Chicken Plaited Bread

Kids always stay on the 'hungry mode' on whenever they are at home during weekends or vacations. Have you noticed this with your kids ? And a small snacking idea never suffices them. A filling meal like snacks otherwise the hungry mode is never turned off. Not only the filling snacks, it must be tasty and trending as well. 

If you are looking for something like that, then go ahead and give this chicken plaited bread a try. Am sure your family will love this. The filling is quite simple with a white creamy pasta kind sauce, but you can always change to a desi style chicken version like we do for a cutlet filling. I made the white pasta kind, as my kids love this kind of filling in breads. This filling is not spicy and is creamier. You can add grated cheese to make it even more delicious. Give this a try and enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Baking time ~ 40 minutes

Serves ~ a loaf 

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

to make dough

instant yeast 1.5 tsp

water 1/4 cup

sugar 2 tsp

all-purpose flour 1.5 cups

salt 1/4 tsp

egg yolk 1

egg white (add half to dough, reserve rest for brushing the bread)

milk 1/4 cup

oil (any neutral) 2 tbsp

sesame seeds 1 tbsp

chilly flakes 1 tbsp

to make filling

chicken (boneless) 250 g

salt 1/4 tsp

pepper powder 1/4 tsp

ginger chopped fine 2tsp

garlic chopped fine 2 tsp

onion 1 chopped fine

any neutral oil 2 tbsp

all-purpose flour (maida) 2 tbsp

mixed herbs 1 tsp

chilly flakes 1 tsp

tomato ketchup 1tbsp

milk 3/4 cup

salt to taste

Watch on YouTube -

Method

• Take 1/4 cup leuk warm water in a bowl and add the sugar, mix. Add the instant yeast and mix, leave undisturbed for 10 minutes to proof.
• Separate the egg white and yolk. Keep aside.
• When the yeast is proofed (creamy and foamy), add the all-purpose flour, salt.
• Add in the egg yolk and half of the egg white, pour the milk little by little to the dough. Knead the dough, the dough may be stick but don't worry. Keep kneading for 7–10 minutes.
• Add a tbsp of oil and mix. Add remaining oil to the bowl and on top of the dough. Cover and leave the dough for an hour to rise.
• In the meantime, prepare the filling. Add the boneless chicken pieces, with salt and pepper powder. Cook on medium flame for 10 minutes or till done. Cool completely and shred the chicken with a fork. Keep aside.
• Heat a pan and add oil. To this, add chopped garlic and ginger. Then add the fine chopped onion, sauté until translucent.
• Add the 2 tbsp of flour and cook till the raw smell of flour disappears on low flame. Add in the milk and mix till there are no lumps and is a smooth paste. Add the salt, mixed herbs, chilly flakes. Finally, add the shredded chicken and toss. Add the tomato ketchup and give a quick mix. Switch off the flame and leave to cool.
• After an hour, the dough is risen. Punch down the air and transfer the dough to a baking mat. Roll out the dough in a rectangle shape of 11" and 6" wide. Place the filling in the center leaving enough space on the edges. Cut thick diagonal strips on both sides. Cross over the strips over each other to cover the filling and close the bread. Do it starting from the top and close till the end.
• Transfer the bread to a baking tray with lining. Let the bread rise for another 30 minutes. Brush the egg white on top and add the chilly flakes and sesame seeds. In the last 10 minutes, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Finally, brush any remaining egg whites and place in oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven and apply butter on top of the bread for a softer crust. Cool slightly, cut in pieces and enjoy warm.

NOTES

*The filling is quite simple with a white creamy pasta kind sauce, but you can always change to a desi style chicken version like we do for a cutlet filling. 

*I made the white pasta kind, as my kids love this kind of filling in breads. This filling is not spicy and is creamier. 

*You can add extra grated cheese to make it even more delicious.

RECENTLY POSTED CHICKEN RECIPES-

* Chicken Sandwich

* Chicken Pasta

* Cheesy Chicken Bread Omelette

* Chicken Thoran(stir-fry)

* Chicken Bukhari

Marbled Banana Bread | Choco Banana Bread

 Leftover bananas? Don't worry. 

