Easy Sada Roti Flatbread

By
Cynthia Nelson
Cynthia Nelson
Cynthia Nelson
Food columnist and blogger Cynthia Nelson is the author of "Tastes Like Home: My Caribbean Cookbook." Living in Barbados, Cynthia shares her love of the diverse food of the islands.
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Updated on 07/25/21
Easy Sada Roti Flatbread

The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 18 mins
Dough resting time: 30 mins
Total: 73 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 sada roti
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
392 Calories
6g Fat
74g Carbs
10g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 392
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 899mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 74g 27%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 219mg 17%
Iron 5mg 26%
Potassium 101mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Sada roti is a type of Indian-influenced flatbread that is found throughout the Caribbean and most often associated with Trinidad and Tobago. Also found in Jamaica, and Guyana and Surinam in South America, they are usually eaten with stews and similar preparations in which the bread helps soak up the sauce or bring juicy pieces of food to the mouth.

Of all the West Indian rotis, it is the easiest to make because it requires just three easy steps and a few common kitchen ingredients. The bread is a tasty addition to almost any meal, especially eggplant baigan or tomato choka, two popular roasted vegetable dishes. Making this rustic flatbread is very simple and takes less than an hour. Half of that time is spent allowing the dough to rest—this dough has no yeast so there is no proving involved.

Sada roti can be eaten as a quick and filling snack with butter or jam, or used for other types of dishes not related to Caribbean traditions like open-faced sandwiches, quick flatbread pizzas, or as part of a cheese and charcuterie spread for a casual gathering. Hummus with sada roti is simply wonderful. Serve the roti as an accompaniment for meat stews, soups, curries, saucy preparations, or any spread you'd like. As a simple and tasty piece of bread, the possibilities are up to your imagination.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or canola oil, or ghee, divided

  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Sada Roti Flatbread ingredients

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

    In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  3. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, or ghee if using, and mix it into the flour.

    add ghee to the flour mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  4. Add just enough water to knead and make a dough. Start with 3/4 cup of water and knead the dough, adding a little bit more water at a time if you deem it necessary. Not all flours are alike, and not all doughs need the same amounts of water. The dough needs to be soft and pliable, and you'll get that after a few minutes of kneading, between 4 and 8.

    dough in a bowl

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  5. Form a ball with the dough and rub some of the remaining oil on top to prevent the dough from forming a skin. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

    dough ball in a bowl covered with a towel

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  6. Heat a cast iron griddle, pan, or tawah if you have one, over medium heat.

    cast iron skillet

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  7. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover the rest of the dough as you work with one piece at a time.

    dough cut into pieces

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  8. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.

    floured surface and floured roller

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  9. Form one piece of the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Roll it out into a 5-inch circle of about 1/4 inch thickness.

    rolled out dough on a floured surface

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  10. Transfer the dough disc to the heated griddle or pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Let cook on one side until the roti puffs up.

    roti cooking in a cast iron skillet

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  11. Flip the roti and cook the other side for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove roti from the pan and wrap loosely in a clean kitchen towel, or any flour-bag type of fabric.

    roti cooking in a cast iron skillet

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

  12. Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough. Serve warm.

    roti cooking in a cast iron skillet

    The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

What Is Ghee?

Ghee is a butter-derived product of Indian origin. Widely used in Indian cuisine, its use has transcended the subcontinent and is now found everywhere in the world, as its culinary qualities and wonderful but subtle flavor have made it a favorite staple in millions of households. Ghee isn't clarified butter, which is made from heating butter and removing the upper fat, impurities and foam from the surface. Ghee goes beyond that step, letting it simmer longer to brown and attain a nutty flavor.

The golden liquid resulting from the simmering is used for cooking both sweet and savory dishes, but also in traditional medicine and Ayurvedic approaches to healing.

Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Kotian S, Bhat K, Pai S, et al. The role of natural medicines on wound healing: a biomechanical, histological, biochemical, and molecular study. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2018;28(6):759-770. DOI: 10.4314/ejhs.v28i6.11