Small sweet & soft buns ( Bun pav)

These small, sweet buns are perfect at tea time, and they make a great snack for children too!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (maida): 3/4 cup
• Whole wheat flour: 1/4 cup
• Dry yeast: 1 tsp (I used Blue Bird)
• Sugar: 1 tsp (to activate the yeast)
• Powdered sugar: 2 tsp
• Salt: 1/4 tsp
• Desi ghee or butter: 3 tsp
• Warm milk: 1/2 cup
• Warm water: 1/2 cup
• Tutti frutti: 2 tsp

Method

1. Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl.
2. Add the warm milk.
3. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. You will see bubbles, and the mixture will become fluffy.
5. Add the powdered sugar, salt and melted butter or ghee. Sift in the maida and whole wheat flour, and mix to make a nice dough, adding the warm water as needed.
6. Transfer the dough to a clean, greased surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. Use a little maida or ghee while kneading if needed.
7. Place the soft dough in a large bowl and cover it. Let it rest for 1 hour.
8. After 1 hour, the dough will have doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and knead it again for about 10 minutes. Add the tutti frutti to the dough.
10. Shape the dough into round buns and arrange them on a greased tray about 1 inch apart.
11. Leave the tray to rise again for about 1 hour.
12. Bake the buns in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes, or until brown.

This recipe makes about 9 small buns. Enjoy these hot, homemade, soft buns with hot tea, or just on their own!

Crispy jeera thins

Crispy, savoury jeera (cumin) thins: a perfect tea-time snack.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (maida): 1 cup
• Butter: 4 tsp
• Salt: 1/4 tsp
• Plain yogurt (dahi): 3 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp (I used shahi jeera, but regular cumin seeds are fine)

Method

1. Put the maida, salt, butter, yogurt and cumin seeds in a bowl. Crush the cumin seeds between your palms for a moment to release their aroma.
2. Knead the dough just until all the ingredients are mixed.
3. Do not over-knead the dough.
4. Set aside for 5 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough like a roti.
6. Cut into any shape you like with a cookie cutter.
7. Bake the jeera thins in a preheated oven at 160°C for 5 to 7 minutes, or until light brown. Adjust the temperature to suit your oven.

This recipe makes about 30 medium-sized biscuits. Enjoy them with hot ginger tea or coffee. They are also a great homemade snack for children.

Suji and coconut burfi without ghee in microwave oven

A suji and coconut burfi made in the microwave, without any ghee in the mixture. Thanks to the cream and milk powder, it tastes like mawa burfi!

Ingredients

• Fine suji (rawa): 1 cup
• Freshly grated coconut: 1 1/2 cups
• Milk powder: 1 cup
• Fresh cream: 1 cup (I used homemade cream, the layer that forms on top of boiled cow's milk)
• Powdered sugar: 1/3 cup
• Elaichi (cardamom) powder: 1/2 tsp
• Saffron: 5–6 threads
• Chopped roasted almonds: 2 tsp
• Chopped pistachios: 2 tsp
• Desi ghee: for greasing the tray

Method

1. Dry roast the suji in a microwave-safe bowl for 3–4 minutes, taking the bowl out to stir after every minute. Do not over-roast it; it should not turn brown. Set aside. You can also dry roast it in a kadhai or heavy-bottomed pan, but the microwave is easier.
2. In another microwave-safe bowl, put the fresh cream and milk powder.
3. Mix well with a hand whisk. There should be no lumps.
4. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well, then microwave for 1 more minute.
5. Add the sugar, fresh coconut, elaichi powder and saffron.
6. Mix well and microwave again for 1 minute.
7. Add the roasted suji and mix.
8. Microwave again until the mixture becomes thick, taking the bowl out to stir every 1 or 2 minutes. This takes about 4–5 minutes. The whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
9. When the mixture is thick, transfer it to a greased tray. Spread it evenly and garnish with the chopped almonds and pistachios. Let it cool.
10. Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour, then cut into pieces of any shape you like.

Enjoy this divine, healthy burfi!

You can also make this burfi without a microwave. Dry roast the suji in 3 tbsp of desi ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and follow the rest of the steps on the stove. It will take a little longer.

Eggless bread crumbs, dates & walnut cake

A moist eggless cake made with bread crumbs, dates and walnuts.

Ingredients

• Bread crumbs: 1 1/2 cups (I used wheat bread crumbs)
• All-purpose flour (maida): 1/2 cup
• Black dates (khajur): 3/4 cup
• Roasted walnuts: 1/2 cup
• Tutti frutti: 2 tsp
• Brown sugar: 2 tbsp (regular sugar can be used)
• Warm milk: 3/4 cup
• Desi ghee or butter: 1/4 cup (odourless vegetable oil can be used)
• Baking powder: 3/4 tsp
• Vanilla essence: 1 tsp

To make the bread crumbs, keep a wheat bread loaf in the refrigerator until it dries out, then grind it in a mixer.

Method

1. Remove the seeds from the dates and soak them in warm milk for 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, grind the dates with the milk.
3. Add the vanilla essence, brown sugar and baking powder, and grind once more to mix well.
4. In a large bowl, put the bread crumbs and maida. Add the melted butter, tutti frutti and walnut pieces.
5. Add the date and milk mixture to the bread crumbs and maida, and mix gently.
6. Bake in a greased tin at 180°C for 35 minutes.

If you have a sweet tooth, you can add more sugar. Decorate with some tutti frutti and enjoy this moist, delicious cake.

Ladi Pav

Super soft and tasty pavs! Enjoy them with pav bhaji or vada pav, or as the famous maska pav.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (maida): 3 cups
• Whole wheat flour: 2 cups
• Milk powder: 2 tbsp
• Active dry yeast: 1 tsp
• Sugar: 2 tsp
• Salt: 3/4 tsp
• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Vegetable oil: 4 tsp (for kneading and greasing)
• Warm water: 2 cups

Method

1. Put the maida, whole wheat flour, milk powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well with a spatula.
2. Add the yeast, butter and 1 cup of warm water.
3. Mix all the ingredients well.
4. Add the remaining water slowly. I needed 2 cups of water in total.
5. Mix to make a nice dough.
6. Transfer the dough to a clean, greased surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic, using oil as needed. 4 tsp is enough for kneading and greasing.
7. Place the soft dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Let it rest for 1 hour.
8. After 1 hour, the dough will have doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and knead it again for about 10 minutes.
10. Shape the pavs and arrange them on a greased tray about 1 inch apart.
11. Leave the tray to rise again for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
12. Bake the pavs in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes, or until brown.

This recipe makes about 24 medium-sized pavs. Enjoy hot, homemade, soft pav with bhaji, batata vada or maska! I made stuffed vada pav with these soft pavs.