This is a great recipe to finish off all your leftover bananas and tastes so good. I loved the blend of chocolate and vanilla in this simple bread recipe. Though I have been baking all my leftover bananas and trying out many bakes in the past of which I have showcased a few in my blog too.

To be frank, the banana breads that I tried using eggs didn't fascinate me much as this eggless bake did. If you are an egg fan, then go ahead and add two eggs instead of the yogurt in this bake. The sweetness is perfect for a banana bread in this recipe, you can lower the sugar as per your sweet tooth. I generally don't bake my banana bakes as soon as I get overripe bananas, most of the time they land in the freezer and I bake only when am in a mood to bake. This way, these bananas are soft and easily mashed using a fork when thawed and used. 

                                                   

This is one of the best banana bakes so far. I have been trying out multiple banana breads in the past - the low fat banana bread, the eggless chocolate banana bread, the butterscotch banana bread. My kids don't love the ripe bananas once they get the black spots on them, and so I get a plenty of leftovers. This is one way in which I end up baking them, and they make a great after-school snack for them-filling and delicious. Give this a try and enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Baking time ~ 50 mins- 1 hour

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ a loaf (9*5*3)

Ingredients

wheat flour 3/4 cup

all-purpose flour (maida) 3/4 cup

baking powder 1.5 tsp

baking soda 1/2 tsp

salt 1/4 tsp

cocoa powder 2 tbsp

banana 4-5 small

yogurt (curd) 1/2 cup

oil 1/2 cup

granulated sugar 3/4 cup

vanilla essence 1 tsp

milk 6 tbsp (approx.)

Watch on YouTube-

Method

• Sift the dry ingredients twice and keep aside.
• Mash the bananas using a fork, I used frozen bananas (thaw and use). Add the granulated sugar in batches and mix. Add the yogurt and combine well.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and combine well. To this add the veg oil and give a quick stir. Add the vanilla essence and finally add in milk (3tbsp) to adjust consistency.
• Take the cocoa powder in another bowl and mix 4-5 tbsp of the prepare batter. Give a quick mix, add 2 tbsp milk to adjust consistency.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F or 180 degree C. Line a bread tray (9*5*3) with parchment paper at the bottom. Dust the sides with flour.
• Finally, pour in the batter, alternating both batters till you finish off the batter. The batter should be 3/4th of the tray. Tap the tray to release trapped air bubbles. Run a skewer in the batter to get the marbled effect.
• Place in preheated oven and bake for 50–60 minutes (mine took 60 minutes). Remove from oven and cool the bread in a tray for 10 minutes. De mould from tray and remove the parchment paper. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee.

NOTES

* The bread is soft and moist, so just slice after completely cooling, else will stick.

* If you would like to add eggs to this bake instead of curd, then go ahead and add two eggs, the rest of the measure remains the same.

* You can make this bread with maida alone for a lighter texture.

* I generally don't bake my banana bakes as soon as I get overripe bananas, most of the time they land in the freezer and I bake only when am in a mood to bake. This way, these bananas are soft and easily mashed using a fork when thawed and used. If you are using fresh overripe bananas, just mash and use. The streaks of not properly mashed bananas is perfect in the banana bread recipe.

RELATED POSTS

* Whole Wheat Bread (Using Tangzhong)

* Whole wheat Burger

* Dilkush

* Shaped Dinner Rolls

* Simit

* Neujahrs Pretzel

* Soft Garlicky Bread sticks

* Sweet raisin Buns

* Brioche Rolls

* Pav Bread

* Rava Bread (Suji Bread)

Suji Bread | Rava Bread (Step by Step Pics)

Homemade bread is a bliss compared to the market available ones, but that doesn't mean that I bake homemade bread always neither do I buy bread frequently and so bread is a rare entity here. However, baking bread at home is so good and the house smells so good like bakeries once the puffed up bread is baked. Most of the times I end up baking bread than buying store brought one unless am running short of time or its by chance. I have made whole wheat bread using tangzhong method and made quite some rolls, buns and burger buns too that are listed at the end of this post. Today's post is yet another healthier bread like whole wheat and is made with sooji or rava. You can use any rava for this recipe and am now in the baking spree of this bread, already baked this 4-5 times now. When I say its already baked five times by now means that my family loved the bread as simple as that.

