Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Buns

I'm always trying to take part in the Bread Baking Day organized by Zorra. This month it's hosted by Notitie van Lien, one of the most beautiful photographers in the blogosphere. This month the theme is Potato Breads. I've been wanting to make savory stuffed buns for a long time, and I took this opportunity to do just that.


The buns have mashed potato added to the flour. And the buns are also stuffed with a spicy potato filling. I also did some spicy chicken ones for my family. Both were very well received. The nice part is the combinations/ fillings are endless. The bread can be flavored. The fillings can be altered to suit your tastes. And its really simple.


Buns

For the Bread:
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Yeast
2 tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 cups warm Water
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Potato, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed
2 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper (optional - I just wanted a spicy bread. You could add any herbs/ greens of your choice like fenugreek/ cilantro/ cumin/ fennel/ za'atar).

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, until it comes together as a ball. Empty the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a muslin cloth. Keep in a warm place and leave aside for an hour or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 10 or 12 equal parts (I got 10 but depending on the size of the buns you want, you could get 12). Flatten each ball into a thin circular shape, with your fingers. Put about 2-3 tbsp of the filling in each (recipe follows). Bring the edges around the filling until it is fully covered. Pinch the seams together to seal. Place seal-side down on a baking tray. Repeat for all the balls.


Cover the buns with muslin cloth and leave aside for approximately an hour. Bake at 180 deg C for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway for even baking. Remove and brush with melted butter when warm (optional - this just gives the buns a softer crust).

For the Peas and Potatoes Filling:
6 small Potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
1/2 cup Peas, boiled
2 Onions, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

Tempering:
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 small piece Cinnamon
2-3 pieces Cardamom
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 cloves Garlic, chopped

Heat some oil and add the ingredients for tempering. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the onion, garlic and tomato. Saute until the onions are brown. Add the potato, peas and the powders and salt. Continue to saute until well browned and mixed through. Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of water and cover and cook for 10 minutes.


For the Chicken Filling:
1/4 kg boneless Chicken pieces, shredded
1 Tomato
1 Onion, chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1" piece Ginger
(Grind the garlic and ginger together to a paste. OR use 1 tsp readymade ginger garlic paste)
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

For the tempering:
1 Bay Leaf
1 small piece Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1-2 pieces Cardamom

Heat some oil and add the ingredients for tempering. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, tomato and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the shredded chicken. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste and the powders and saute well until the raw smell of the paste disappears. Add 1 cup of water and continue to stir fry until the water has been completely absorbed. Keep aside.


Enjoy the buns! Next time I'm going to try a cheese and broccoli filling. Or maybe even some cottage cheese and veggies. The possibilities are endless.

This is off to Notitie van Lien for Bread Baking Day #17: Potato Breads. And to Susan @ Wild Yeast for YeastSpotting.

41 comments:

Ranjani said...

Wow! Those buns look amazing and completely professional!what a neat idea to stuff them:))

Chutneytales said...

The buns look lovely..Can i grab one??

Lien said...

I just love these filled rolls, aren't they just gorgeous, and you can see the wonderful spices inside yummy. And you even used potato in the dough and for the filling, great job!
Thanks for participating this month BBD #17.

(Thanks Arundathi for your praise, though I don't think I deserve that, you must confuse me with someone for sure!!)

Anonymous said...

wwwoww... the buns look amazing... very professional :)

Aparna Inguva said...
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Aparna Inguva said...
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Aparna Inguva said...
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Aparna Inguva said...

They look great! Would be awesome for that afternoon hunger pang or a brunch.

Bharti said...

Those came out really good. Hmmm..I'm gonna do that on some lazy Saturday or Sunday.

Unknown said...

I like the indianized version of the buns. And how are you doing Arundathi?

Vaidehi Bhave said...

hey nice entry..buns look delicious ..

chakali

Manju said...

its like samosa, but only bread!! yeah, i know thats not a good comparison but thats what i first felt when i read your recipe..great entry for the even!! came across your blog through indiblogger!! :)

KonkaniBlogger said...

Oh wow, these buns are looking great, and extra pleasure with the stuffing inside, yummy!

Shama Nagarajan said...

looks perfect

Kitchen Chronicles said...

