Cheese Buns/Stuffed Buns (Eggless)

Hello everyone, today I have got for you all a very yummy recipe of Stuffed buns. I used to have them during my school time, stuffed with masala potaotes. So just thought to prepare them with Paneer and cheese filling. The result was just awesome. This is a great snack, either with tea or coffee, we had it with freshly squeezed orange juice and is a huge hit in my house.

Preparing them is a bit lengthy process but at the same time they are very easy to prepare. The best part is that you can stuff them up with any filling you like be it Vegetarian or non vegetarian or may be the left overs. They have a very nice crust and very soft inside. You can make them in large numbers in advance or freeze them, microwave them for 15 secs and they will be fresh again. They are an awesome idea for pot lucks too :))))

So without wasting much of the time lets dive into the ingredients following the method.

Video Link :

 

Ingredients :

For the dough :

• All purpose flour : 2 cups
• Dried active Yeast : 1 tbsp (If using instant yeast then take 2+1/4 tsps)
• Sugar 1 tbsp
• Luke warm water : 1/2 +1/2 cup
• Butter : 1+1/2 tbsps  (melted)

For the stuffing :

• Onion : 1 small finely chopped
• Red Bell pepper : 1/2 finely chopped
• Green Bell pepper : 1/2 finely chopped
• Garlic : 2-3 cloves finely chopped
• Paneer/cottage cheese : 1cup finelydiced
• Cheese (any) : 1 cup (You can adjust the quantity)
• Oregano : 1 tsp
• Chilli flakes : 1 tsp
• Salt : As per the taste (add a little less as cheese also contains salt)
• Oil : 1-2 tbsps

Method :

Activate the yeast :

• In a bowl take 1/2 cup of luke warm water. To this add yeast and sugar,  mix well, cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes or unless yeast becomes foamy or frothy.
• If you are using Instant yeast, then skip this step and add yeast and sugar directly to the flour and knead with warm water.

Make the dough :

• Once yeast activated, take All purpose flour, add salt, mix well, add yeast mixture and try to knead a dough.
• Also add the rest half of the luke warm water, little by little and knead a very sticky dough. Half way through add 1 tbsp melted butter and knead.
• As shown in the video, take the dough on to the working surface and knead atleast for 10-12 minutes. This will activate some gluten in the dough, which helps to make the buns light and soft. You might need some dry flour and butter to make it smooth. But don't add a lot of dry flour or it will become dense.
• Once done with the kneading, place it in a well greased bowl and apply some oil on the top as well. Cover it and keep it in some warm place so that it rises well. I kept it in my oven, switching on only light and not the oven. It takes 45 minutes to 1 hour or sometimes more than that, as per the whether.

Make the stuffing :

• In a pan, take some oil, to this add garlic and saute, then add onions and again saute unless they are golden, then add bell peppers and saute for 1-2 minutes. Now add the paneer, also add the chilli flakes, oregano and salt. Mix well and cook fora minute more. Keep aside to cool.
• Once cooled, add the cheese and mix.

Second proofing of the dough :

• Once doubled, take out the dough on the work surface, deflate it and roll it to a rectangular blog of same thickness, with the help of your palms.
• Cut the dough into six equal parts.
• Take each part and form a ball, as shown in the video.
• Keep these balls with some distance, apply some oil, cover and let them rise again. This will again take 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Stuffing the buns :

• Once balls are doubled in size, stuff them with the filling and close them. Try to pinch them nicely so that they don't open while baking.
• Keep all the stuffed balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper/butter paper or aluminum foil. 
• Cover them and rest them again for 15-20 minutes. 
• In the mean while preheat the oven at 220° Celsius.

Baking the buns :

• Once rested, apply some milk with brush, for nice shine and bake them for 20-25 minutes.
• Also keep an oven proof dish filled with a cup of boiling water in the lower rack to create steam. This helps in forming nice crust.
• Mine were exactly for 22 minutes.
• After taking them out, put them on a cooling rack and apply some butter.
  Let them cool a bit.