I have followed the recipe showed in 'Ruchi Vismayam' program in TV. Each time this bake has been a fruitful experience. This can be included in our list of healthy bakes. There are hardly any fancy ingredients used and each slice of this bread is a filling one. We had it with homemade peanut butter(will share the recipe soon). Kids are mad over this combo and totally enjoyed it. Except the proofing time there is no much bake time or no much expertize needed to bake this bread. Do give this a try and lemme know too,will be more than happy.

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Baking time ~ 30 minutes

Serves ~ a loaf

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

rava / sooji 3 1/4 cups

granulated sugar 2 tbsp 

instant yeast 1.5 tsp

water 1cup
oil(any neutral) 1/2 cup
salt  1 tsp

                                          

                                                        

Method

• Powder the rava /sooji in a blender jar and make it fine as possible. Add this in a bowl with salt and mix well. Take leukwarm water in a bowl and add the sugar, mix well then add the yeast on top of the water. Wait for proofing. Add in oil to this. Add this mixture to the sooji and mix well. The dough may be sticky in the beginning but as you knead the dough the dough becomes less sticky and elastic. Knead for about 10 minutes and then place in a oil smeared bowl to rise.

• The first rise may take 30- 50 minutes. After the first rise, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough in three parts and pinch the two ends together. Then place the pinched side down in a oil smeared bread loaf pan. Wait for the second rise. 

• The second rise may take 45mins to 1 hour. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C or 400 degrees F by the end of the second rise.

• Then bake in pre heated oven to 25-30 minutes. Mine was done in 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Remove from pan after initial 10 minutes and then wait to cool completely before slicing in pieces. Enjoy !!

  NOTES

* I have used Bombay rava in this recipe but still powdered again to finer powder. You can use any unroasted rava for this recipe but make sure you powder it in the blender.

RELATED POSTS

* Whole Wheat Bread (Using Tangzhong)

* Whole wheat Burger

* Dilkush

* Shaped Dinner Rolls

* Simit

* Neujahrs Pretzel

* Soft Garlicky Bread sticks

* Sweet raisin Buns

* Brioche Rolls

* Pav Bread

Cinnamon Pull Apart Wheat Bread | Star- Shaped Cinnamon Bread (Using Tang Zhong Method) ~ Step by Step Pics

Cinnamon pull apart bread has been in my do list since long but somehow I was postponing the bake for no solid reasons though. This time I got hold of this star shaped bread recipe with cinnamon sugar and butter filling. The actual recipe was double the ingredients and was a four layer bread but I baked it in two layers and so the bread was small apt for our evening tea. Got just finished in minutes. The sprinkling of powdered sugar on top is an additional sugary touch which you can avoid if you wish too as the bread is sweet with cinnamon sugar filling.

I love baking breads of different shapes and sizes and I had prepared the shaped dinner rolls sometime back. The tang zhong method is used to bake this bread which I used for baking the wheat flour bread. This is also baked with wheat flour which worked perfectly fine and didn't feel like it was baked with wheat. If you plan to bake using double the ingredients, then give an additional cook time of 5-7 mins more than this bake time. You may also fill the bread with crushed garlic and butter for a savory version and can bake homemade garlic bread. Do give this a try and enjoy !

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Baking time ~ 15 minutes

Serves ~ 1 star shaped bread

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

to prepare tang zhong 

all purpose flour (maida) 1/4 cup

water 3/4 cup

to prepare bread

wheat flour 1 cup + 1/4 cup

salt 1/4 tsp

sugar 1.5 tbsp + 1 tsp

yeast 1 tsp

milk 3 tbsp

tang zhong half of prepared (approx 3 tbsp)

butter 1.5 tbsp

vanilla essence 1/2 tsp

to fill

cinnamon powder 1 tbsp

sugar 1/4 cup

butter 1/3 cup melted

1 egg wash to brush the top

Method

• Mix the all purpose flour(maida) and the 3/4 cup water without lumps to make tang zhong. Heat this over flame on low and keep stirring till the mixture thickens and is a porridge like. Switch off flame at this point and leave to cool completely. Use half of the prepared tang zhong for this recipe (approx 3 tbsp).

