ALOO BUNS(POTATO BUNS)

Miss those yummy Iyengar Bakery Aloo Bun/Palya Bun from Namma Bengaluru here!So this was my first try at baking them here..wasn't bad for first time trial:)

INGREDIENTS:

• Potatoes - 3 large
• Onion - 2 large
• Oil - 3 Tbsp 
• Green chillies - 6 to 8 (finely cut)
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - a few 
• Coriander leaves - 1 cup finely chopped

For the Bun dough:

• All purpose flour /Maida - 3 cups
• Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
• Dry yeast - 2 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1 cup luke warm
• Milk - 1/4 cup (luke warm)
• Butter - 1/4 cup melted
• Sugar - 2 tsp

For Brushing the bun before baking:

• 1 Tbsp of milk + 1 Tbsp oil

HOW TO MAKE:

For the filling to be used inside the buns:

• Boil potatoes. Peel them and mash them coarsely.
• In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering, add green chillies and curry leaves.
• When they are done, add onions and saute them until translucent.
• Add salt and mix well.
• Now add in the mashed potatoes. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and  turn off the heat. 
• Let it cool down to room temperature.

Dough Preparation:

• Take a large bowl, add warm water, sugar, salt and yeast.
• Let it froth for about 5 minutes. 
• Slowly add melted butter, dry milk powder if using and flour little by little to make a smooth dough.
• Knead it well for 10 minutes. 
• Coat with a little bit oil(I used olive oil) all over the dough and cover and let it rise for about 45 minutes to an hour or till it doubles in volume. 
• After the rise is done, punch down the dough really well.
• Divide into 12- 14 balls.
• Let it rest covered for 10 minutes. 

Preparing the Bun for baking:

• From the filling prepared , make 12-14  lemon sized balls of the palya/stuffing and set aside.
• Now take the dough (1 piece) on your left hand and pat it to get a circle of about 4 - 5 " diameter.
• It should be large enough so that you can place the palya ball and cover it all around. 
• Keep the palya/stuffing ball in the center and pull all the sides up together to join in the center. (lie how you do for aloo paratha stuffing)
• Pinch the edges and roll it slightly in your palm to make it smooth.
• Place seam-side down on a baking sheet which is lined with parchment paper or lightly greased. 
• Repeat with rest of the dough.
• Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or greased aluminum foil and let it rise in a warm place for about 30 - 45 minutes.
• Towards the end of rise period, preheat the oven to 200  deg C. 
• Brush the top of the buns with oil and milk mixture (Note : If you are an egg eater, you can give it an egg wash to get better color).
• Bake the buns in the oven for 20 - 22 minutes.
• Keep an eye on the bun so that they don't get over burnt.
• When done, remove from the oven and brush with butter if desired.
•  Serve Hot or warm:).