Enjoy!!!!

Note :

• Yeast is a main hero of the recipe so if it doesn't froth nicely, throw away the mixture, check the yeast expiry date and start with fresh.
• Never skip the dough kneading part, this makes the bun softer.
• You can always play with filling part, as per you taste preferences.
• Proof them twice, as told in the recipe.
• You can also apply some egg wash instead of milk. 

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Baking

Priyanka

Crusty Oats & whole wheat herbed Buns (Eggless)

Hello everyone, today I have got one of my trial recipe which came out perfect in one go and very much appreciated by my husband too. These days in CAL (Chef at Large) we all have a yeast mania, and our groupmates are playing with it and preparing various kinds of yummilicious breads. So just thought to do an experiment and viola!!!! it knocked quite well. 

 

These are the crusty buns which I made up with oats flour, combining it with whole wheat and plain flour (for gluten). They have a hard crust outside and soft inside. Also I added some herbs which took them to a next level. 

I served them with Tomato,carrot & coriander soup and couscous salad, believe me it was an out of world kind of lunch. They are so delicious that will be very often now made at our place. So lets look into the ingredients following the method.

Ingredients :

• Strong whole wheat flour : 1 + 1/2 cups (Strong means that it should have a high protein content approx 13-15 gms) If not available then use normal chapati flour.
• Plain flour/All purpose flour/Maida : 1 cup
• Oats flour : 1 cup (Grind quick/old fashioned oats)
• Dry active Yeast : 1 tbsp
• Sugar : 1 tsp
• Salt : 1 tsp
• Olive/veg oil : 3 tbsps
• Garlic powder : 1 + 1/2 tsps (If not available, then use 1 tsp of freshly grated garlic)
• Italian mixed herbs : 1 tbsp
• Lukewarm Milk : 1/2 cup + 3 tbsps for milk wash
• Lukewarm Water : 1/2 cup 
• Sesame seed : 1 tbsp (optional)
• Butter : 1 tbsp 

Method :

• Combine together yeast, Lukewarm water and sugar in a bowl, stir and keep aside for 10-15 minutes or until it starts to froth.
  
  

  
• In another mixing bowl, mix together oats flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, herbs, garlic powder and salt.
• Pour in the yeast mixture and try to combine, add little by little warm milk  and make a sticky dough. This is how the dough should look like as in the picture. 
  
• Apply a little oil over the palms and take out the entire dough over the working surface. Knead for 7-10 minutes. You can use oil rather than using dry flour if its sticking a lot. After sometime you will see that it has formed up with gluten which results into a soft dough (it will be sticky at this stage well, but that's absolutely fine)
• Place the dough in a large greased bowl and brush the top with oil, cover with a kitchen towel and leave aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. The best place I find is my oven keeping its light on (for about 1-1 1/2 hours).
• Once risen punch down the dough and divide this into 8 equal parts and shape them into smooth flat balls. The texture will not be very smooth.
• Place them onto a lightly greased baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Cover & leave in a warm place until doubled in volume.
• Once done brush them with milk wash and apply sesame seeds.
  
• Preheat oven to 190 ° C  and put a pan/tray filled with boiling water on the lower rack (For steam in the oven). Bake the buns for about 25-30 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
• Take out from the oven and apply butter, keep them onto the cooling rack and they are done.

Tips :

• Be patient while frothing the yeast and also proofing the dough.
• Adding herbs & garlic is optional or you can add the flavours of your choice.
• Don't apply a lot of dry flour while kneading the dough, this may lead to dense buns. 

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka
 

Thanks & Happy Baking
Priyanka

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons are closer to a cookie than its meringue cousin, and is equally sweet. They have a nice crust and chewy inside. I heard a lot about Coconut Macaroons and always thought that they are very fancy and can only be bought from a bakery. Never ever thought to prepare them at home. 

