough in one hand, pushing all the sides into the middle with your opposite thumb, turn it upside down on the surface and press the opposite side in to seal it. Repeat for each ball.


10. Now prove for another half an hour or, alternatively, place the cones in an airtight container and let them rest overnight, ready to cook the following day. They can also be frozen for up to three months. If placing them in a container make sure not to stack them as this will deform the shape – they can be squeezed next to one another but never on top.


11. When ready to cook, gently flatten the dough balls into a round and roll them out in the same up-and-down direction, rotating 180 degrees again and repeating to get a circular, flat roti. Don’t roll too hard or too thin, as you will lose the lovely layers.


12. Warm a tawa or frying pan on a medium heat and, when hot, brush with the oil/ghee mixture and place the roti on the pan. Oil the roti again before turning and cook for no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side to get a nice colour.

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