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–+ servings

bread rolls

These bread rolls, pão, come from the Portuguese influence on Indian cuisine. They are very similar to Western bread rolls, but have a subtle Indian twist.
a baking tray of Indian pav, or bread rolls
prepare: 20 minutes
cook: 25 minutes
resting: 3 hours 35 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
difficulty: moderate
yield: 12 rolls
calories: 222 kcal
cuisine: goan, Indian

ingredients

  • 14 g dried bakers yeast - (see notes)
  • 2 tsp jaggery
  • 375 ml milk - warmed
  • 500 g maida - plus extra for dusting (see notes)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp gingelly oil - (see notes)
  • 2 tsp milk - for glazing
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil - to grease bowl

instructions

  • Mix the yeast, jaggery and milk in a small bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place until mixture becomes very frothy, which will take around 20 minutes, depending on temperature.
  • Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pour in the oil and work with your hands to combine, until the texture is like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the milk, jaggery and yeast mixture gradually and combine with the flour.
  • Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for round 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour, no more than one teaspoon at a time.
  • Clean the bowl, then wipe bowl with kitchen paper soaked in the vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling-film and set aside in a warm place.
  • Allow the dough to rise to twice its original size. Depending on the ambient temperature this may take between one and two hours.
  • Preheat oven to 200C.
  • Turn out the dough onto a flat surface, then lightly remove the air from dough by punching, then folding dough.
  • Divide dough into 12 equal portions and form into balls.
  • Place baking paper on a flat baking tray and lightly dust with flour. Place the formed balls on the tray, keeping a separation of about 1cm. Cover with a cloth and set aside for about one hour to allow the balls to rise and become puffy.
  • Brush the top of the balls with milk. Place into the oven and bake until cooked with golden tops, around 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve.

notes

  • A normal sachet of dried baker’s yeast contains 7g and is equivalent to around 2 teaspoons. This recipe calls for two sachets.
  • The recipe calls for warm milk, not hot. If the milk is too hot it will destroy the yeast. Aim for a temperature between 35C and 40C.
  • Gingelly oil is Indian sesame oil. It is very different to the Asian sesame oil. Substitute with vegetable oil if unobtainable.
  • Maida is a whole wheat flour and is readily available from good supermarkets or Indian grocers. If unavailable, plain flour will substitute.
  • Covering the just-baked pav in cloth immediately after removing them from the oven makes them very soft. They can be quite hard immediately after baking.

private notes

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nutrition

Serving: 75 g | Calories: 222 kcal | Carbohydrates: 34 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 3 mg | Sodium: 402 mg | Potassium: 96 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 50 IU | Calcium: 43 mg | Iron: 2 mg