• In a bowl add leuk warm milk(3 tbsp), sugar and yeast. Leave to proof for 7 minutes until its frothy.
• In another bowl, add the wheat flour, sugar and salt. Mix well and then add half of the prepared tang zhong and add in the yeast mixture. Mix in gently and make a dough. The dough a this point is very sticky. Transfer this to a work surface or clean counter top and knead till its no longer sticky (around 10 minutes). The dough should set gluten in after kneading, if you stretch a small portion of the dough,it should be thin and translucent that means the dough can be rested to rise at this point. Add the softened butter at this point and knead again. Now add in the remaining 1/4 cup wheat flour or as much needed to get a smooth but not very sticky dough.

•  Brush a bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl. Brush the top of the dough also with oil. Cover with a cling wrap and leave to double for an hour.

• After an hour, punch down all the air in the dough. Make two equal portions of the dough (approx 160g each) and leave to rise in the bowl for 15 minutes. Cover again with a cling wrap.
• In the mean time, prepare the filling by mixing the sugar 1/4 cup, cinnamon powder and melted butter. Mix well and keep aside.

• Now, roll out each of the balls in a big chapathi shape but slightly thicker than chapathi. Place on a parchment paper lined tray. Then spread the cinnamon mixture and roll the next ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Then transfer this on top of the spread cinnamon mixture and seal the edges. 
• Now place a lid in the center of the prepared chapathi. Using that as a center guide, cut out lines to make 16  equal portions. 

• Then twist two close ends together to the outside by twisting three times. And pinch the ends to make a pointed end like flower. Repeat the same step for all other cut portions. Cover with a cling wrap and then with a damp cloth. Leave to rise for another 45 minutes till its puffed again.
• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F (do this in the last 10 minutes of rise) and then brush the top of the bread using egg wash liberally and then place in preheated oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes till the top looks nicely baked (I kept only the heat mode on at the bottom and gave two minutes of top heat for the final look). Remove from oven, brush the top with butter and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve with black tea. Enjoy 😊

NOTES

* The tang zhong method I have earlier used to prepare whole wheat bread recipe, the link is here.

* The original recipe makes a four layer flower /star by simply doubling all the ingredients. In that case, divide the dough in four equal portions and make four chapathis, sprinkle each layer of the made chapathi with cinnamon mixture. That makes a big star shaped bread. 

* Use oil or butter for the dough but for cinnamon mixture use butter or egg wash for better tastes. Also remember to add the fat portion afte kneading the dough first else it may not rise well.

* You may also fill the bread with crushed garlic and butter for a savory version and can bake homemade garlic bread.

RELATED POSTS
* Shaped Dinner Rolls

* Pav Bread

* Homemade Burger Buns

* Pizza Pull Apart Bread

* Soft Garlicky Bread Sticks

* Whole wheat Bread Using Tang Zhong

* Simit- A Turkish Bread

* Sweet Raisin Buns

* Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread

* Neujahrs Pretzel

Bread Pudding (with Caramel) | Steamed Bread Pudding ~ Guest Post for Rafeeda

Its truly said, '' Its the friends we meet along the way that helps us appreciate the journey."
I am really blessed to have some good friends here in this virtual world of blogging. One such good friend is Rafee (Rafeeda @ The Big Sweet Tooth. I love her blog and her writings which are very frank and open. Love reading her comments in my space as well(very detailed commenting which makes it stand out always).It was a pleasant surprise when she invited me to her space as a guest and I happily consented, feeling happy. Thanks Rafee for the constant love and support that you shower on my space, keep them coming. Rafee is a busy working mom with two lovely kids. Inspite of her busy working schedule and managing home, I really wonder how she finds time for her space so much. She recently posted her 1000 th post so you can imagine her love and dedication to her page, hats off to your good work dear !! She has a wide collection of Malabar recipes and Emirati cuisine in her space. I have bookmarked a few recipes from her space like Baseema(Egyptian Coconut Cake), Special Ghee Rice,  Athisaya Pathiri to name a few and there is much more to what I have said.

