Monday, March 15, 2010

Palya Bun / Stuffed Potato Bun

If you have ever been to an 'Iyengar's bakery' in karnataka, you know what I am talking about. The Stuffed Potato bun or 'Palya Bun' is quite famous. My memories of these buns are from my college days. We used to finish our late afternoon class and on the way to the bus station (bus stand), go to a bakery and have one of these buns with cold masala milk. To be honest, if I had used that money to take an auto riksha instead of walking, I would've reached home two hours early. But, I was ready to walk more than 2 miles and eat this instead. You see why I have a food blog now?

One of our friends is very fond of these buns. He always asks me when I would make these again. It was a potluck party at their place and I offered to make these buns. Here is the recipe for those who love Potato Bun / Palya Bun as much as we karnataka people do.


NOTE: Typically, these buns are stuffed with just potato palya or potato subzi. I add some vegetables.  You can either use just the potatoes, or add onions and vegetables. The amount of palya or stuffing it makes is usually more than what is required. Use your judgment.


Ingredients:
For the Masala:
  • Potatoes - 3 large
  • Mixed vegetables - carrots, beans, peas etc about 3 cups
  • Oil - 3 TBSP
  • Green chillies - chopped 14 or more depending on your taste
  • Salt - to taste
  • Cilantro / Kottambari soppu - chopped 3 TBSP
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves - a few 
For the Bun dough:
  • All purpose flour or Bread flour - 3 cups
  • Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
  • Dry yeast - 2 1/2 tsp
  • Water - 1 cup luke warm
  • Dry milk powder - 1/4 cup (If you don't have this, use milk in place of water)
  • Butter - 4 TBSP melted
  • Sugar - 2 TBSP


For Brushing the bun before baking:
  • 1 TBSP of milk + 1 TBSP oil

Method:
Boil potatoes. Peel them and mash them coarsely. In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When the splutter, add green chillies and curry leaves. When they are done, add vegetables and saute them for couple of minutes. Add salt and when all the veggies are done, add the mashed potatoes. Garnish with cilantro and in a few minutes, turn off the heat. Let it come to room temperature.

In a large bowl, add warm water, sugar, salt and yeast. Let it froth for about 5 minutes. Slowly add melted butter, dry milk powder if using and flour little by little to make a smooth dough. Knead it well for 10 minutes. Coat with a little bit oil all over the dough and cover and let it rise for about 45 minutes to an hour or till double in volume.
After the rise is done, punch down the dough really well. Divide into 12 balls (You can make more of smaller buns). Let it rest covered for 10 minutes. Meanwhile make 12 small orange sized balls of the palya/stuffing and set aside. Now take the ball on your left hand (if you are a right handed person) and pat it to get a circle of about 4 - 5 " diameter. It should be large enough so that you can place the palya ball and cover it all around. Keep the palya/stuffing ball in the center and pull all the sides up together to join in the center. Pinch the edges and roll it slightly in your palm to make it smooth. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet which is lined with parchment paper or lightly greased. Repeat with all the dough. Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or greased aluminum foil and let it rise in a warm place for about 30 - 45 minutes.

Towards the end of rise period, preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the top of the buns with oil and milk mixture (If you are an egg eater, you can give it an egg wash to get better color). Bake the buns in the oven for 18 - 22 minutes. Keep an eye on the bun since the size of the bun decides the time in the oven. If you are using two baking sheets, rotate them half way through to get even baking. When done, remove from the oven and brush with butter if desired. These can be enjoyed warm and in fact should be enjoyed when warm. They taste great when cold too. The left overs can be warmed up in the oven and served warm.

I was in a hurry to get to my friend's place so the pictures hardly do any justice to these buns. But trust me, these are worth all the effort.

I am sending this bread to 'Yeast Spotting' hosted here
And to 'Breadbaking day - 28'.

Happy Baking!! Pin It

35 comments:

  1. ohhhh....
    even I posted something 2day related to this iyengar bakery..ha ha...those buns look really gr8...

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  2. Its baked beautifully. Looks soft.

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  3. Since I understand perfectly well what you're saying.... got to rush to the nearest bakery now, to grab one of those BUNS!!

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  4. THe buns have turned so perfect and congrats for featuring in EC :)

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  5. Wow!!Very Iyengar bakery style!

