Please suggest methods to preserve Rotis (Chappathis)

Chapatis can be preserved for a few days easily by keeping them in a sealable plastic ziplock bag. But it is to be done with care. What we do is that first we make the chapatis in the normal way and then let them cool down. Now take some butter paper of the chapati size and place one butter paper between two chapatis and like that make a pack of 4 to 6 chapatis and keep them in the bag and seal them with the ziplock. These packets are now to be put in the freezer and whatever quantity is required can be taken out and rest can be again kept back in the freezer compartment. These chapatis are very fresh and after heating they become just like the normal chapatis. I have used like that for 5-6 days but one can try for a longer time. After 5-6 days there may be some deterioration in the quality of the chapatis.

Chapathi is made by dough mixing water. Even after cooking it retains some quantity of water. Hence in normal conditions it will not stay fresh as such, and will get spoiled and even attract moths and fungus if kept for more days.
Today there are some technologies for preservation and mass production and preservation.
However, even in olden days, people had some home techniques to keep Chapathi preserved for a couple of days like carrying on long distance travel involving two or three days. We used to use more gingelly oil and cook well the Chappathis taken for travel. What we used to do was to keep them in separate bunches, of three or four Chapathis as one bunch, and pack it by aluminium foil or butter paper. That entire bunch will be kept inside a steel or brass tin and keeping a clean dry cloth over them close the lid. This will remain good for about three or four days. We have to ensure that we do not keep them exposed for much time and also not keep back any opened Chapathis. Packing should not e done when Chapathis are very hot.
For Chapathi to remain good and soft it should be made with atta and maida should not be used.
Nowadays we are getting 'half-cooked ' packed Chapathis. They are just to be reheated and cooked for a minute or so. I think(guess logically) Chapathis may be preserved for more days if they are vacuum packed.

You can preserve chapathis up to one week also by keeping them in the refrigerator. But you should store them properly so that the taste will not be lost. Another method is to vacuum pack them and store them as it is. You can keep them for longer times if you vacuum pack them. These days semi fried chapatis are also available in the market. The chapathis stored can be heated easily before eating.

The following are some ways to pack them.

1.Storing Chapatis in the Refrigerator using a Cling Film: Chapatis can be rolled in cling film. The chapatis are to be placed in the middle of the cling film. Then fold the ends in such a way that all will be covered well. Squeeze out the trapped air in the wrapping. Then place this packet in a sealable plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator. When you want to eat open it and heat them on a pan and consume them.

2Storing Chapatis in Aluminum Foil in the Refrigerator: Aluminium foil can be used instead of the cling film. Required aluminium foil and a pile of chapatis are to be taken and chapatis are to be kept in the centre of the aluminium foil. Fold the sheet and then remove the air from the package. These can be kept in a Ziplock bag or airtight container and then can be kept in the refrigerator.

3.Storing Chapatis in Air-tight containers: Chapatis can be kept in air-tight containers and then can be kept in the refrigerator. Don't keep hot chapathis in these containers. First, cool the cooked chapathis and then pack

As Chapatis are not fried items it becomes difficult to preserve them for long. So, it has to be cooled down before packing so that it does not get moisture from the water of condensation. So there is only one method to preserve it for a few days and that is to wrap them in a butter paper or cling sheet and then keep in the refrigeration compartment in the fridge or keep them in a deep freezer. It is also advisable that they should be kept in separate packets each having at most 4-5 chapatis. So, whenever needed one or more packets can be taken out.

Another important thing is that if one wants to supply them then one has to pack them every day and store and then supply as per the date mentioned on them. One has to take care that they are to be supplied just before the consumption or one can mention on them about this that they should be kept in freezer and to be taken out only before consumption.

I have used these chapatis and once you heat them in microwave or direct on heat on stove then they become as soft as fresh. Supplying them will require sufficient manpower and delivery management as timely delivery is the essence of the success of supply of chapatis.

If you want to keep the Chapati edible for a long time, then first of all you have to prepare the bread dough properly. The role of the flour is important in making bread, so the dough is good and soft so that the chapatti can remain soft. At the time of kneading, adding some amount of ghee to it also keeps the flour soft.

Apart from this, while preparing the flour, adding a little milk to it and then kneading it with water will also have a way and bread will be able to keep preservation for a long time.

The use of butter paper is also considered good for keeping chapati, for this, you keep the chapati in the middle of the butter paper when it is cool so that the bread will not be hard. Airtight large containers are also available in the market, even in these, you can keep the roti for a long time.

Some polythene bags for chapattis will also be available from your market, which can keep them in preservation for a long time but be careful not to put hot chapati immediately in the container. The hot chapati should first be placed in the chapati net. If you do not have a net, then put the chapati on a bowl first and then place it in the casserole. This will allow the steam to escape from the loaf and the loaves will not get wet.

Chapati is prepared by the baking method. So, it is a little bit difficult to preserve for a long time. But, there is some technique through which we can try to preserve it for a long time as follows:
1. Use of butter paper is one of the important methods for roti preservation. Keep the chapati between butter paper so that chapati should not hard.
2. Keep the roti in an airtight container as it keeps roti soft. You should place roti in it only when roti becomes cold.
3. Chapati can be kept in the freeze or deep freeze for preservation. Before consumption, you take out roti and heat on the gas stove then you will get roti fresh as earlier. I applied this method many times and found a better result.
4. Some kind of polythene bag can also be used for preservation of chapati. You can keep roti in this bag which would help in preservation.