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