Pav Bread Recipe | Learn how to make pillow soft Indian Ladi Pav (Bread) | Soft Fluffy Indian Dinner Rolls
Pav or Indian Dinner Rolls is a very popular, egg-free soft and fluffy bread and enjoyed with the street foods in India like Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav, Misal Pav etc.
The Indian Pav Bread/ Ladi Pav
Pav became famous from Mumbai where it is known as LADI PAV and it is believed that Portuguese introduced it in Mumbai. Pav means a quarter and ladi means ' slab', it is the way in which the bread is arranged while baking.
Two of the most loved Indian street food Pav Bhaji and Vada Pav can't exist without the Pav!! A true Mumbaikar(people who are from Mumbai, India)or someone who has tested Mumbai's Pav can only tell the real charm of these two dishes that come with it.
We love Mumbai 's Pav and you can't get the same Pav in India in other cities. Years back when the baking bug bit me I tried few recipes for pav from net. But my pav sometimes came dry and sometimes hard, since there was ample Pav bread available in Mumbai so I gave up with my trials. Then when I was doing my baking course there I learned to make Pav bread the same as we get from Mumbai's bakeries.
Baking is art and science combined together, requires a lot of patience. And if you are into bread baking you know what I mean. In my baking course I learned few tips and tricks and a visit to a nearby bakery and after few trials I can now make soft, fluffy and airy Pav bread, any time as per my convenience. But we still miss Mumbai's bakery Pav!!
Other Indian Breads from the blog
Bread Kulcha with Dilliwale Matra
Pro Tips to get soft and Fluffy Pav
To get perfectly baked Pavs pls keep in mind the below pointers..
- Measure your ingredients accurately.
- Don't use the old yeast. Prefer buying these small packs of yeast instead of buying the bottles if you are not very regular at baking. If using dry yeast, activate it properly.
- Knead the dough well till it is smooth and soft.
- Keep in warm place for proofing and check for proofing by doing the dimple test. To check whether the dough is proofed, press the dough lightly with a finger, it will form a dimple/indent. If it rises back the dough needs little more proofing time, if it doesn't bounce back or rises very slowly, the dough is proofed.
- The baking temperature should be as per the recipe and don't open the oven door again and again to check. For Pav, baking time is 8 minutes so you can check your bread after 8 minutes.
- To get the exact temperature for pav baking ,invest in a good oven thermometer as oven temperatures may differ.
Using Yeast for Bread Baking
In the recipe I have used Instant yeast that doesn't require activating it. You can use Dry Active yeast also in the recipe.
To activate the yeast, add yeast to 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Adjust the amount of water accordingly. The water should not be cold or very hot. It should be just warm enough to touch. If you have food thermometer, then the temperature of water should be 110 degrees F or 49 degree C.
Add yeast, sugar in water, give it a light mix and then keep the container covered for about 10-15 mins. There will be bubbles and the liquid will double up.
If there are no bubbles/activity then discard the solution and make it again.
Reasons that yeast is not blooming can be the water temperature or the yeast is old.
While using fresh yeast in the recipe, use on a tsp and add it directly to the flour while kneading the dough.
Making Pav Bread or Ladi Pav
Making Pav just like any bread needs the right measurement of ingredients and a lot of kneading, right proofing time and baking temperature and time.
The Pav dough is very sticky and needs a lot of muscle power if you don't have a stand mixer. So many people avoid making it at home if they have to do it manually. But, trust me it is worth all the effort.
Pav bread commercially is made from All-purpose flour(Maida) but when making it at home you can use 1:1 ratio of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I do make it with only Whole Wheat Flour also, I will update the recipe soon.
Steps to make Pav bread
Let's start making Pav.. This is going to be long post. Please read the steps carefully.
Take 3 and 1/4 cups of All Purpose Flour in a mixing bowl. You can take 50:50 all-purpose and whole wheat flour or only whole wheat flour. Check recipe card for water content.
I have used Instant Yeast for proofing. Instant yeast can be directly added to the flour. No need to activate it. You can use active dry yeast also, but dry yeast has to be activated before adding and to work in the dough.
Take 260 ml of water, to it add sugar, salt and yeast. You can use milk also for kneading the dough. Many times I also use the whey that is left after making Paneer from milk. The whey is very nutritious and can be used in soups, making curries and lentils or kneading the dough. Breads come out very nice soft and pillowy whenever I use it.
Make a well in the center of flour and add the liquid. Start kneading the dough. It will be sticky.
