Bhajani, Flour Mix or Upwas? A Plain-English Guide to Buying Thalipeeth Flour

Search for thalipeeth flour and you get three kinds of bag back, often on the same page. One is called bhajani. One is called a thalipeeth flour mix. And one says upwas on it. They make the same flat, crisp-edged, hand-patted bread, but they aren't the same flour, and with Navratri starting on 11 October, buying the wrong one is an easy mistake to make this week.

Here is what each name means, how to tell them apart when the listing doesn't say much, and which of the packs on UmedMart work out cheapest per kilo.

Quick answer

Thalipeeth bhajani is a multigrain flour where the grains and dals are roasted before they are ground. That roasting is what gives thalipeeth its toasty smell. A thalipeeth flour mix is the same idea sold under a plainer name: some are roasted, some are only milled and blended, and the listing doesn't always tell you which. Upwas thalipeeth flour is a different thing altogether, built from fasting ingredients for upvas days. For everyday thalipeeth, buy bhajani or a flour mix. For Navratri, buy the upwas one.

What "bhajani" actually tells you

The word comes from bhajne, to roast. A bhajani is any flour made by roasting its ingredients first, usually each one separately, and then grinding them together. The chakli guide covers the other famous bhajani, the one used for Diwali chakli.

Thalipeeth bhajani is a different blend from chakli bhajani. Recipes vary from house to house, but a thalipeeth bhajani usually leans on jwari and bajri, with wheat, rice, chana dal and urad dal, and often whole dhane (coriander seed) and jeera roasted in with them. Chakli bhajani is built around rice and dals for a dough that pipes cleanly. You can make a rough thalipeeth from chakli bhajani in a pinch, but it won't taste like the one you grew up with, and the reverse won't pipe properly.

If the Marathi grain names on a pack are unfamiliar, our millet names decoder sorts out jwari, bajri, nachni and the rest.

"Flour mix": roasted or not?

This is where the listings get vague. Of the Ratnagiri thalipeeth mixes on UmedMart, only one listing, Dhanlaxmi's, says the grains, pulses and spices are dry-roasted first and then ground coarse. The others talk about cleaning, milling, grinding and blending, without mentioning roasting either way. It doesn't mean they aren't roasted. It means the listing doesn't say.

Two quick checks when the pack arrives:

• Smell it. Roasted bhajani smells nutty and toasted the moment you open it. Raw multigrain flour smells floury and faintly green.
• Look at the colour. Roasted bhajani is a warm brown, darker than any of the single grains in it. A pale, greyish flour has probably not been roasted.

An unroasted mix still makes a good thalipeeth. You just get a milder, more bhakri-like flavour. If you like the toasty version, dry-roast the flour in a kadhai on low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and smells nutty. Let it cool before you knead.

Upwas thalipeeth is not for everyday

Regular thalipeeth flour contains wheat, rice, jwari, bajri and dals, which most households leave out during a fast. Upwas thalipeeth flour is made from fasting ingredients instead. Bhagar and rajgira are the common bases, and many families add mashed potato or soaked sabudana to the dough at home. What counts as fasting food differs between families, so read the ingredient list on the pack against your own practice.

Two fasting flours on UmedMart right now:

• ANNAPURNA Upwas Thali Peeth, 500 g, ₹252.26 — Jagdamba SHG, Ahilyanagar district. About ₹505 a kilo.
• SHAKTI Fasting Flour, 250 g, ₹192 (₹768 a kilo) or the 500 g pack at ₹290 (₹580 a kilo).

The rest of the fasting shelf, from bhagar and rajgira to sabudana papad, is in our Navratri upvas food list and the upvas shopping guide.

Everyday thalipeeth flours on UmedMart, by price per kilo

Pack size moves the per-kilo price more than anything else here, so compare that figure before deciding something is cheap or expensive. Prices checked live on 8 October 2026.

A few things worth knowing from that table:

• The two SWAMINI packs are from different places. One is the Bhajani Thali Peeth from a group in Pune district; the other is a Thalipith Flour Mix from Swamini Mahila SHG in Ratnagiri. Same brand word, different makers, so don't expect them to taste the same.
• The 1 kg OMSAI pack is the cheapest way to buy if thalipeeth is a weekly breakfast at home. If you only make it now and then, a 250 g pack is the better choice even at a higher per-kilo price, because multigrain flour doesn't keep for ever (more on that below).
• If you want a pack that says it's roasted, Dhanlaxmi's is the only listing in this group that says so. The bhajani-named packs (SWAMINI Pune, MEERA "Bhajnai") are bhajani by name, which usually means roasted, but their listings don't spell out the method.