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  6. Soooooooooo soft and delicious...

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  7. Lovely pictures.. my husband is from Bangalore and he loves khara bun and potato bun.

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  8. Hi,

    Your potato buns look very good.Another recipe for me to try out. thanks for sharing.

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  9. yummy bun champa..

    I have seen my mom make the first type of adirasam and I didnt want to take a chance, try the simple one without syrup..it tastes the same and it is very easy- 15mins..

    I made a batch of cookies this weekend..will surely send it for your event.

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  10. Great looking bun and tasty...looks perfectly baked!!

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  11. The buns look so yummy and perfect. Great job Champa.

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  12. Thanks everyone for leaving a comment. I really appreciate it.

    Ruchika, thanks for encouraging words. I tried the second recipe and it came out alright.

    Jayashree, I was laughing so much when I read that you need to go the bakery to get it. Sorry to have created the temptation. I probably would never have started baking if not for the lack of bakeries here.

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  13. This is a very innovative dish .I have never come across it before but I like the concept of stuffed bread ideal for lunch boxes.Will definately try it.

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  14. This looks so nice....
    Just a few days back my FIL was remembering the potato buns from an Iyengar bakery.... It'll be a nice surprise for him if i make it myself at home....

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  15. This post is nostalgic! Not just the Karnataka people, but people from the neighbouring states love them as well :)They have turned out just they way they should be.

    Thank you for sending this in for the event.
    :

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  16. I love these buns! would be great to make them at home. Thanks for the recipe!

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  17. Champa I made these this weekend, came out so well..thanks for sharing. I have linked your page too.

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  18. Potato buns rock but 'stuffed' potato buns jam! They look wonderfully soft and delicious. well done!

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  19. Never heard of these buns before, but the recipe sounds delicious. Thank you for your participation in BBD.

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  20. Such a great stuffed buns recipe! I made them for a Diwali potluck & everyone enjoyed them. People were so impressed. Thanks.

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  21. Thanks for this recipe Champa. Being from Karnataka too, i soo love this bread and have been missing it. Now I have bookmarked this recipe, will try soon:)

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  22. I baked these today and they turned up great! Thanks for the recipe. We've been in B'lore for 4yrs and I got to taste these couple of years back and fell in love with'em. I find it very hard to resist my self when I walk past an Iyengar bakery and not pick them up(awww...scared of the calories). I am so glad that I could bake these at home today!! Whoa...thanks a ton!!!

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    Replies
    1. Shri,
      Thanks for the feedback. I am glad you liked them.

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  23. Hi Champa

    I made this for my hubby's birthday and it turned out great. My hubby and ILs loved it. Will surely make this again. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Hi Champa,
    I made these buns yesterday. They were soooper delicious!!! Being in the US, I really miss these iyengar bakery treats. Thanks to your recipe, my family enjoyed this :)
    On a different note, I knew a Champa long time ago (1994/95 may be).She and I were learning classical music from the same person in Koramangala. I think she studied in Vijaya High School.If you are the same person, it is nice to meet u here, not sure if you remember me. If you are a different person, nevermind. Still nice to meet you on your blog :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Sreevidya. I am not that person. I never lived in Bangalore. I am from Mysore.

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  25. Thank you , was wondering how to make this. I really wanted my children to relish this . Even in bangalore there are very few authentic bakeries.'

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  26. can you help me with which yeast to use ? i always have issues with using the yeast (brand & the right way to use it)

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    1. I have always used active dry yeast or instant yeast. Red star, fieschman (spelling could be wrong) are the brands that you get everywhere. Costco and BJs have a different brand but they work fine too (they are huge packets though. Don't buy them unless you bake very often). Key is to add the yeast to warm liquid not very hot. Even if you add it to cold water, it still works but takes a longer time but if you add very hot water, it will kill yeast. Also, too much sugar will make yeast not work properly. Good luck.

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  27. Hi I have tried this recipe today, tuned out awesome with great taste. I didn't had milk powder so used only milk. Done mix salt with yeast, only sugar and yeast with water/water, else it wont ferment. And on the top of the buns before baking sprinkle some seasame seeds its really nice, Thanks for sharing recipe

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If you have a question and you leave it as a comment, I'll surely answer the question to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for visiting.