Cauliflower and Tomatillo-Red Bell Pepper Chutney Stuffed Sourdough rolls

Stuffed bread rolls are perfect for weekend brunch. Most of the prep work happens the night before. The day you want to bake these all you have to do is heat the oven and pop them in. This is the reason they are my favorite when my daughter is visiting. I can prep everything ahead of time and let the refrigerator and then the oven do all the work.

I like to make something new and different when my daughter visits from college. I have made stuffed rolls before but changing the stuffing makes for a completely new recipe. This time I used tomatillo and red bell pepper chutney mixed in with some cauliflower. You can take any chutney/sauce you have on hand, mix it with minced vegetables, saute until almost dry and use it as stuffing for these rolls.

The sourdough rolls are my recipe made with whole wheat flour. The end result is wholesome, filling and flavorful.

You will need (for 6 buns)
For the bun
100 gm 100% sourdough starter
190 gm water
20 gm sugar
30 gm olive oil
330 gm white whole wheat flour
8 gm salt

For the stuffing
1 head cauliflower, cut into tiny florets or minced
1 cup chutney, I used tomatillo and red bell pepper chutney
1 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive oil)

For the chutney
1 large tomatillo
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp white sesame seeds
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
salt and red chilli pepper powder to taste

The night before combine all the ingredients for the buns in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. Uncover, reach down to the bottom of the far side, pick up the dough and fold it over the top towards you. Turn the bowl 90 degree and repeat. Continue until you have gone around twice. Cover and keep aside. Repeat this stretch and fold procedure two more times every half hour. Finally cover and keep aside for at least 4-5 hours. Alternately, keep refrigerated overnight.

Before you are ready to stuff and shape the rolls prepare the stuffing. For the chutney chop the peppers. Peel and chop the tomatillos. Heat oil in pan. Add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and channa dal. When the mustard seeds sizzle add the curry leaves and peanuts.

When they change color add the chopped vegetables. Saute until cooked.

Turn off the heat and let it cool. Run it through a blender to desired consistency and keep aside.

Heat a 1/4 cup of water in a pan. Finely chop the cauliflower, you could mince it if you like. Add it to the heated water and let it cook on medium/high heat until done but not mushy.

Lower the heat a little to medium/low. Add the chutney and adjust seasoning. Remember the bread does not add much flavor so the stuffing has to compensate for that. Saute until it is dry with very little moisture. Cool.

Take the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into equal parts of about 70-80 gm each. Begin working each piece of dough into a bread roll like in my original sourdough buns recipe. When you have a smooth surface flatten the dough and stuff it with the stuffing. Bring all the sides together and continue shaping.

Place each roll in a baking sheet. Cover and place the sheet in the refrigerator and let it rise overnight. When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 30-33 minutes.

Cool on a baking rack and enjoy!

Bird Shaped Dinner Rolls

One of the weekend staples in my house is pav bhaji. Pav bhaji is a vegetable side served with dinner rolls. Bread hot out of the oven is always appetizing and paired with a mixed vegetable side allows me to clean out the refrigerator in preparation for a new week. I usually make one of the many rolls recipes I have on this blog. But sometimes I like to try something different. Today I shaped the rolls to look like birds.

There was no difference in taste but they are fun to shape and fun to eat. I had seen a picture of these birds on Pinterest a while back. They was no recipe or blog associated with it. It was just a picture. I saved it for a later day. Using the dinner roll recipe for these birds turned out to be a great decision. They were eaten for lunch and tasted great.

My daughter was very reluctant to eat the birds. She said they were too pretty to eat. My husband and I had no such problems.

You will need (8 birds)
1 egg or egg substitute of your choice
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. milk
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour (I used chapati flour, you can use any whole wheat flour)
8 cloves for eyes
1 tbsp. heavy cream as wash (you could use milk instead of cream)

Beat the egg in a large bowl. Heat the milk and water together until lukewarm and combine the solution with the egg. Add the yeast, sugar, oil and salt. Sift in the flour and knead into a soft dough. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume.

Divide the dough into 8 equal and 2 smaller portions. The 2 smaller portions will be used to make the feathers, beaks and legs. Take one of the larger portions. Roll it out as a long rectangle using a rolling pin. Now fold it along the long side and make a think rope. Keep rolling the rope to make it longer and a little thinner. Start from one end fold the edge of the rope and continue rolling it inward. Repeat from the other side. You should get something like this.

