Soft and fluffy eggless Ladi pav buns / Dinner rolls made easy with step-by-step photos and many tips!!

Yay!!! this is my first post with yeast. Though I have been working with it for quite a few years, I can't believe it has taken me so much time to post a recipe.
There were times when I was so scared of yeast. Any recipe with yeast in it, I will skip it right away. Now I just love working with them. If you are like me, throw out your fears and give it a try. Baking bread / bun is such a wonderful job. Kneading, shaping, seeing it rise and finally taking the perfect golden bread/ bun from the oven....its all so much fun. You will just burst with happiness!!

The first thing you need to make a perfect bread / bun is THE YEAST. Though I have got good results with many active dry yeast, that we get in super markets, they were not consistent. So, I switched to instant yeast and they have not failed me once so far. You can get them in specialty bakery stores or in online too. Also, storing the yeast in freezer keeps them good for a long time.

When working with yeast, there are a few things that you must know, I am sure you would have read in many recipes. Anyway let me just give you a rundown,

Make sure your yeast is not expired.
Warm the milk, slightly warmer than our body temperature. When you place the back of your little finger in the milk, it should be pleasantly warm.
If your milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
After 10 minutes of proofing time, if your yeast mixture is not frothy, discard that and start a fresh batch.
Remember that yeast loves warm place, so whenever you let them rise, keep in a warm place, so that they can thrive well and make your bread so much fluffy.

Ok, now lets come back to our pav buns. These pav buns are so soft, fluffy, perfectly golden and the best buns you can make or get anywhere. And I am not saying one of the best, no these are the BEST Pav buns. I have made these several times, modified and then tried again until I settled on this final version.
This is a very easy recipe with just basic ingredients. But the result is outstanding.

You can make Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav with these buns or just enjoy them as such. I have already posted my Pav Bhaji recipe. Vada Pav recipe coming soon...
Here is a list of my other chaat / snack recipes
Bhel Puri
Chaat Chutneys
Chilli Cheese Sandwich
Vegetable Sandwich
Vegetable Cutlet

Eggless Pav Buns / Dinner Rolls

Soft and Fluffy Ladi Pav Buns!
Prep time: 2 h and 15 min | Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h and 30 min |Yield: 16 buns

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour / Maida: 2 and 1/2 cups
Salt: 1 and 1/4 tsp
Milk: 1 cup and 1 tbsp + for brushing on top
Sugar: 1 and 1/4 tbsp
Instant Yeast: 1 and 3/4 tsp
Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp + for brushing on top

My 1 cup measures 240 ml.
METHOD:
1) Add sugar to warm milk. Stir well and add the yeast.

2) Stir the yeast and let it aside in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk flour and salt in a bowl.

3) After 10 minutes the yeast mixture will be frothy like the picture below ( If your yeast mixture is not frothy, then either the yeast is expired or the milk temperature is too hot. In which case, you need to start a fresh batch again )
Pour the yeast mixture to the flour mix and bring it together as a dough. The dough will be slightly sticky. If your dough is not sticky, then you can add a tbsp of milk.

4) Add in softened butter and mix until the butter is well incorporated with the dough. Turn the dough to a working surface and start kneading.

5) Knead the dough for 8 to 9 minutes until the dough is nice and elastic ( when poked with a finger lightly, it should spring back ) Shape the dough to a ball and place it in a well oiled bowl ( of course, you can use the same bowl which you used for mixing ) Coat the dough with oil ( so that the dough doesn't dry out while proofing )
Cover with a cling film and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

6) After 1 1/2 hours, the dough will be doubled in size ( see picture below ). Punch down the dough and knead one or two times. Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.
I used a kitchen scale to get same sized buns.

7) Shape them into small balls and place in a greased 8" square pan. Cover it with the cling film and let it rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On the last 10 minutes of proofing time, preheat oven to 190 C for 10 minutes.
After 1 hour, the buns will be well risen as shown in the picture. Gently brush the top with milk.

8) Bake in a preheated oven, at 190 C in the center rack of the oven for 15 to 17 minutes. The top will be golden and when you tap the buns, there will be a hollow sound, indicating that the buns are done!!
Take the buns out of the oven and immediately brush the top with melted butter. Run a knife around the sides and carefully transfer the buns to a wire rack to let it cool completely to room temperature.

TaDa... Amazing Pav buns are ready!!!

Look how incredibly soft they are...

Recipe Source:Slightly adapted from CookingShooking
NOTES:
1) The rising time may differ depending on the temperature of your place. So, generally let it rise / proof until doubled in size.
2) Brushing the top with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven, yields a soft crust.
3) Store the buns in an airtight container.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S