Add soft butter and knead again to a soft and smooth dough. You can use a scraper to scrape off the dough that sticks to hands. You can add some flour while kneading but don't add too much as flour ratio will increase and you will get dry pav. Keep on kneading the dough it will eventually become smooth and soft. You can apply some oil to your palms, which makes the dough more workable.
Keep the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a cling film. Keep the dough to rise. It will double up and will take around an hour depending on the weather.
Once the dough has doubled, punch and deflate it, knead lightly and form a log. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, arrange in baking pan(square one preferred). Keep some space between the dough balls as these will rise.
There is another way of lining the dough in baking pan. Divide the dough into 4 portions of 100gms each. Roll each portion and make an indention in the center, dividing the dough into four portions, each mini portion is known as Pav. Use whichever way is convenient for you.
Keep the divided dough balls for the second rise. This takes another 45 mins-1 hr.
The pav balls will rise and increase in size. Start the oven and preheat it at 420°F or 200°C. Spray some water on the top before putting in the oven. This will prevent the drying of the top. Bake the pav bread for 8-10 minutes. The top will become light brown in color. When done, the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it. Brush butter on the pavs. When you take out the pavs the top may seem a bit hard, but don't worry it will become soft once the pav cools down. Transfer to cooling rack and let it cool down before using.
Can we proof the Pav dough in Instant Pot(IP)
Of Course, Pav dough can be proofed in Instant Pot too. After kneading the dough, transfer it to well oiled inner pot of IP.
Cover the lid and set the Yogurt Mode on for 40 minutes. I covered it with Instant Pot lid, you can use any glass or steel lid also. Take care it should cover it properly as the upper crust can become dry and dough will not prove well.
After 40 minutes, the timer will go off. Check the beautifully risen dough and carefully transfer it to another bowl or on dusted counter.
After that follow the process of dividing the dough into equal portions and arrange in the baking tray and keep for second proofing,
Some more bread Recipes from the blog
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough(Instant Pot Proofed)
Storage and Shelf Life
Pav bread stays fresh and good for 4-5 days . You can also freeze it like any other bread. Stays good for a month.
Recipe Card for Pav Bread
Pav Bread/Indian Dinner Rolls/Ladi Pav
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoon
Ingredients
- 3¼ Cups Flour (All Purpose)
- 1½ Cups Lukewarm Water/Milk
- 7 g Instant Yeast or 2¼ tsp
- 3 tbsp Softened Butter
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Sieve together flour and salt, in a mixing bowl.3¼ Cups Flour, 2 tsp Salt
- Make a well in the center add yeast and sugar . Now add water in batches. Do not add all at once.7 g Instant Yeast, 1 tsp Sugar, 1½ Cups Lukewarm Water/Milk
- Take out the dough on the clean dusted counter or kneading platform,
- Add soft butter and keep kneading till you get a smooth and soft dough.3 tbsp Softened Butter
- Once you get soft and smooth dough, keep it in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a cling film/damp cloth. Keep the dough to rise, for first proofing.
- First proofing will take about 45 mins to 1 hr, depending on the temperature of the place.
- Once the dough has doubled, punch and deflate it, knead lightly and form a log.
- Divide the dough into 12-15 equal pieces, arrange in baking pan(square one preferred). Keep some space between the dough balls as these will rise.
- It will take another hour for the second proofing. Depending on the weather, check the rolls after 30 mins, if the rolls are proofed pre-heat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.
- Once the rolls are proofed baked at 400°F or 200°C for 12-15 mins.
- Pav bread will bake to beautiful light brown color. Take out of the oven and cool on wire rack.
- Do not leave in the baking pan as pavs will get wet due to condensation.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients accurately.
- Don't use the old yeast. Prefer buying these small packs of yeast instead of buying the bottles if you are not very regular at baking. If using dry yeast, activate it properly.
- Knead the dough well till it is smooth and soft.
- Keep in warm place for proofing and check for proofing by doing the dimple test. To check whether the dough is proofed, press the dough lightly with a finger, it will form a dimple/indent. If it rises back the dough needs little more proofing time, if it doesn't bounce back, the dough is proofed.
- The baking temperature should be as per the recipe and don't open the oven door again and again to check. For Pav, baking time is 8 minutes so you can check your bread after 8 minutes.
- To get the exact temperature for pav baking ,invest in a good oven thermometer as oven temperatures may differ.
Pav bread pairs up beautifully with different dishes!! Pav-Bhaji, Vada Pav, Misal Pav, Bhajjiya Pav, Pav Bhurji, Bun Maska and many more yummy dishes...
Do make this wonderful bread called Pav, and enjoy with any side dish of your choice!!
Hope you will try the recipe and you and your loved ones will surely love it as much as my family loves it.
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