Keep aside on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat for the other large portions. Ensure the shaped bird is covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying. Using the smaller portions shape the legs, beak and wings. Use the picture below as a guide. Place the cut shapes under the main body.

Let the shaped birds rest for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 F. Just before placing the birds in the oven wash with the cream or milk.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they begin to change color and are cooked through. The same recipe in the shape of a roll takes a little longer to bake. When shaped like a bird using ropes the bread cooks faster.

Transfer to a cooling rack and serve with butter/cheese or as I did with a mixed vegetable side.

Enjoy!

Sourdough Bread Rolls

Small single serve crusty rolls go very well with soup. I have always admired the basket of artisan crusty loaves that accompanies dinner in nice restaurants. The crust is crunchy but wafer thin and the crumb is open, soft and chewy. The rolls add substance to the soup and make it a filling meal. This is my simple attempt at recreating that beauty.

With these loaves for the very first time I managed to get a ear. For the uninitiated, the ability to make the bread rise through the score line is good but to have the score line open up is something else altogether. It is success at scoring and takes a lot of practice. In my case it was pure accident but I was over the moon. If I can replicate this success then I will say I have mastered the technique. Until then I will be happy that I did it once. Maybe I am crazy, but then life is all about simple pleasures, right?

We really liked the flavor of the batard after I accidentally bulk fermented it for a really long time. This time I deliberately increased the bulk fermentation time from 6 hours to 12. I then shaped the rolls, put them on a baking sheet, covered it with a tea towel and put it in the refrigerator to keep overnight. Three days later I had still not baked the rolls. Weekdays are just so busy. By the time the weekend rolled around again the bread had been in the refrigerator for five days. I took it out wondering if I would have to throw it away. That was when I noticed it had started to bubble along the bottom. Very reluctantly I smelled the dough. It had a very pleasing smell. All was good. I reshaped the dough and baked the rolls. And success! Not sure how I am going to replicate that. But I think I had been under proofing the dough all along. At the very least I will increase the fermentation time or leave the dough at room temperature a little longer before putting it in the refrigerator.

For two rolls

You will need
200 gm white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur)
130 gm water

100 gm fed sourdough starter

6 gm salt

In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients to form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for half an hour. Reach over and pull the dough on the far side of the dough and stretch it towards you. Fold it over the top. Turn the bowl a quarter turn. Repeat stretching and folding until you make a full turn. Cover and keep aside. Repeat stretch and fold twice more with a half hour rest. Cover and keep the dough for a 12 hour bulk fermentation. If your kitchen is hot or humid keep the bowl in the refrigerator.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into two. Work with one portion of dough. Fold the dough in from all sides and form a ball. Roll it on the work surface and keep it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat with the other portion. Cover the rolls and put them in the refrigerator overnight. 

The next morning preheat the oven to 450 F. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat it. Just before you are ready to bake score the top of each roll end to end along the length. Place the rolls on the hot sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 F and bake another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Soft Dinner Rolls

Dinner rolls or pieces of bread to accompany dinner go as far back as recorded history. In fact in a lot of countries even today people make some kind of bread to accompany dinner. Dinner rolls can be baked spaced apart from each other or placed next to each other in one pan. The latter is called laadi pav in India and is made famous by Pav Bhaji.

I have two types of dinner rolls in this space. I have the 100 % whole wheat eggless and the 50% whole wheat eggless. Both use commercial yeast. I realized I had not posted this sourdough recipe. I made these as the base for the vegetarian sliders. Though the tops of the buns did not brown visibly the texture was soft with an even crumb.

You will need
You will need for 9 pav
200 gm 80% sourdough starter
400 gm water
40 gm olive oil
660 gm bread flour
16 gm salt

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. The dough will be a little sticky and wet. Cover and keep aside for half and hour.

Stretch and fold the dough to strengthen it over the next hour. Reach over the far side of the dough, pull it up and fold over the top towards you. Make a quarter and repeat until you have gone all the way around twice. This is one turn. Repeat with two more turns spacing them half an hour apart. The dough will become smooth and elastic by the time you are done. Cover and keep aside for 6 hours. Divide into 9 portions and shape each one as a ball. Place in a parchment covered baking sheet with sides. Cover and keep refrigerated overnight.

