When I first found out I had to go gluten free 12 years back , the first thing someone told me was, “Ah, you only have to quit roti” the person was so wrong but that’s the way most Indians perceive wheat, wheat = roti. They forget it is everywhere. Anyhow for me that didn’t seem much of a problem initially. Being a South Indian, I was never too much a roti person but then of course how can one not like paratha’s , poori and naan. So, when it dawned on me being Celiac meant going off all of that too. I realised I just had to work on finding flours with which I could make all of it.
I used a commercial mixes initially, but then there were very few available back in 2010 and so I had to come up with my own mixes and somewhere down the line I aced making roti’s out of any gluten free flour, grain, or pseudo grain. Fast forward to 2022 we have so many commercial mixes these days and I am listing a few I have tried. I use these when I don’t have the time to mix my own flour for roti.
Disclaimer : These are my personal opinions and I have not been paid or nor has any brand gifted me their flour mixes. I have tried all these flour mixes over the years and the new one’s in the last 1 or 2 years.
Now that you are clear that I don’t have hidden agenda to promote any brand. Here are the few I have tried over the years –
- Zero G – Rite flour : Healthy for sure but I have also found it very heavy. It has the look and shape of a roti but it doesn’t come together that easily and so yes, it is a bit of a hassle. It is more on the economical compared the new brands of roti mixes. However, this mix of sorghum, ragi and starch is easy to mix at home and the flour can be used for baking breads and rustic rolls. That way it is versatile.
- Dr Gluten Platinum Flour – It is a good mix if you are looking for a gum free, soy free flour and a reasonably healthy mix. It is priced somewhere along the lines of Zero G. It does comes together easily when kneaded and it isn’t bad by any standard however when it comes to the taste and texture definitely could be better. If you are looking for a low carb option Dr Gluten’s Raw Banana flour is excellent.
- Wheafree – Wheafree’s multigrain flour unlike its other flour mixes does not contain soya. The pack and its description says it puffs up and it easily puffs up. It comes together easily and can be kneaded and rolled out like roti easily. Taste and texture wise, it is satisfactory. Among the healthy category of roti flours it definitely is the most economical. It is also now available in the US and UK. However, it does contain xanthan gum. I don’t think xanthan gum in minute quantities is a problem but they are some who react to it. I might write more about my views about xanthan gum perhaps later in an another blog post.
- Better Flour – What I have tried is the yellow packaged roti mix of better flour which they refer to as the protein rich low carb flour. I first saw the ads for it on Instagram. I reached out to the company and they sent me the test report which showed the atta was gluten free and yes, they have a dedicated gluten free facility too. It is a low carb, keto friendly atta. It has xanthan gum though but no soy. If you follow the instructions on the cover, the atta can be kneaded into a dough easily and can be rolled into one easily as well. However when it comes to the taste and texture, I was not too satisfied with the strong lentil taste that lingers. It feels like eating a besan roti. Though it is great if you are making a tortila or want to bake a healthy version of a pita bread. It is also priced much higher than the brands mentioned above.
- Dr Schar Gluten Free Flour – Schar is a big gluten free international brand who have collaborated with Rollins International in India and thus Schar products are much more easily available as compared to the a decade ago. Now their their gluten free atta, it is a mix of many flours and has both xanthan gum and psyllium husk. It comes together beautifully and can be rolled out into a very thin roti. It puffs up easily too. It is great for things which need a maida like texture – bhatura, a wrap. Use it as a mix for making poori’s by adding just a little sorghum or even a naan. However I don’t think it really makes a great roti because it looks all white but yes of course it definitely makes a great luchi and a samosa wrapper. If you would like a good maida texture go for this and since it has xanthan gum and psyllium husk it has a better stretch. When it comes to its pricing it is slightly more expensive than the others brands – Wheafree, Zero G and Dr Gluten.
- JusAmazin – Now JusAmazin is known for its nut butters but just like Better Flour it is more of a recent entrant into the gluten free flour category but it is probably the only brand of gluten free flour based out of South India. JusAmazin uses organic gluten free flours, does not contain soy or xanthan gum. Yes, it is tested and found to be gluten free and the company has a dedicated gluten free facility. Follow the instructions on the pack and you the dough kneads easily and rolls out easily. It has the taste and texture of a good roti or what I remember what a roti tastes like. My family says it tastes like a roti so I will go by that. I find it is good for making roti’s, parathas and great for baking healthier versions of gluten free bread. Now coming to the pricing it is definitely more expensive than all the other brands but if you buy 2 or more there is generally a discount and the ingredients used are a good mix and also no xanthan gum or soy. Personally for me this is a good balanced roti mix.
All the brands I have mentioned are safe gluten free brands where the products are tested and almost all have a dedicated gluten free facility as well. If you are newly diagnosed Celiac or someone who has bad Non-celiac gluten sensitivity please be careful of the gluten free claims of many of the commercial roti mixes these days. There are a few big brands who claim to have gluten free roti mixes but do not test them for cross contact and they are packed in shared facilities and as a result some have shown to have more than 20 ppm of gluten. The brands I have mentioned here are the ones I have been using for years, been lab tested and thus they feature in my review.
None of the flours I have written about have any soy in them, so all are okay for people with thryoid problems or intolerant to it. All are easily available online on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Wellversed etc. If you have tried a roti mix which you feel is great, do drop a comment.
If you want to try some of my roti, poori and naan recipes here are a few and there are more on my social media handles on Instagram @jagglutenfree or on Facebook @GFIndia .
If you are new to the gluten free lifestyle, just curious to know more here is my book, in addition to being an easy read it also features 25 of my recipes –