This recipe came into being during a contest conducted for Julia Child’s 100th birthday. And you all know who won. I did these buns for the contest and topped with Julia Child’s name printed in dough. After we moved back to India, I ran a baking and catering business for a couple of years and this recipe was the most ordered item for parties. I must have done countless batches of curry buns in my life. My husband and son love these stuffed buns. They used to sneak one or two from the catering order as I always baked more. Vinodh said that he misses these and I realized that its been quite a while since I baked these super delicious stuffed buns. So today my secret recipe is out for my dear readers of KC. Enjoy!
There are a few things that make a good stuffed bun. The bun needs to be super soft. The key to a good soft bun is a moist dough. Its no rocket science. If your dough is soft, your bread will be soft. If your dough is dry, your resultant bread will also be super dry. So the recipe will work well if you stick to the proportions mentioned. Yes its that simple. Just follow the recipe.
For the filling
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add in Italian herb seasoning, finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry till the onions are soft.
Add in a finely chopped tomato, salt and red chilli powder. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and dry. Once the tomatoes are dry, add in the flour and sauté for a minute. Then add in the cream and cook for a minute more until all the cream is absorbed into the mixture.
Add in the small cubed paneer and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and add in the coriander leaves and balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, add regular vinegar. Mix well to combine. Make 16 balls out of the mixture. Set aside.
For the BUN!
Take a big bowl and add in the luke warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast. So let the water be just warm to the touch. Add in the sugar and the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Then, add in all the rest of the ingredients and start kneading. I kneaded in my kitchen aid in medium speed for a good 7 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for a good 12-13 minutes. The trick in kneading is to avoid the temptation of adding flour. Too much flour alters the moisture content and will result in a dry bun. If kneading by hand, don’t add all the flour at once while starting to knead. Save a cup of flour and use it while kneading. Its going to be a very sticky dough.
The dough should be soft, stretchy and a little sticky at the end of kneading. Its a very moist dough. Don’t worry if the dough is tacky.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in a warm draft free place. It should take about 2 hours. It might take more or less time depending on where you live. Once the dough has almost doubled, gently deflate the dough on a floured kitchen counter and divide the dough into 16 pieces. Dust flour on the work surface. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set aside and let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.
Dust the work surface with flour. Flatten each dough ball and keep the filling in the center. Press and seal the edges by crimping with your finger tips.
Gently flatten the bun and place the bun seam side down on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover the buns and let them rise for about half an hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C
Brush all the risen buns with egg white / egg wash. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each bun.
Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden. Rotate the sheet pan in the oven after 10 minutes for even baking.
Remove the buns from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
- 1 Onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tomato
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour (Maida)
- ½ cup Cream (I used Amul Cream)
- 200 grams Paneer
- 4 sprigs Coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 cup Lukewarm Water
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 Egg plus 1 Egg Yolk
- 3¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg White beaten well for Egg Wash
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add in Italian herb seasoning, finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. Fry till the onions are soft.
- Add in a finely chopped tomato, salt and red chilli powder. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and dry. Once the tomatoes are dry, add in the flour and sauté for a minute. Then add in the cream and cook for a minute more until all the cream is absorbed into the mixture.
- Add in the small cubed paneer and mix well to combine. Switch off the flame and add in the coriander leaves and balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, add regular vinegar. Mix well to combine. Make 16 balls out of the mixture. Set aside.
- Take a big bowl and add in the luke warm water. Add in the sugar and the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. Then, add in all the rest of the ingredients and start kneading. I kneaded in my kitchen aid in medium speed for a good 7 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for a good 12-13 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in a warm draft free place. It should take about 2 hours. It might take more or less time depending on where you live. Once the dough has almost doubled, gently deflate the dough on the kitchen counter and divide the dough into 16 pieces. Dust flour on the work surface. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set aside and let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Dust the work surface with flour. Flatten each dough ball and keep the filling in the center. Press and seal the edges by crimping with your finger tips.
- Gently flatten the bun and place the bun seam side down on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover the buns and let them rise for about half an hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Brush all the risen buns with egg white / egg wash. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of each bun.
- Bake the buns for 20 minutes until golden. Rotate the sheet pan in the oven after 10 minutes for even baking.
- Remove the buns from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
The post Paneer Stuffed Curry Bun appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.