When I made Pav bhaji the first time after moving from India to the US, it didn’t taste as good as back home because of the bread. Store-bought dinner rolls/burger buns here are not the same as what we get in India. Here is the US, bread is very sweet. Plus the texture is also very different than what we get in India. So I started making ladi pav at home. This recipe is close to fabulous Mumbai ladi pavs plus it requires very few ingredients. I love that they have just a hint of sweetness but it’s not too much like store-bought ones. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, – you name it. There is truly no smell as amazing as fresh warm bread or pav coming out of the oven!
Ingredients required –
To make this recipe, you will need – Milk: Use whole milk. Milk powder: Milk powder makes this recipe rich. Yeast: All yeasts will work in this recipe. If you have Instant dry yeast, it can be added straight to dry ingredients and doesn’t require any sitting or proofing. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in a liquid before adding to a recipe. Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast and helps in activation. Butter: Butter makes this roll rich. Make sure it’s room temperature or melted. Salt: Skip if you are using salted butter Flour/maida: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. You can use whole wheat flour too. The roll would be a little bit dense and not as light and fluffy. I recommend using half wheat and half white flour. Unsalted Butter
How do you make them from scratch? Step by step process –
Step 1 – Activate the yeast
Warm milk (110 degrees, Neither cold nor hot, it should be warm), add sugar and yeast. Mix them well, close the lid and keep it aside for 10 minutes or until it gets activated. It should look frothy after 10 minutes. (Photo 1 to 3)
Step 2 – Preparing the dough
In a standing mixer bowl, take all-purpose flour, salt, and milk powder. Mix them well. (photo 4 to 6) Add frothy yeast mixture into the flour mixture and make a dough. It should be like a sticky paste. (photo 7) Once it comes together add the butter and knead it further for 8 to 10 minutes. (Photo 8) It will turn from sticky mass of the dough to a beautifully soft, and tacky dough. Scrap in between if it sticks to the bowl while kneading. (Photo 9)
Step 3 – First proofing
Transfer this dough in oil greased big bowl.
To proof the dough in instant pot –
Proofing the bread dough in instant pot, especially in winter, is a game-changer. It reduces the time and gives the perfect result because of the constant heat temperature. Grease the inner pot of instant pot with oil or butter. Transfer the dough. Place the pot into the instant pot. Close the lid. Choose yogurt mode and set the timer to 45 minutes on normal.
For regular method –
Oil the bowl in which you kneaded the dough and then transfer the prepared dough into it. Cover it with a cling wrap or towel and allow it to proof for 1 hour and 30 minutes until it gets double in size in a warm place.
Step 4 – Shaping the dough
Punch the dough once. Sprinkle some(about 1 tbsp) flour on your working surface. Knead the dough for a minute. Don’t add too much flour otherwise, pav will not be soft. Measure the dough in the kitchen scale (If you have) and divide it into 20 equal parts about 50-54 grams. Or just eyeball and divide it into equal parts. Make round shape balls by tucking the sides to the base and rounding it out using your fingers and thumb. (Refer to a video given in recipe card). (Photo 13) Take a 9×13 inch baking pan and grease it with oil and flour. (Photo 12) Place all the balls into a baking pan with a little gap in between. (Photo 16) Cover the baking pan with a kitchen napkin or cling wrap and keep aside for 1 hour for second proofing. (Photo 17) After 1 hour, gently brush pav with milk. (Photo 18)
Step – 5 Baking
Preheat oven @ 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the baking pan into the oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Keep an eye after 15 minutes. Take them out immediately and brush the top part with butter. Enjoy it with warm with smeared butter or let it cool down completely and enjoy it with bhaji, vada, misal or any meal.
To make this recipe healthy, use whole wheat flour. The roll would be a little bit dense and not as light and fluffy. I recommend using half wheat and half white flour.If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead the dough with your hand for at least 15 minutes to develop enough gluten.All yeasts will work in this recipe. If you have Instant dry yeast, it can be added straight to dry ingredients and doesn’t require any sitting or proofing. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in a liquid before adding to a recipe.The dough should be well hydrated, slightly sticky, but still very soft and pliable. When you lift the dough hook of the standing mixer, you should see the dough is still sticking to the base of the pot. In easy words, You should be able to feel a soft roll just by touching the dough.Always sift the flour before adding any ingredients. To measure is correctly, scoop the flour and level off the top.I have never made this recipe with gluten-free flour. If you have tried with a good result, please share it with us in the comment box below.The best way to make sure that your rolls are equal in size is to weigh them using a kitchen scale. Weigh the entire batch of dough using a kitchen scale and divide that weight by 20.To make this recipe vegan, use almond milk instead of regular milk, skip the milk powder and use more flour, and instead of butter use oil.I have used a 9×13 inch metal baking pan. If you are going to bake rolls in a glass pan, it might take a few minutes more to bake.Make sure the milk is at the right temperature. You’re looking for somewhere between 100-110F. If it gets too hot, let it sit until it reaches the right temperature. Otherwise, hot milk will kill the yeast and the yeast won’t activate.Don’t forget to brush the rolls once it is baked to get the glossy effect. Plus this step makes the bread softer.
Why are my dinner rolls dense?
If your rolls are dense, the reason could be –
not kneading enough the dough mix ormixing the salt and yeast together.
What makes the bread soft and fluffy?
Milk powder and milk make this bread super soft and rich. I would recommend not to skip this. You guys! Just look at the soft and fluffy texture!
Our favorite bread recipes –
No-knead bread Pumpkin bread Croissant style dinner rolls Homemade bread bowl Foccacia bread ★ Have you tried this recipe? We’ll love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate and leave your feedback in the comment box below. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Warm regards, Dhwani