 
Once I was going through a recipe of Ina Garten and found it to be not so difficult and quick to make. The original recipe contains Condensed Milk + Coconut + Egg whites, but making some changes I totally omitted the Condensed milk part and made them with sugar. Few recipes also add almond meal to it. There are many methods to prepare them. Few beat the egg whites to the stiff peaks and then fold in the coconut and sugar and many more. But I got a very easy and simple way to prepare it for you guys. There are various varieties of coconut macaroons these days - like chocolate, nuts etc.
So lets quickly see the ingredients followed by the method.

Ingredients :

• Castor Sugar - 1 cup
• Dessicated Coconut - 2 + 1/2 cups
• Egg whites - 4 egg whites (large eggs, if medium then 5)

Method :

• In a  big bowl whisk sugar & egg whites just to mix well.
• Now add in the coconut and again mix.
• Transfer the mixture to a pan on medium to low flame and continuously stir it. (Make sure to stir continuously as if not then the egg might cook to a scrambled egg and we don't want that)
• After sometime you will observe that the moisture has dried out a bit. Just close the flame and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. (make sure that the mixture is not too runny, if yes then cook it for some more time)
• Now take a plastic sheet piping bag or make your own, fill it with the mixture, cut a little big hole. 
• Pipe on to a baking tray lined with butter paper.
  Bake it in a preheated oven at 160 ° C for 20-25 minutes or unless they get a nice golden brown color.
• Once done, take them out and let them sit in the baking tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Once cooled, store them into an air tight container and enjoy !!!!!

Note :

They are very easy to prepare, but few things have to be kept in mind -

While cooking the mixture, stirring continuously is very important

While baking, once they start changing color keep an eye, as they might get a very dark color soon.

Do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Baking

Priyanka :)

Oatmeal, raisins & choco chips cookies (Eggless & with eggs both version)

Oatmeal cookies are not new in our home as its liked by everyone hence an all time favourite snack for our family. Secondly its healthy too :). I have prepared them with & without eggs and frankly speaking didn't find much difference. They are crunchy outside and chewy inside. Have a nice buttery flavour with a sweetness of raisins & chocolate. I also add cinnamon powder to it as its my one of the favourite flavours, its totally optional but I must admit that it takes cookies to the next level :))))

Tomorrow I am planning to meet one of my foodie friend, so just thought to bake something for him. Made few goodies and will upload soon. The one thing which I thought to prepare first were these, as I am pretty sure it will be loved :). Presenting a food goodie to a foodie friend is quite tough na........But making my fingers crossed, I have packed them. 

They are very easy to prepare and have a longer shelflife. These can be stored in an airtight containers for a longer time. Having one cookie with a cup of milk is very healthy and believe me kids just love it. Once I prepared it for my niece and she became crazy for them, used to have them in her breakfast without any fuss, she is just 4 :))))). So lets quickly run through the ingredients following the method :)

I am also posting here a video for an eggless version, so all my vegetarian friends can see it. I didn't add chocolate chips in this version, if you like you can add 1/4 cup of chocolate chips too. 

Ingredients :

• Rolled oats - 1 + 1/2 cup (Old fashioned or quick any can be used)
• All purpose flour/Maida/ Plain flour - 3/4 cup
• Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup packed
• Castor sugar - 1/4 cup
• Butter - 1/2 cup (at room temperature)
• Egg - 1 nos 
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Raisins - 1/2 cup
• Choco chips - 1/4 cup

Method :

• Preheat your oven at 180 ° C/350 ° F
• In a big bowl beat butter till fluffy & light. 
• Now add both the sugars and continue beating till mixed well and the mixture becomes fluffy.
• Now add one egg and vanilla essence.
• In a separate bowl sift & whisk all the dry ingredients - All purpose flour + Baking Soda + Cinnamon powder + Salt.
• Fold in the dry ingredients to the wet (butter mixture)
• Incorporate oats + raisins + choco chips.
• Place the cookies with the help of ice cream scoop or spoons on the baking tray lined with parchment paper/aluminum foil.
• Bake them on the middle shelf for 17-20 minutes. If you like your cookies to be more chewer and not very much crispy then bake them till 15 minutes only. 
• Take them out, let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Later transfer them to a cooling rack and let them completely cool for atleast an hour. Once cooled store them in an air tight jar.

