On the weekly vegetable shopping, I bought one small-sized pumpkin. As no one was interested to have sitaphal ki sabzi, I planned to use it in baking. A cake or bread? I kept thinking for two days. And then decided to bake both.  Instead of a loaf, I decided to go in for stuffed dinner rolls, something similar to vada pav. Although we don’t eat spicy, yet these were the best rolls I had ever baked. I had kept two unbaked rolls in the refrigerator for my daughter’s breakfast, but when my family liked the dinner rolls so much, I baked them for dinner too.

I had divided the pumpkin into two parts and saved one part for the cake. Chopped one part into small pieces and boiled it with water. When the pumpkin was done, there was no water left. Used a potato masher to puree it and passed the puree through a sieve. From half pumpkin, I got about 100 g of puree. I allowed it to cool.

Then followed the regular procedure for bread making.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Supersoft and healthy buns with semolina, whole wheat flour and pumpkin puree

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Prep Time 1 hr 40 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Servings 9 buns.

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Semolina or chiroti rava
• 1.25 cup Whole wheat flour
• 1.25 tsp Instant dry yeast
• 2 tsp Jaggery or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Milk powder
• 100 g Pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup Warm milk
• 1/4 cup Warm water
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 1.25 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Milk for milk wash
• 1 tbsp Chia seeds for garnish
• 1 tbsp Butter to apply on the baked buns.

For the stuffing

• 3 big Potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 3/4 cup Peas, boiled
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1 big Tomato, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Ginger, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Any neutral oil
• 1 tbsp Coriander, chopped

Instructions

 

For dinner rolls.

• Take half cup warm milk and dissolve sugar or jaggery in it. Add yeast and mix. The yeast will feed on the sugar and grow. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. You can skip this step and add the yeast directly to the flour as its instant yeast. Still, I prefer to be on the safe side and proof my yeast before mixing it up with flour.
• In a big bowl, take semolina, wheat flour, salt and milk powder. Mix it with a spatula.
• Add pumpkin puree and proofed yeast mixture. Make a dough with the help of warm water. Apply oil on the dough.
• Transfer the dough on the counter and knead it for 10 -15 minutes. The dough will be bouncy when ready.
• Keep the dough in a greased bowl. Apply oil on the top and cover it with a kitchen towel.
• The first rise takes 50 to 90 minutes depending upon the temperature in your kitchen. You can fasten it up by keeping it at a warm place during winter months.
• While the dough is resting for the first rise, prepare the stuffing and allow it to cool down.
• Punch the dough and shape it into a log. Divide the log into 9 parts. You can weigh them too. This will give exactly same-sized rolls.
• Roll each dough ball into a small chapati and fill it with potato pea stuffing. Shape it like a bun.
• Place the rolls in a parchment paper-lined tray with some distance between them.
• Keep them for the second rise for about 30 minutes. Cover the tray with a kitchen towel.
• Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
• The pumpkin puree gives a very nice colour to the buns. Brush the buns with milk and sprinkle with chia seeds.
• Bake them at 180 C for 20 to 25 minutes. Apply butter on the top once the dinner rolls are done.
• Serve them hot with tomato sauce and the soup of your choice.
  

For the stuffing

• Take oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Add chopped ginger and onions. Saute them for a while. Mix in boiled peas.Cook it for 5 minutes
• Add spices and saute for a minute or two.
• Add chopped tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
• Now mix in boiled and mashed potatoes. Sprinkle chopped coriander and allow it to cool.

Notes

You can make it with whole wheat flour or with a combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Adjust the amount of water accordingly.

The pumpkin puree I used, didn't have extra water. If boiled pumpkin has extra water, take it out before mashing and use it in kneading the dough.

Add water gradually. If the pumpkin puree is watery, you may need less water.

You can use the stuffing of your choice. It can be paneer bhurji , egg bhurji or spicy mutton or chicken keema. 

Add more spices, if you like them to be on the higher side. Use green chillies to spice it up further.