Soft and Spongy Whole Wheat Buns/Pav

To think of healthy alternatives for the regular food has become more of a necessity in today's world. However, healthy food usually comes with a compromise on the taste factor. However, there are always exceptions. Today's recipe of whole wheat buns is an example of tasty healthy alternative to the regular flour buns. These buns are soft and spongy and remain such even after a day or two after baking, which is usually not the case with whole wheat buns. Just warm it and eat it and enjoy a guilt free meal.

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour (you may add a little additional flour while kneading)

1 tbsp instant dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter, softened

75 ml warm milk (add little at a time to avoid adding additional flour)

1/2 cup warm water

1 egg

Olive oil for oiling hands and bowl

Direction

In a bowl, mix sugar in the lukewarm water and add the yeast. Make sure the water is not too cold or too hot. Else the yeast will not proof. Let it stand for about 10 minutes until frothy and bubbly and starts rising. For reference, see the picture below.

                                     

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the softened butter, yeast mixture and egg. Start kneading the dough by adding little milk at a time. Continue kneading for about 8-10 minutes till the dough is moist but non-sticky and a finger pressed down does not come back with a bit of dough. Ensure, however, that the dough is not too dry. Lightly oil your hands and rub your hands on the dough. With a little more oil, lightly grease the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly and keep it in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled. In some cases, the dough does not rise doubly. However, if your yeast has proofed well, the buns should be soft and spongy after baking.

Once the dough has risen, line a round baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, punching out the air. Do not overknead. Now take lemon sized balls and arrange on the baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the dough. See the picture below for reference.

                                      

Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in a warm place for another hour. The balls would now be clinging to each other as shown in the picture above.

Pre-heat the oven on toast mode at 200 degree celsius. Brush the top of the buns with a little milk and bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. Take out from the oven and immediately brush a little butter on the buns. Transfer to a wire rack and keep covered with a kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes. Your soft and spongy buns are ready to be eaten. I teamed it with Mumbai style Pav Bhaji.

                              

                                         

    

Bori Diye Phulkopir Patla Jhol (Lentil Dumplings in a Spicy Cauliflower Gravy)

It's that time of the year when we pack our bags and go for a long vacation. With or without the baby, we have never broken this tradition ever since we got married 6 years back (and tomorrow is our anniversary). However, this time it is an extended holiday with first a quick India trip for a wedding and then finally to our holiday destination, Phuket. Ohh! How I love this place. The food, the shopping, the beach, and most importantly the massage. So before leaving for this long holiday, I need to, or rather want to, finish off all groceries and have a clean and empty refrigerator barring a few eggs (which I will need on the day I come back). Today's curry is a bengali spicy curry with some cauliflower florets and homemade fried lentil dumplings. Enjoy with a bowl of plain rice and you are done with a tasty dinner/lunch without much hard work.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cauliflower florets (roughly 5-6 florets)

1 medium potato, cubed

1/2 cup masoor daal, washed and soaked for at least 2 hours

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 inch piece ginger, grated

1 fresh chilli

1/2 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp red chilli powder, divided

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

Coriander leaves for garnishing

1 tbsp mustard oil

Refined oil for frying the lentil dumplings

Direction

Drain the soaked masoor daal and blend it in a blender to a smooth paste, preferably without any water. Transfer to a bowl and add a little salt and half of the red chilli powder. Mix well. Heat sufficient refined oil in a wok, and add spoonfuls of the blended lentil paste and fry till golden brown on all sides. Drain excess oil on paper towels and keep aside. Once the entire paste is used up, fry the cauliflower florets and then the potato cubes in the same oil. Drain excess oil and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp mustard oil in another pan and add kalonji or onion seeds and let it crackle. Add the grated ginger and fry for a minute. Now add the tomatoes and fry till oil starts leaving from the sides. In a small bowl, take all the dry spices along with salt and sugar and make a paste with a little water. Add it to the tomatoes in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes till oil starts appearing on the sides. Now add the cauliflower and potatoes and mix it well with the masala. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Now simmer the heat and cover cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just done. Now add the fried lentil dumplings and cover cook for another 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from heat.

                                      

Lusciously Soft and Creamy Custard Buns

 Most people call baking an addiction. I call it an inspiration. The more you bake, the more inspired you are to bake even better and better and better. While in India my baking skills were restricted to just occasional cakes, coming to Singapore has opened a whole new world of baking for me. The easy availability of key ingredients is the prime reason behind it. However, the main credit goes to my landlord here who has provided us with a wonderful oven, along with other furnishings, which really inspires me to bake. I started with cakes and then slowly moving onto cookies and now my latest obcession is with breads. So here's an interesting recipe of sweet bun stuffed with soft and creamy custard.

Ingredients

For the custard

3 tbsp custard powder

500 ml milk plus 100 ml for dissolving the custard

6 tbsp sugar (or as per your taste)

2 tbsp fresh cream

For the buns

2 cups bread flour (or 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

100 ml warm milk plus for brushing

Olive oil for brushing and for oiling hands and bowl

3 tbsp butter, softened plus for brushing

Direction

For the custard

In a cup, mix the custard powder and 100 ml cold milk and dissolve completely till no lumps appear. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat the remaining milk and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and slowly mix in the custard, stirring continuously till all mixed well. Continue stirring on low heat till the custard is about to thicken. Mix in the cream and stir till dissolved completely. If the custard by now gets too thick, stir in an additional 1-2 tbsp of milk and remove from heat. Ensure that the custard is similar to cake batter consistency. Making it too thin will make it difficult to stuff into the buns. Pour into another bowl and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for a few hours to set it completely.

For the buns

In a bowl, mix butter, milk, and sugar. Add 1/2 cup flour and yeast and make a smooth paste. Keep aside covered in a warm place for 45 minutes.

In a separate bowl, take the flour and salt and mix well. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg and knead well to a soft and non-sticky dough. You nay apply some olive oil on your hands for a smoother and quicker kneading. Continue kneading for another 5-7 minutes till the dough becomes soft and elastic to touch. Apply a little oil on the dough and cover with cling wrap. Keep in a warm place and let it rise for 1-11/2 hours or until double in size.

Once the dough has proofed, take it out on a floured surface and lightly knead the dough for few more minutes. Prepare a baking sheet. Take large lemon sized balls and make a small indentation in the center. Add about little more than a teaspoon of the refrigerated custard and close again into a ball. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. Line all the balls on the baking sheet about an inch apart and keep it covered with a cling wrap for another 45 minutes for the second proofing. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius on the toast mode (both the rods heated).

Brush the buns (which would have again doubled in size) with some milk and bake in the toast mode for 10-12 minutes until golden on top. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter while still hot and cover with a kitchen towel for few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Your super soft and creamy custard buns are ready to be served.