Masala Buns

This was an inspiration from Rak's blog and we enjoyed this for dinner - two rolls each and we were quite full, although my son could easily handle a couple more (teenage boys being teenage boys) - I was initially making pizza dough and then had all these "non pizza" veggies that were staring me in the face in the fridge- made an on the spot decision to make these instead - I had seen them on Rak's blog when she first posted them and had forgotten about it.
Easy to whip up and quite a treat for any occasion. Here is my version of this.

For the Bread
2 cups of flour  - I used equal proportions of wheat and all purpose flours
tbsp dry fast acting yeast
3/4 cup + warm water
1tsp of salt
2tsp olive oil

For the Stuffing
Any veggies you like and want to stuff with  - Make a curry out of it as spicy or bland as you desire. I made mine with
1 large onions,
2 cups of minced mushrooms,
2 sweet potatoes, 2 potatoes,
1 cup of finely chopped red and yellow bell peppers
green chilies - per taste
1tsp turmeric
1tbsp sambar powder
Curry leaves and cilantro finely chopped
1tbsp olive oil

Boil the potatoes, and add the rest of the ingredients into hot oil in a pan. stir fry them before add the mushed potatoes in. Allow them to cook together making sure they remain sort of dry -as in do not add any extra water - Allow for all the water from the veggies to evaporate. add your salt and spiced and simmer together for 2-4 minutes and remove from flame.  Cool it down

Pizza dough

In a bowl, dry mix salt and flour
In a mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup of warm water to the yeast and allow it to rise for 5 -10 minutes.
Add to the the flour along with 3/4 cup of warm water -
Knead gently until the batter comes of the sides and you are able to roll it into a ball.
Dust a work surface on your kitchen counter with flour
Get the dough out of the pan and on to the counter and knead for a a couple of minutes only and in the same direction
Work it into a nice round ball and put it back in the bowl and cover with a plastic bag allowing it to rise for about 2 hours
remove from bag after this time - it will have risen well
Remove and render a couple of karate chops to the dough and then make them into balls for stuffing
Make a cup with it and add the stuffing and close much as you would parathas or even kozhakattais.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (varies from oven to oven-so what you are looking for is the browning of the top of the bun).



Serve with love and Enjoy!!!

Stuffed Squash Blossom in Braided Bread

Since I am on a bread roll,  (lol) I thought I'd follow up my french bread post with my stuffed and braided bread - the one many of you good friends have given me the wonderful like sign for on FB:)
Keep the same bread recipe as my french bread - except after it rises the first time around
roll it out like a pizza crust. The rest of the recipe follows - this was another of my off the cuff ideas since It is that time of the year again when my veggie garden is profuse with squash blossoms - You may recall my zucchini bajjis from last year. I did not want to use the blossoms in the usual ways that have been recorded on the web. It is really easy and I would love for you to try it - Like all other works of art, this requires patience and that is no biggy for most of my creative friends, right? :)

Here we go!
Identify the male flowers and pick about 10-15.  Wash in gentle water and pat dry with paper towel - allow them to sit in a sunny part of your kitchen until you are ready to work with them

Prepare your bread dough. Let it rise for 2 hours

Ingredients for stuffing the blossoms

1/3 less Fat Philedelphia cream cheese - I used about 6 ounces of the 8 ounce box
Pesto (Mine was homemade and the recipe will be posted soon) about 4 ounces

Mix the two nicely and keep ready

Pick up the dry blossom, cut the back ends off with the stem leaving a small hole. Approach stuffing from the petal end which is wide and convenient - make sure you do not over stuff or push it too far towards the stem side hole.

Hold the flower and with a small spoon insert the cream cheese pesto mix (about 2 tsps). Press the petals close with your fingers. repeat until all flowers are filled.

When the 2 hours are up get the dough out and knead a couple of times . Split into 2 halves. I made a braided bread with one half and a plain loaf with the other.

Roll out the one half like you would pizza dough. Make sure the surface has already been dusted with flour before doing this.

Now place the blossoms gently and closely, facing opposite directions alternately (see picture below) .

Take a sharp knife and cut the sides into strips. The top and bottom corners will be slightly broader. Fold them in first, gently over the blossom. Then braid the rest of the strips, as shown in the picture.

Bake at 350 degrees or until brown at the top.
I hope you'll enjoy this!

Serve it hot :)

Stay tuned for my Masala Buns - which is the next recipe on my blog!

Homemade Pesto

I have truly made a better braid than this, but hey...