Pav Buns

For those who do not understand what these pavs are, these are similar to hamburger buns. These are used in making a kind of street food where in lot of spicy vegetable gravy (potatoes are the main vegetable) is served with toasted buns in India. When I came to this country, we lived in a small city in Alabama where the Indian store wasn't very big and we definitely did not get everything that we use in an Indian kitchen. We couldn't get Pavs. Then, slowly adapting to this country and what I can get in a general grocery store, I started making Pav- bhaji using hamburger buns.

Using hamburger buns for Pav-bhaji or vada pav stopped 5 years back when I got the bread machine as a gift. But again, I now live in a city where the Indian store sells Pavs. But, nothing beats the freshly made pav at home with few ingredients.

When I think about which gadget I have used the most, it is undoubtedly my 'Bread Machine'. Come to think of it, with 2 kids, a full time job, there is no way I can bake so many yeast breads if I didn't have a bread machine. Have you ever wondered how long you can store the bread that you bought from the store? You can store it for almost 2 weeks whereas when you bake it at home, you'll have to use it up within 3 days unless you froze them. Do you know why? Lot of preservatives. That is one of the reason, why I never buy bread from the store. Those who love fresh baked breads, if you are into baking, do invest in a bread machine.


Ingredients:
Bread flour - 3 cups
Warm milk - 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 3 TBSP
Active dry yeast - 2 1/4 tsp or one pack
Butter - 2 TBSP melted
More milk - for brushing before baking.

Method:
In a bowl, take warm milk. Add sugar and yeast. Let it froth. Add melted butter, salt and slowly start adding the flour to make a smooth dough. Knead really well for 10 - 15 minutes. I just dump everything into a bread machine and let it do the work. After the kneading, take the dough on to lightly floured surface and divide the dough into 12 balls. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes covered with a clean kitchen towel. Roll the balls smooth and place in a greased 13 X 9 pan. I used a 11 X 7 pan. Place the balls and it is alright if they touch each other when they rise. Pavs are baked touching each other in the pan. Cover loosely with an aluminum foil and let it rise for 45 minutes or till the balls have doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the buns with warm milk before baking. You could give an egg wash instead. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes are till the tops are golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Brush with some melted butter when still warm.

These are slit horizontally like bagels are slit and toasted with a little butter and served with the vegetable gravy. I'll post the recipe for bhaji or the vegetables some other day.
These buns are on way to Susan's 'Yeast Spotting' hosted here.

An Update: I used  a glass pan and used 325 F for baking. I should've mentioned that if you use aluminum pan, to use 350 F and if using glass or a dark non-stick pan, use 325 F. I apologize for that. Thanks to one of the readers 'Swapna' for giving me the feedback on this.

Happy Baking!! Pin It