The buns are looking great with the stuffing. Yummy stuffed buns.

Divya Kudua said...

Lovely stuffed buns Anu..love the way you've clicked them,open in half--too tempting!!I recently made a stuffed bun too,following Raaga's recipe,shall post it soon!!

Sunshinemom said...

They look perfect, Anu!

Arundathi said...


Ranjani - thanks, babe. stuffed masala buns were a big favorite in school/ college. so this was a little nostalgia trip too.

madhumathi - sure...here you go.

Lien - Thanks for a wonderful choice of breads for this month! And yes you do deserve the praise!

Indhu - thanks :-)

Aparna Inguva - Actually, they're quite heavy and filling - so yes, would do for brunch or even a light dinner.

Bharti - Yup good idea. I didn't wait for the weekend, which was not such a good idea!! lol!

Divya Vikram - Fine, thanks. I hope you're doing well too!

Vaidehi - Thanks so much!

Superchef - Thanks for dropping by! - yeah i know just what you mean by the samosa comparison!

Maya - Thanks much!

Shama Nagarajan - Thanks!

Lakshmi Venkatesh - Thank you!

Divya Kudua - Y'know I still lust after raaga's recipe. they look superb. do post yours soon.

Sunshinemom - Thanks so much, dear Harini!

Medhaa said...

Perfect looking buns, would love the cottage cheese filling sounds yumm

Priya Suresh said...

Potato buns looks yummy!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Arundhati...The buns look great much like the ones in the bakery....I wish i had the patience to do that...These days i am trying to bake a good cake that i can put up on the blog!Koshish Zaari hai :)
Any pointers on how to keep tab on the blog events?

tc
k

Lavanya said...

Hey!

Guess what! I made savoury potato buns just last week. I tried experimenting with the shapes. I used spicy mashed potato filling instead. These look great too.
Lavy

Usha said...

These look tempting, loved the idea of baking the bread with some potato in it too :-)

A_and_N said...

Wow they look fantastic! I loved the 'shiny' surface of the buns! And yes as far as stuffings go...the possibilities are endless :D

zlamushka said...

Lovely filled bread, Aru. Such a nice surprise in a bun so "normal" looking :-)

Arundathi said...


Medhaa - yup - gonna try that next time.

Priya - thanks.

k - thanks a lot. a good way to know about blog events is to visit http://www.ismyblogburning.com/

Lavanya - Lavy! good to see you here! gotta go check yours out too

Usha - thanks a lot

A & N - thanks so much - the shiny surface is from the melted butter :)

Zlamushka - thanks a lot. stuffed breads are very common here in india as snacks.

pepsakoy said...

I love any form of bread..and your bun makes me tempted ! Yumm..

Thanks for your comment on my blog anyway.

Arundathi said...


Pepsakoy - Sure, anytime. Loved your blog. and thanks!

zorra said...

I can understand why everybody loves these buns, the look awesome!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

What fabulous fillings for these buns! Gosh my mind is running wild thinking of so many filling ideas BUT I love your potato filling!!
Beautiful for BBD Potato Theme.

Anonymous said...

I could eat a dozen or two of those buns. They look wonderful!

Arundathi said...


Zorra - Thanks so much!

MyKitchenInHalfCups - Thanks so much. Yup - there are so many different fillings you could make.

Chuck - Lol - Thanks!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

These look very good. I made potato stuffed ones too, just differently. :)

Anonymous said...

How gorgeous and versatile. I'd like the spicy ones with red pepper!

Arundathi said...


Aparna - I saw yours too - they look fabulous.

Susan - would love to send some across!

Anonymous said...

How cute! We actually made a whole ciabatta loaf with chunks of potato and bacon in it, but in these little rolls it is like a built in sandwich. Nicely done.

Arundathi said...


Sara - Yup, it is a built-in sandwich of sorts. Great for picnics.

Anonymous said...

ymmmm...buns with chicken filling is mouthwatering,versatile recipe. this article does help with learning how to swim with different fillings in bun.

Arundathi said...


Dave Jones - Yes, this recipe is so versatile and so simple too! Thanks for stopping by.

GStaples said...

Great pictures of your rolls! I like the recipes of your fillings, sounds great!

Arundathi said...


Scraps - thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!