Does Chapati Flour Have Gluten In It?

If you’re having an Indian night of cooking, chapatis are essential but traditional chapatis have gluten inside. So you might be wondering, is chapati flour gluten free? 

Chapati flour is a type of whole wheat flour and therefore is not gluten free, to make chapati gluten free you would need to use gluten free flour such as rice flour or gram flour for example.

In our guide below, we will take you through which types of flours are gluten-free, two ways to make gluten free chapati and some tips for making chapati.

Learn more here Is Rice Flour Gluten Free?

Which Types Of Flour Are Gluten Free? 

In order to make gluten free chapati or normal roti you need to ensure that you are using gluten free flour for the chapati, a lot of wheat flour types, unfortunately, contain gluten, therefore, you need to be careful when buying pre-made goods. 

We’ve listed some types of gluten free flour down below.

• Almond flour – Almond flour is made from blanched ground almonds, this flour can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio instead of using wheat flour. However, when baking with this flour you might need to add an extra egg.
• Sorghum flour – This flour is light in colour as well as texture and is made from a cereal grain. The flour is also very high in fiber and protein.
• Buckwheat flour – Buckwheat flour is perfect for cooking goods like yeast bread, this wheat flour does not contain gluten, this gluten-free buckwheat flour roti option will need to be mixed with other flour like brown rice flour since it can be very crumbly. Learn more here Is Buckwheat Flour Gluten Free?
• Amaranth flour – This type of flour is made from natural ingredients and can replace 25% of natural flour, it has an earthy and nutty flavour, and it’s best for making pies and tortilla style good.
• Arrowroot flour – Arrowroot flour is a little less common than other gluten-free flours, it can be used as a thickener or mixed with other flours, for crispy goods the flour can be used on its own.
• Corn flour – This is a ground version of cornmeal and is mostly used in cooking for thickening sauces, however, the flour can also be combined with others for making pizza crust.
• Chickpea flour – Made from ground chickpeas, this flour has a nutty taste and a grainy texture. It is a great source of plant-based protein and fiber. 
• Tapioca flour – Tapioca flour is also known as a form of cassava flour and comes from the liquid starchy root. It can be used as a thickener but has little nutritional content.

How To Make Gluten-Free Chapati (Two Ways!)

If you need to make some chapati with your curry or maybe you’re craving some for breakfast, we have two easy-to-follow gluten recipes down below for you to try out. 

Recipe One 

Ingredients 

• 60g of fine gram flour. 
• 85g of potato starch. 
• Two tsp of gluten-free baking powder.
• 130ml of warm water. 
• Pinch of sea salt. 
• 1.5 tablespoon of sunflower oil. 
• 10g of psyllium husk.
• 35g of tapioca starch.

Method 

1. Start by weighing out your flours, baking powder, salt and psyllium husk in a bowl then mix. 
2. Add in your oil and water then mix the dough in a bowl using the back of a spoon to make a ball of dough. 
3. If the mix of gram flour dough seems slightly wet, allow it to sit for around 10 minutes so that the psyllium husk can become absorbed. 
4. Flour a surface with tapioca starch and knead the mix until the sticky dough is ready to roll. Break off a piece of the dough and roll it into a bowl then press down lightly and dust with tapioca starch. 
5. Shape into a circle, flattening as you go and repeat with the rest of the dough. Now heat your pan till it becomes hot, you don’t want it too hot so as it chars the chapati dough but hot so that the prepared dough cooks quickly.
6. Place the flatbread dough onto the hot pan and allow it to cook till you see bubbles forming on the surface, flip over, and press the gluten free roti down to help it cook evenly. 
7. Flip again and you should start to see air forming inside of the gluten-free dough, do not be tempted to squish it down, instead remove it from the pan and let it deflate naturally.

Recipe Two 

Ingredients 

• 90g of cassava flour. 
• 30g of tapioca starch. 
• A teaspoon of psyllium husk. 
• Two teaspoons of baking powder. 
• Pinch of pink salt. 
• 600ml of warm water. 
• 40g of brown rice flour.
• Spoon of olive oil. 

Method

1. Place all of your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix then drizzle in your oil and warm water slowly bit by bit.
2. Do these increments till the dough becomes soft but not sticky. 
3. Slice into 4 pieces making four small bowls then covers in a bowl with a damp cloth on top. 
4. Take a rolling pin, dust it with cassava flour then take your balls and roll them out to make normal rotis shapes, heat your pan to high heat. 
5. Add in the rolled-out Rotis then allow them to cook for a minute until they start showing small bubbles, flip over and allow to cook again. 
6. Flip the roti back over again then push your pan to one side and place the chapati so it’s slightly hanging over the side.
7. Allow it to puff up putting it back on the direct heat for 30 seconds then remove.

Tips For Making Gluten Free Chapati 

Making regular rotis get better with practice, you might have a few first failed attempts but don’t give up, try our tips below to get the best results. 

• Use good quality flour – Try to use freshly made gluten free flour when possible, and double check the flour is gluten free when buying store-bought versions.
• Knead well – When needing your gluten free dough we suggest applying a little oil to make the job easier and allowing the dough to rest for a few minutes after kneading to keep it nice and soft. 
• Roll properly – When rolling your chapatis make sure not to overwork them and use too much flour since this can make them chewy.
• Store them well – After making your chapatis make sure to store them properly in an airtight container or wrapped inside aluminium foil to keep them soft. 

Last Words 

Overall, the flour used in traditional rotis is not gluten free since they use wheat flour in them, to make chapatis gluten free you will need to opt for a combination of gram flour and cassava flour or tapioca starch. 

You also take a look at this article Is Rye Flour Gluten Free

Avoid using excess flour when making chapatis and make the perfect roti by allowing the dough to rest before frying in the pan.