Eggless Cottage Cheese Mint Buns

Its been a while, while I have been looking at the buns bloggers make and I curse my laziness for not trying them out. They look so tempting and I wanted to just grab one and taste it with my cuppa.. And the stuffed ones, they were raising my temptations even more. I have been a "Bun" fan since my childhood, couldnt resist that Sunday treat of Tea with Britannia fruit Bun, just yummy !!!

Anyhow, with this Magic-Mingle, I thought of trying these stuffed buns with the combo of Paneer- Mint.. Quite unusual, huh !! I was so skeptical to try this, cant tell you how I made up my mind to get on with this.. From the time I kept my dough to rise till the moment I took out them out from the oven, every second was filled with curiosity and doubt. Working with yeast had never been my specialty you know.. But the second these were out, I literally fell in love with them. They were perfect flaky from outside, and amazingly soft and fluffy from inside. My first attempt with the stuffed variety went good after all :)

I adopted this stuffed Buns recipe from here, and followed it to the T. With just little changes off course to the stuffing and poppy seeds on top. And yes, adding mint at last proved to be a flavorful addition to my taste buds. I dont like having mint that much although am aware of the health benefits, but in this Bun it was a taste booster for sure. A nice combo I would like to try in Cutlets as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 cup All purpose Flour
• 3 tsp Rapid Action yeast
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Milk  + 1 tbsp to brush on top
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Melted butter
• 1 tbsp Poppy seeds ( to spread on top, optional )

For the stuffing:

• 1 cup grated Paneer ( I made fresh at home )
• 1/2 cup chopped Mint leaves
• 1 potato, boiled and mashed
• 1 medium Onion, chopped small
• 1 tsp Oil
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 garlic pods (optional)
• 1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)

 Method:

• We will go step by step here.. So first mix Flour, Yeast, Salt, Sugar and Butter and mix with your finger tips till it resembles Bread Crumbs.
• Mix together water and milk and gradually add it to the flour mix, stirring with a spatula to bring everything together. Give a gentle knead with hands or just 3-4 pulses in a food processor. Do not overknead it at this stage.
• Keep it covered with a damp kitchen towel in a warm place for 1-2 hours till it doubles in size. I kept it for almost 90 minutes and it worked for me.

Meanhile, we will get the stuffing ready.

• For the stuffing, heat oil in a pan, fry onion and garlic into it till turns brown. Add spices and grated paneer. cook covered for 2 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and mix chopped mint into it. Mix everything well and keep aside. 

• When the dugh is proved enough, punch it with your palm to take the air out. Divide the dough in 8 equal size balls.
• Flatten them with your plam and fill the vegetable stuffing in between. Roll it back again into a ball and place in a greased Baking dish. Repeat the same with all the balls.
• Let the buns rest again for 15-20 minutes. they will prove again a bit.
• Before sending them into Oven, brush n top with Milk and spread the poppy seeds over it.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes untill they turn Golden brown on top. Mine took around 20 minutes to get that perfect brown face :)

Notes:

• Water or Milk should not be very hot or cold, else the Yeast will not rise. It should be at room temperaure or better a little warm.
• Make sure the grated Paneer is not full of moisture else thebuns will get soggy
• Make sure to leave space between the buns while baking to let  them have their own rising space evenly.
• Do grease the baking dish well, else they will stick to the bottom.
• You can also use Egg in this recipe, keeping all the contents same. That will result in much softer Buns, although these ones are more than good for me.

 Off to Kalyani's Magic mingle this month , Reposted for Kalyani's Bake Fest hosted by Pumpkin Farm this month, Radhika's Baking Breads, Lets Party - Go Bake from My Cook Book,  Love Lock with Breads