Over to the guest post, let's celebrate the day with a delicious soft pudding- Bread pudding (with caramel).The Big Sweet Tooth definitely receives an added sweetness to relish in the form of this steamed bread pudding, Isn't it Rafee ?? he he.. Do drop by her space to read more about the ingredients,the recipe,the step by step pics and more pics to drool on. The guest post is here, do drop by her space to explore yourself into this recipe and some interesting recipes from her space as well, Cya there !!

Dabeli | Kutchi Dabeli | Homemade Dabeli Masala,Pav Bread and Chutneys

Dabeli is a Gujarat snack that has spicy, sweet and sour flavors sandwiched in a bread roll. This is a very filling and healthy snack. I was apprehensive of kids tastes when I started putting up the dabeli together but to my surprise they totally loved it. The buns are stuffed with a potato masala with a sandwiched between a spread of  garlic chutney and sweet tamarind chutney with a added crunch of spiced peanuts, nylon sev and pomegranate seeds. Oh !! My mouth is watering as I write this up,so you can imagine the amount of flavors that seeps in this recipe. On a casual talk with my friend, H on phone, she mentioned her preparing dabeli with store brought buns. And we went on to talk so much about dabeli that I couldn't resist the flavors. Next day itself, I started preparing myself to get on making dabeli. However, I wished to fulfill making dabeli with homemade pav bread. That's how I ended making my own pav bread at home which I previously posted. Need I say more??

I will not say that you should try this recipe making everything from scratch as I did. But if you can you should definitely give this a try with homemade ingredients,chunteys which brings out the actual flavors. The best part of my making dabeli was kids waited patiently till I took snaps of each step assembling the dabeli and finally when I finished clicking pictures,they just pounced on these cute little stuffed buns. This is one of the longest posts that I have written and am sure it will be easy for you guys to looks through in one page for all details here.We totally loved it at home and am sure your family would also love it. Go ahead and give this a try for small kitty parties or just as a after school snack !!

Serves~ 4 dabelis
Ingredients
for dabeli masala 
*red dry chilli 1
coriander seeds /malli 1 tbsp
cumin seeds/ jeerakam 1 tsp
cinnamon /karugapetta 1" stick
cloves 3
pepper corn 3-4

for roasted peanuts
de skinned peanuts 1/2 cup
chilly powder 1/4 tsp
asafoetida(hing/ kayam) a pinch
salt to taste
oil 1 tsp

for garlic chutney (lehsun chutney)
garlic /lehsun cloves 7-8 large
lemon juice 2 tsp
chilly powder 1 tsp
salt to taste
water as needed

for potato masala
dabeli masala 2 tbsp (recipe below)
potato boiled and mashed 1 cup
lemon juice 1 tsp
tamarind chutney 2 tsp
oil 2 tsp
salt to taste
chopped cilantro 2tbsp (for garnish)
grated coconut 2 tbsp (for garnish)

for making dabeli
pav bread 4
pomegranate seeds 1/2 cup
onion 1/2 cup finely chopped
nylon sev 1/2 cup
butter 2-3 tbsp
tamarind chutney as required
potato masala (recipe below)
roasted peanuts 1/2 cup (recipe below)
garlic chutney (recipe below)as required
green chutney (if required)

Method
For dabeli masala 
Warm up all the spices listed under 'dabeli masala'. Leave to cool and blend to powder.

For spicy peanuts
Warm up the peanuts in a tawa till slightly browned. Let it cool down and then remove the skin by rubbing them in hands. Then add a tsp of oil in the same pan, add in chilly powder, asafoetida (hing) and peanuts. Mix well and turn off heat.

For garlic chutney
Blend the garlic,lemon juice,salt  and chilli powder until smooth in a blender. Add water if required. Garlic chutney is ready.

(Garlic chutney on the left and Spiced Peanuts on the right)

For tamarind chutney and green chutney-
The recipe for both these chutneys is already listed here. I have used homemade chutneys always.

