Do you like pav? The super soft pillow like bread roundels that can be eaten with bhaji or accompany a vada in vada pav or be a companion to a humble egg bhurji. The ones we get readymade are either made with refined flour or are rich in refined flour with a lesser percentage of wholesome whole wheat flour.
If you want to eat healthy and avoid refined flour and additives altogether what will you do? The best option is to make your own bread like I do. Bake a bread with whole wheat flour and you will never like to buy it from store.
This is one recipe which I have repeated a number of times with excellent results.Bread making doesn’t need any fancy ingredients. With the simple basic ingredients and a little practice,one can bake one’s own bread. Try and share your feedback.
This measurement gives 12 small sized rolls.
Whole wheat flour 400 g
Water 300 ml + 20 ml if the dough gives a dry feel.
Instant dry yeast 7 g
Sugar 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Milk powder 2 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Oats 1 tbsp to decorate
If the milk powder isn’t available you can use half milk and half water for kneading the dough.
Traditionally pav buns are made with refined flour. This is the reason for the super soft texture. To make them with whole wheat and have the same texture, the wheat flour is soaked in water and the dough breaks itself. The soaking can be done for 20-60 minutes. The result is super soft bread. This technique is called autolyse which means the dough breaking down itself. I have used this technique for loaves as well as dinner rolls.
Take three fourth flour( around 300 g) and add 250 ml of water to it.Allow it to rest for 40 mins.
In the mean while activate the yeast. Take lukewarm water in a bowl and mix sugar. Add yeast and keep it aside to froth.
To the flour water mix,add the remaining flour,milk powder,salt and activated yeast. Start kneading the dough. Add more water if the dough is dry.
The dough is sticky in the beginning. Knead it gently on surface adding little oil at a time.
Kneading should be gentle. Use stretch and fold method. Keep doing it till the dough is smooth. It takes approximately 8 -10 mins.
Keep it in a well greased container which is big enough to hold when the dough doubles. This takes 60 to 90 minutes depending on temperature.
Once the dough doubles,take out and deflate. Knead it again and divide it into 12 parts of about 60g each.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep dough balls leaving distance between them.
Cover them with a kitchen towel and allow them to rest for a second rise which takes 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 200 C for 10 minutes. Brush the dinner rolls with milk and sprinkle the oats on the top.
Now bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. Take them out once the top is brown.
Allow them to cool on a wire rack.
Brush them with butter while still warm. This helps to make the pav buns soft. Cover them with a kitchen towel. This further softens the pavs.
Recipe Notes:
Knead the dough gently for 8 to 10 minutes using stretch and fold method. This is necessary to develop gluten strands which makes the bread airy.
You can add butter instead of oil in your bread. This gives it a distinct flavor and texture to the bread.
And don’t forget to preheat the oven.
If the dinner rolls are getting brown quickly,after 15 minutes tent the baking tray with aluminium foil.
Leave a Reply