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Pav Buns

Pav Buns

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Pav buns are soft, fluffy bread rolls popular in Indian cuisine, particularly known for their role in dishes like pav bhaji and vada pav. Made from a simple dough of flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water, pavbuns are baked until golden brown.
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4
Author sumisculinarynotes

Ingredients

1 cup = 250ml

  • 3 ½ cups or 425 grams of All-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup or 50 grams of sugar
  • 2 ½ tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 room-temperature egg
  • 220-240 ml lukewarm milk
  • ½ cup or 100 grams of softened butter

Egg wash

  • 1 Egg + 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, egg and salt in a large mixing bowl or a stand-mixer bowl. (Read above the recipe card to know more about the yeast)
  • Add warm milk and mix to form a soft dough.
  • Knead the dough on a stand mixer for about 8-10 minutes or on a floured surface for about 20-25 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  • Add softened butter in batches to the dough and continue kneading until the butter is fully incorporated.
  • The dough should be soft, slightly sticky, and elastic.
  • Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.
  • Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 16 equal portions, each weighing approximately 52-54 grams.
  • Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place them on a greased, square baking pan, leaving some space between each bun.
  • Cover the tray with a damp cloth and let the buns rise again for about 30-45 minutes until they puff up.
  • Brush the top of the buns with the egg-wash mixture. Whisk together one egg with a tablespoon of milk until well combined. Then, using a pastry brush, gently apply the egg wash mixture evenly over the tops of the buns just before baking. This will give them a shiny, golden-brown finish as they bake.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes or until they turn golden brown on top.
  • Once baked, transfer the pav buns to a wire rack to cool.
  • Now, your homemade pav buns are ready to be enjoyed! Serve them with your favourite curry, make pav bhaji, or use them for delicious sandwiches like vada pav.

Notes

  • If you're using salted butter, you can skip adding extra salt.
  • I used a 23 cm square pan for baking pav buns. You may need to adjust the number of buns you place in the pan depending on the size of the buns, pan size and how close you want them to be while baking. Ensure that you grease the pan well before placing the buns in it to prevent them from sticking.
  • Once they're golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, they're ready to be removed from the oven and enjoyed!