For Potato masala 
Mix the dabeli masala and tamarind chutney,keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add onions. When the onion gets wilted, add the tamarind dabeli masala. Add the mashed potatoes,salt if required and mix well.Cook for 2 mins and switch off flame. Finally,add the lemon juice. Transfer the mixture to a plate,divide in four portions and keep aside. Add grated coconut on top and chopped cilantro.

Assembling

• Slice the buns in half and keep aside. Warm the buns with a tsp of  butter on a pan and turn both sides. Place on a plate.
• Apply the garlic chutney on the bottom layer. Then, add the tamarind chutney on top. Place a portion of the prepared potato masala. Add nylon sev,spiced peanuts,chopped onion and pomegranate seeds on top.
• Apply garlic chutney and tamarind chutney on the inside of the top portion of the buns.

• Repeat the same step with remaining buns. Close the buns and serve hot. Enjoy !!

NOTES
* You can use store brought buns,store brought chutneys to make this at home. But I personally feel homemade chutneys brings out the original flavors.
* The sweet tamarind chutney recipe is here and green spicy chutney recipe is here.
* You can make your own version of sev at home,the recipe is here.
* Increase the red dry chilli if you love the potato masala spicy.

RELATED POSTS
* Golgappa or Panipuris (Homemade puris)
* Moongdal Khasta Kachori (step by step pics)
* Bhelpuri Chaat
* Papri (papdi) Chaat
* Murmure Chaat 
* Dahi Vada (no oil,microwave version)

Pav Bread (Eggless) | Bombay Pav (Step by Step Pics)

Pav bread always reminds me of Pune days, nostalgic memories. Vada pav, pav bhaji, dabeli, chats are the delicious available street food in Mumbai and Pune. None can resist the yummy flavors they add with toasted bread. Pav bread is the poor man's bread and so is made with only basic ingredients. I have always used store brought breads to recreate them at home. However, I had always wished to try this sometime at home from scratch.The shops generally use dalda in making these breads instead of butter but I have used butter as dalda is not healthy.This recipe is adapted from here and Lakshmi Nair's travel cookery show.I made a very small batch as it was trial and error but to my surprise it came out really good.You can always double the ingredients and make larger batches. My oven has a issue with the browning and so didn't get a golden brown color but the bread was pillow soft and spongy. I made dabeli with it and everyone loved it. Stay tuned for the dabeli recipe :)

Preparation time(including proofing) ~ 2 hours
Baking time ~ 8 -12 mins
Serves~ 9 small buns or 6 large 
Ingredients
all purpose flour(maida) 1.5 cups
active dry yeast 1 1/8 tsp
sugar 1tbsp
butter 1.5 tbsp
salt 1/2 tsp
leuk warm water 1/2 cup + 2tbsp

Method

• Mix yeast with leukwarm water and sugar. Wait for 5 mins and let it rise.
• In a bowl,sift all purpose flour and salt.Add the yeast mixture.Knead for 8-10 mins until gluten sets in.Then finally add the butter knead again for 2-3 mins. Place in a clean bowl and cover it with a clean damp cloth. Leave for proofing for an hour.
• After an hour, make equal sized balls (40 g each) and place it in a baking tray with space in between ,leave for second proofing for 45 minutes.

• Towards the end of second proofing, pre heat oven to 450 degrees F or 232 degrees C.
• Place the tray after second proofing in the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 mins.(mine was done in 12 mins)

• Brush the top immediately with butter to keep the crust soft. Leave to cool and then use for making pav bhaji,dabeli and vada pav.
• Enjoy soft spongy pav bread!!

NOTES
* Gluten sets in means when the dough becomes very elastic and becomes like a membrane thin. For better understanding ,see my post on wheat bread here.
*  The oven temperature may vary as per ovens, brands etc. So keep a watch from the 8th minute onwards.
* My oven had an issue in getting the golden brown color but the bread came out super soft and spongy.