Note : 

• I have used brown sugar, but if its not available then you can use normal white granulated sugar too. If you can grind the sugar then that will also work great.
• Once baked, cookies tend to get bit harder when comes in contact with air. So don't panic if they are soft on touching after 15-17 minutes.
• Adding raisins & choco chips is totally up to your choice.

Enjoy with your family & friends :)

Do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :)

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Baking 

Priyanka :) 

Baked Papdi/Baked crackers

These days I am on a mission of healthy snacks which have a longer shelf life and can be enjoyed guilt free. In our Indian homes, the most famous snacks are mathri, but........they have huge amount of ghee in it :((((, I can't even imagine the number of calories they have!!!!!. But at the same time they are so so addictive that one can't resist to have just one :))).  This is human tendency I believe, the food which is unhealthy is loved most and we always don't prefer healthy ones :). One fine day we friends were discussing about the same on a group chat, found that most of the people have green tea but just as a sake to have it and never preferred it above their proper Indian ginger tea :))). But at the same time there are many more who love to have it, I am among them.

I have a habit of munching something after every 2-3 three hours, need some biscuits, flakes or anything. If I have anything which is high in calories and have high fat content, then I am gone. So therefore I planned to have healthy snacks with full of flavours. Sushant's colleagues demanded for some Indian samosas (proper aloo one). So I prepared in a very large batch and was left with some dough. My mother always used to fry mathris from the left over dough and I am sure you all too do the same thing :)))). But I gave a new twist to it and just baked them and voila the results were outstanding - crisp, crunchy and light. Goes amazingly good with a cup of tea. As it was from the samosa dough hence made from Maida/ All purpose flour, but next batch I will prepare from whole wheat flour and soon share the results. So here is the recipe, its quite simple and easy to prepare, hope you all will like it too.

Ingredients :

• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsps (I used Olive oil)
• Carom seeds/Ajwain - 1 tsp
• Salt as per the taste
• Warm water - 1/4 cup (to knead the dough)

Method :

• Mix all the ingredients (except water) in a big bowl. 
• Now add little by little water, we need to have a stiff dough (not very soft). You can always adjust the amount of water. Once done cover and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
• Now divide the dough into two parts and roll like thin chapati. With the help of a cookie cutter or a bottle's cap cut into desire shape. Place them on baking tray, lined with butter paper/aluminum foil.
• Bake them on the middle rack at 180 ° C for about 18-20 minutes, do flip them in between. Mine were done in exactly 20 minutes but every oven varies in terms of power hence would advise to keep an eye.
• Also if u want dark brown color, then put them on broil (on the top rack with temperature 220 ° C) for just 30 sec. But make sure that you don't move from there as they might burn.
• Take them out from the oven, let them rest in baking tray for 5 minutes and then transfer on to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled store them in an air tight jars. These will remain good for a month.
• Now prepare a nice cup of tea and have them with a cute smile :)

Note : You can add flavours of your own choice like - chili flakes, kasuri methi/Dried fenugreek leaves, Italian herbs too if you like :)

Do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :)

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Enjoy making them :)

Thanks & Happy Baking
Priyanka :)

Quick Roasted Murmure/ Laiya/Lava - Low cal (Roasted Puffed Rice)

It was raining here in London since morning and I was craving for some adrak wali chai (Ginger Tea), I love it and can have 4-5 cups in a day, though I have started controlling my tea and switched to green tea more :))). 

We always have some snacks with evening tea, I am sure you all too. Usually in my Native Town, we all sit together and have evening tea with lots of fried snacks and no one is worried about the weight gain at all. I still remember during my schooling whenever I had my exams, mummy used to make a big dabba of murmure namkeen. She used to roast it in batches with lots of oil. I loved it and had it in huge quantities, later realized the unhealthy part. After marriage I started roasting them in a nonstick pan with no oil, but the results were not that good. Then one day I made this namkeen in microwave and voila the results were just mind blowing. My mother didn't realize that they were made in 1 tsp of oil (that too for only tadka/tampering). Its supereasy and quick to make too. I also prepare flattened rice/chivra namkeen almost in the same manner and pretty sure that you all will love it :))).