The next morning you are ready to bake at any time. Leave the dough in the refrigerator until the oven is preheated and ready. Preheat at 350 F.

Place the baking sheet into the oven straight from the refrigerator. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. These buns will not brown as much. Take them out of the oven and on to a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Tricolor Braided Whole Wheat Bread

Back in 1950 on this day in January India became a Republic. In celebration of the Republic Day I present the tricolor braided cheese bread.

I used vegetables as dye to color the bread. I used carrots and cherry tomatoes for the orange layer, broccoli for the green and left the white uncolored. Though the colors are not visible on the finished bread under the melted cheese they are clearly visible on the slices.

I used the same recipe for this bread as I had for the zopf. The bread turned out soft with a lightly crunchy but very thin crust. It was great on its own but tasted even better with a dab of boursin cheese.

In my house I have never had to sneak in vegetables into anything. Everyone loves vegetables, most of all my daughter. But if you have picky eaters this might be a good way to get the vegetables in.

You will need (for two loaves)
280 gm white whole flour
200 gm all purpose flour
8 gm yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp butter, melted

For the green color
1 small floret broccoli
1/4 cup milk

For the orange color
4 cherry tomatoes
1/4 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup milk

For the white color
1/4 white onion, sliced (optional)
1/3 cup milk

For the wash
1 egg wash
1 1/2 tsp. water

For the topping
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

Blend the broccoli with milk and keep aside. Saute the shredded carrot under tender. Cool completely. Blend with cherry tomatoes and milk. Keep aside. Saute the onion until tender and allow to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl sift the flours. Add the salt and yeast and mix well. Next add the egg yolk and melted butter. Mix well and divide into three bowls by weight. To the first bowl add the ground broccoli. To the second bowl add the ground carrots and tomatoes. To the third add the onions. You could skip the onions if you choose.

Form a soft dough. You should have equal sized dough in green, orange and natural colors. Cover and allow them to rise until double in volume, about an hour.

Divide each of the balls of dough into two by weight. Take one half of the orange on a floured working surface. Flatten with the heel of your palm. Fold over like an envelop and seal with the heel of your palm. Now roll it on the board until you get a long rope. Keep aside and repeat with one green and one natural portion.

Keep the three ropes side by side. Pinch the top and start braiding. Place a piece of cheese between the braid as you go. When done tuck both ends under the braid for a neat finish. Push a piece of cheese over the curves of the braid. Keep aside covered for 20 minutes. Repeat for the remaining three portions.

As the braided dough rises preheat the oven to 425 F. Brush the top with the egg white and water mixture. Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake another 20-25 minutes. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.

Cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

Enjoy its own or with a dab of boursin.

Eggless 100% Whole Wheat Laadi Pav / Dinner Rolls

I have posted dinner rolls with 50% whole wheat in this space. These rolls are made with 100% whole wheat flour. I used King Arthur organic white whole wheat flour. It is an organic high protein flour and produces very tasty dinner rolls. My daughter is very willing to munch on a hot roll without anything added to it.

I make these rolls often as we have Pav bhaji almost every weekend. Homemade and made 100 % whole wheat these rolls are very healthy. Whole wheat rolls are usually dense but I wanted them to be really soft. So I substituted eggs with yogurt and pinch of baking soda. The crumb was tight but the rolls were really soft.

You will need for 15 pav
5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 pinch baking soda
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp milk for brushing the rolls

Sift the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Whisk the yogurt with baking soda in a separate bowl.

When it starts to bubble add to the flour and mix well. Heat the milk and water in a microwave and add it to the flour along with the oil. Mix together to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place the ball of dough in the bowl, cover and allow to rise for 1-2 hours until it doubles in volumes. On a hot day this process might go faster.

Flour your hands and your working surface and transfer the dough on to it. Do not punch it. Be gentle as you work the dough into a rectangle. Using a pastry cutter cut equal portions of the dough. I got 15 rolls of ~76 gm each.

Shape the roll to get the smooth top. Fold in all the sides of the cut portion of dough.

Squeeze together.

Turn over. The under side now on the top should be smooth. Cup your palm around the ball of dough and rotate your arm such that the bottom of the balls rotates on the work surface. This seals in the bottom of the pav and creates tension on the top surface.

Place the rolls a half inch apart on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Cover loosely. Allow the rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes.

In the last 10 minutes preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the rolls with a little warm milk.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack for a couple minutes.

Enjoy!