Flatbread Puff: What It Is, How It’s Made, and Why It’s a Staple in Indian Kitchens

When you think of flatbread puff, a light, airy Indian bread that puffs up like a balloon when cooked. Also known as puffed roti, it’s the kind of bread that makes you pause mid-bite—crispy on the outside, soft inside, and magically inflated from nothing but heat and dough. It’s not just bread. It’s a small miracle in the kitchen, born from simple ingredients and perfect heat. You don’t need fancy tools. Just flour, water, salt, and a hot tawa or oven. That’s it.

This isn’t just about naan or roti. roti, the everyday flatbread made from whole wheat is the base, but puff bread, the version that swells into a soft, hollow sphere is the showstopper. What makes it puff? It’s all about moisture turning to steam inside the dough, trapped just long enough to lift it off the surface. Too little heat? It won’t rise. Too much? It burns before it inflates. The trick isn’t secret—it’s timing, pressure, and patience. And yes, this is why your grandmother always said, "Don’t press it down."

Across India, you’ll find variations. In Punjab, it’s called phulka and served with dal and ghee. In Bengal, it’s lighter, often made with maida. In South India, they skip the puff entirely and stick to dosa—but that’s a different story. What ties them all? Freshness. Homemade flatbread puff doesn’t sit on shelves. It’s made fresh, eaten warm, and never reheated twice. That’s why store-bought versions never taste the same.

You’ll find recipes here that fix the common mistakes: dough too dry, rolling too thin, heat too low. You’ll learn why resting the dough matters, how to tell when the tawa is ready, and what to do when your puff doesn’t inflate (spoiler: it’s usually the heat, not the dough). We’ve collected real tips from home cooks who’ve made thousands of these—and broken down what actually works.

This collection isn’t about fancy techniques. It’s about getting the basics right. Whether you’re making it for kids, for guests, or just because you miss the smell of warm bread fresh off the stove, you’ll find the answers here. No fluff. No theory. Just what to do, when to do it, and why it turns out perfect—or why it didn’t.