RELATED POSTS
* Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
* Shaped Dinner Rolls
* Sweet Raisin Buns
* Coconut Stuffed Buns
* Wheat Bread using Tangzhong method
* Dilkush

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns using Tangzhong method | Hamburger Buns(Step by Step Pics)

The stores around you may sell breads,buns at a very economical rate than trying to make it at home.But have you ever wondered what goes in the list of ingredients to make a loaf or bread or rolls of bun,the list is pretty long and you may be perplexed to understand them all.But do we really long list of  need this long list of ingredients to make a loaf or bun.Not really...my first trial of whole wheat bread was sometime back which built a confidence and believe me that bread was super pillow soft which can be challenged with the store brought bread.I made the bread using the tangzhong method and that really worked wonders.These buns were then added to my do list which finally got some sunshine now.I tried using the tangzhong method ton make these soft buns with wheat flour.They turned out super soft and delicious.All loved the rolls and we had with black bean burger(which I had posted sometime back).If you get this correct,am sure you will never go back to the store brought buns.Enjoy !!!
 

Preparation time~2hours
Baking time ~30 minutes
Serves ~8-10 
Ingredients
whole wheat flour 300g/1.2 cups
*bread flour 400 gm/ 3cups 
active dry yeast 6 gm /2.12 tsp(or one sachet)
sugar 80 gm/  5tbsp
salt 2tsp/10 gm

*tangzhong 200 gm/2/3 cup(refer to below recipe of tangzhong)
egg 45 gm/1   yolk and white separated, whisked 
milk(leukwarm) 1cup/200gm
water 1/2 cup(leukwarm water)
unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 80 gm/5 1/4 tbsp

Method

• Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you are using a bread maker, add the ingredients according to the instructions of your bread maker. Note: use your bread maker only for the mixing/kneading stage/first rise).  

• Add the milk,egg(reserve the half egg white to brush on top) and the tangzhong(refer notes to learn about making of tangzhong and the pics in making tangzhong can be seen here).

• Mix until the ingredients come together, and then knead until it forms dough. Add the butter and continue to knead and medium/high speed until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. To test the dough, pull it until it forms sort of a thin membrane(refer pics here). This could take up to 20 minutes. 

• Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise until doubled. The first rise may take 40 minutes -1hour. 
• Punch down the dough and divide in eight portions.Make tight balls of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom.
• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Second proofing-Arrange the rolls on a parchment paper lined tray leaving a space of 3" between balls,cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth and allow to rise again for 20-30minutes.Brush the rolls liberally with the egg wash,sprinkle with sesame seeds or rolled oats and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. (Mine got done at 30 minutes,cover/tent the top of loaf with aluminium foil to prevent over browning at 20minutes) 

• Remove the rolls  from the pan,brush the top with butter(helps to keep the crust soft and retains the color)and cool on a wire rack. Let it cool completely.Cut in slice and make your own burger.We had it with our own homemade black bean burger,check it out if you are interested !!

NOTES
* For tangzhong
Bread flour 50 gm/1/3 cup
water(can replace with milk) 250ml/1 cup
Mix flour in water well without any lumps.(I used milk) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook along the way.The mixture becomes thicker and thicker. Once you notice some “lines” appear in the mixture for every stir you make with the spoon. It’s done.  If you want to check the temperature of tangzhong it is 65 C/149 F.Remove from heat.Transfer into a clean bowl,cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up.Let cool.The tangzhong can be used straight away once it cools down to room temperature(see pics here).Just measure out the amount you need.The left over tangzhong can be stored in fridge upto a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey.If so,you need to discard and cook some more.(The chilled tangzhong should return to room temperature before adding into other ingredients.The whole tangzhong is used for making the above mentioned measure of buns.
* If you don't have access to bread flour,then try to get vital wheat gluten and add a tsp to every cup of all purpose flour to substitute bread flour.OR try using all purpose flour alone in case you don't get vital wheat gluten but then you can't call it a wheat flour hamburger bun though.
*The tangzhong method can be used to make the famous dilkush of our Indian bakeries or any other stuffed ones too.I had my own dilkush recipe in blog which stills runs to be one of the popular ones,so didn't give a try using this method.or try making your own whole wheat bread loaf using this method.If you are making bread,then this measurement will make two loaves.

*The rolls should cooled completely before cutting slices otherwise it leaves a sticky texture.
* Though I used wheat flour,the bread turned out more of white probably because I used Ashirwad atta(Indian brand).
*Always keep your rack in the center of the oven otherwise the top or bottom may burn fast.