How to make thalipeeth from a ready flour

The flour is the hard part, and it's done. The rest takes about fifteen minutes.

1. Season the flour. For a cup of bhajani, add one finely chopped onion, a handful of chopped coriander, one or two green chillies, salt, and a pinch each of turmeric and ajwain if you like. Some families add grated cucumber, methi or leftover sabzi.
2. Knead soft. Add water a little at a time until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, softer than chapati dough. The onion will release water as it sits, so go easy.
3. Pat it out, don't roll it. Wet your hands and pat a ball of dough into a round on a greased plastic sheet, a damp cloth or a cold greased tawa. Thalipeeth is meant to be thicker than a chapati and uneven at the edges.
4. Make holes. Poke four or five holes with your finger and pour a few drops of oil into each. This is what crisps the thalipeeth through the middle.
5. Cook covered, then flip. Cover the tawa and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the underside is brown and crisp, then flip and cook the other side uncovered.

Serve it hot with a lump of white butter (loni), dahi, or a spoon of pickle. Our guide to Maharashtra's pickles covers the limbu, avala and lonche range that goes well alongside. For the oil in the holes, groundnut oil is the usual choice; the wood-pressed oil guide compares the SHG options.

Storing it so it doesn't go bitter

Multigrain flour, especially anything with bajri in it, turns stale and bitter faster than wheat atta. Roasting helps a little, but not much. Move the flour into an airtight steel or glass jar when it arrives, keep it away from the stove, and use it within a few weeks. If it smells sharp or rancid when you open the jar, don't cook with it. In a humid month, the fridge is a reasonable place for a bag you won't finish soon.

Frequently asked questions

What is thalipeeth bhajani made of?

Usually a mix of grains and dals, commonly jwari, bajri, wheat, rice, chana dal and urad dal, plus spices like dhane and jeera, each roasted and then ground together. The exact mix changes from family to family and maker to maker, so check the pack.

Is thalipeeth flour the same as bhajani?

Often, but not always. "Bhajani" means the ingredients were roasted before grinding. A product called "thalipeeth flour" or "flour mix" may or may not be roasted, so smell and colour are the easiest ways to tell.

Can I use chakli bhajani for thalipeeth?

You can, but it won't taste the same. Chakli bhajani is built mostly on rice and dals for a smooth dough that pipes well. Thalipeeth bhajani leans on jwari and bajri for a coarser, earthier bread.

Can I eat thalipeeth during Navratri upvas?

Only if it's made from fasting flour. Regular thalipeeth contains wheat, rice, millets and dals, which most fasting households avoid. Use an upwas thalipeeth flour such as ANNAPURNA's or SHAKTI's, and check its ingredients against your family's practice.

How long does thalipeeth flour keep?

Use it within a few weeks of opening for the best flavour, and store it airtight. Buy smaller packs if you don't make thalipeeth often.

Which one to buy

For Navratri, the ANNAPURNA upwas flour. For a weekly breakfast, the 1 kg OMSAI pack is the best value. If you want a roasted bhajani and like trying a new maker, start with a 250 g pack such as Dhanlaxmi's. Whichever you pick, it's made by a women's Self-Help Group in Maharashtra, and the bread it makes is about as close to a home kitchen as a packet gets.

Every product, price and stock position above was checked live on UmedMart on 8 October 2026. Small-batch SHG items sell out, so check the product page before ordering.

Related reading

• Bhajani, Tandul or Sabudana? A Plain-English Guide to Maharashtra's Chakli — the other bhajani, and the premixes for Diwali chakli.
• Jwari, Bajri, Nachni, Vari: Maharashtra's Millet Names, Decoded — the grains inside a thalipeeth bhajani.
• Navratri Upvas Food List: What Maharashtrians Eat During the Fast — where upwas thalipeeth fits into a nine-day menu.
• Limbu, Avala, Kavath or Karle? A Plain-English Guide to Maharashtra's Pickles Beyond Mango — what goes on the side.