Home Baked Pav Buns

Having bitten by the baking bug big time, I have been successfully making cakes, muffins, cookies and brownies at home. I tried my hand at baking bread too and each time only my hope and expectation doubled up, but the yeast decided to bring them down twofolds. I tried each brand of yeast I could lay hands on in the supermarkets around, but it was as though each of the yeasts were competing with each other in attempts to disappoint me. That’s when I saw Suma posting different varieties of bread at her space. When I personally asked her which brand of yeast she uses, she told me its Gloripan and also told me the source to procure it from.  

Now this shop called ‘General Additivies’ is a small space and you wouldn’t know from its external appearance that it is a treasury any baker would love to loot! I had been there before but I was then a newbee in baking. This shop is located in Sheshadripuram which is more than an hour’s drive from my place. I kept mum as I did not want to face ridicule from hubby at the proposal of driving all the way there just to get a packet of yeast… As the thought occupied my mind, I even dreamt of having been there and asking for Gloripan yeast! They were unable to find it in the shop much to my distress. I then told them that it is the brand of yeast that Suma Rowjee buys from here. They immediatelylocated the packet and handed over to me… I was a happy girl (in my dream).

After a couple of months we visited GA as we had been to a place nearby and first thing I bought was this! First thing I wanted to try was from Suma’s blog, I picked the masala buns which came out well and I came out victorious finally!!! Phew. I have misplaced the pics of those buns somewhere and hence unable to post them first. I chose to bake Pav Buns as my second stint with yeast from Suman’s space. I had my first home baked Pav, straight out of the oven with a blob of butter and it tasted heavenly.

Recipe Source: Incidental Indian Cooking

Ingredients:

AP flour / Maida – 3 cups

Dry yeast – 2 ¼ tsp

Sugar – 2 tbsp
Warm milk – 1 cup + ¼ tsp
Butter – 2 tbsp
Salt – ¾ tsp
Warm water - ¼ cup

Method:

1. Mix sugar and yeast in luke warm water and let it sit for 5-7 minutes, until it begins to bubble.
2. In another bowl, mix together the salt and all-purpose flour.
3. In a small pan, combine milk and butter, and microwave the same for 45 seconds or until milk is lukewarm.
4. Remove 2 tablespoon of milk mixture and keep it aside.
5. Add the yeast mixture to milk and mix everything together.
6. Pour into bowl of dry ingredients, using a mixer with dough hook, or by hand, knead dough until smooth but not sticky..
7. Coat a big bowl with the tablespoon of oil, drop in the dough, and coat with oil all over. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
8. Punch air out of dough. Divide the dough into 10-11 equal sized round balls.
9. Place on baking sheet almost touching, about 1/4 inch apart.
10. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
11. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. When rolls have risen, brush them with reserved butter and milk liquid.
12. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

13. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool to serve.