Here is the link for roasted chivra namkeen - Click here

Ingredients :

• Laiyya/Murmure/Puffed rice - 2 cups
• Peanuts - 3/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Black salt - 1 tsp
• Green chilies - 3 medium sized (finally chopped)
• Curry leaves - 15 (appx)
• Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt - if needed (I didn't add)
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Take a microwavable big bowl, dry roast murmure in microwave for 2-3 minutes on high (do stir twice in between) and keep aside. Following the same procedure roast peanuts also for a couple of minutes or unless nicely done.
• In the same bowl, heat oil for 2 minutes in microwave. Now add curry leaves, green chilies turmeric powder, mix well and again microwave it for a min.
• Finally add black salt and sugar, mix (If you are adding plain salt, add at this point of time)
• Now add roasted peanuts and murmure, mix very well.
• Cool the mixture completely and store it in an airtight container for a month and enjoy with tea, coffee or cold drink. But I am sure it won't last for such long :)))

Note : 

• You can add some dry fruits like coconut, raisins, almonds etc.
• Adjust the quantity of peanuts, green chilies & salt as per the taste. You can also add red chili powder while tampering, and omit green chilies.

Do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :)

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Healthy Cooking
Priyanka :)))

Oats & Whole wheat crackers with a kick of chili & lime

Today I have got something healthy for you guys and can bet you all that " no on can eat just one". Here in London there are various options for sweet snacks but very rare for savoury ones. Though I have a sweet tooth but sometimes really crave for something Chatpata :). Same thing happens with Sushant too, he needs to have something savoury with tea. So just thought to prepare a batch of these crackers. 

It was in my mind since a long time but never prepared, always was searching aisles in the supermarkets and returned with very mild biscuits or the one which we liked, had too many calories. 

While I was baking these, just gave a thought to add in some oats too as they are among one of my favorite ingredients. And yes the decision was right :)), Oats gave nice texture and made it healthy too. Secondly I used olive oil in place of butter and the results are not bad at all :). Adding chilies & lime was totally up to the preference. So lets quickly run through the ingredients following the method :)

Ingredients :

• Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
• Quick Oats - 1/4 cup
• Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chili flakes - 1/2 tsp (or as per the taste)
• Mixed dried herbs - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Zest - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Salt - as per the taste (I used a little more than 1/4 tsp)
• Olive oil/Veg Oil - 3 tbsps
• Water - less than 1/2 cup

Method :

• Preheat the oven at 180 ° C.
• Mix all the dry ingredients well including the lemon zest.
• Add oil and mix nicely. The mixture should be a little crumbly and when you hold it in your palm it should come together. 
• Now add little by little water and try to gather it. Pleas don't knead it. Kneading will form gluten and the crackers will not become crispy then.
• Try to make a ball and transfer it to a flat surface. If required dust the surface with some dry flour and roll it to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut them into desired shape and repeat the same process with rest of the dough. Transfer them on to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
• Prick them with a fork, to avoid puffing.
• Now apply some milk with a brush on the top.
• Bake them for about 20-25 minutes. Mine were exactly in the oven for 25 minutes and I also flipped them after 15 minutes for even cooking. (Every oven varies when it comes to temperature)
• Finally, I kept them on to the top rack and increased the temperature to 220 ° C for 30 sec, to get a nice color.
• Cool them completely by keeping them on a cooling rack and store in an air tight container.

Enjoy with hot Ginger Tea or cold drinks :)))

Note : The addition of flavors is totally as per the taste buds, you can also add cumin seeds or carom seeds. If you are baking it for your kids, then decrease the amount of chilies.
Adding lime zest is totally optional, but it gives a unique flavor.

You can roll them thin also if you want :)

Thanks & Happy Baking 
Priyanka :)