Today’s special is for vegetarians. This eggless bread dough is filled with Indian cottage cheese and veggies. These Paneer Stuffed Buns are soft, buttery, spicy and you cannot stop with one.

This paneer stuffed bun request came from my dad. My dad who is a vegetarian said that I have very few vegetarian recipes and I should have more of them on my blog.
Me and my dad we love cheese. My mum makes a simple paneer dish that is pan-fried and tossed with a little salt, pepper and chili powder. It is so delicious I can just eat the whole thing.

So here I am posting a paneer stuffed bun recipe which I made for my dad during summer. These buns are great for breakfast on the go, snacks, picnics, and kids’ lunch boxes.

Ingredients

Paneer filling

Paneer – Paneer is fresh cheese mostly used in Indian cooking, which is made by bringing milk to a boil and adding lemon juice or vinegar to curdle it and turn it into cheese. You can easily purchase paneer from most of the supermarkets or in an Indian supermarket.

Oil – I have used sunflower oil for this recipe but you can use olive oil or ghee.

Onion & Ginger Garlic Paste –

Red onions work well in this recipe. Ginger garlic can be made into a paste by grinding 1inch fresh ginger with 4-5 cloves of garlic together or grate it.

Veggies – Green bell peppers are used often in Indian cooking but, we can use red, yellow, orange or banana peppers for this recipe. I used banana pepper instead of green bell pepper for the filling.

Choosing banana peppers can be tricky, as there is a very spicy variety. My suggestion for a non-spicy option is to use bell pepper instead.

This recipe requires 1 small tomato and 2 small boiled potatoes. Adding the mashed potato gives more flavor to the filling, and binds the filling together.

The recipe needs 1/4 cup of frozen peas, you can add more peas if you like or leave it out.

Spices – I have used some basic spices here, black pepper, red chili powder, and fresh green chilies.

Add red chili powder according to your spice level or completely leave it out. Using fresh green chili is an option if you like it spicier. Alternatively, jalapeno can be used for this recipe.

How to make paneer stuffed buns

How to make the Paneer Filling

Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 tsp of oil. Add the cubed paneer and fry the paneer until slightly golden. Take off the pan, put in a bowl and leave aside.

Add the remaining oil and heat for a few seconds. Add the onion and fry for a minute. Next add the ginger-garlic paste, green bell pepper, and tomatoes. Fry for 2minutes and add the boiled and mashed potatoes, salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Mix well and fry for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add in the green peas and green chili and cook for a minute and take off the fire. Let it cool before you fill the buns.

*This filling can be made a day in advance.

The bun dough ( bread roll dough)

I made these buns with the same eggless bread dough recipe, which I used for Egg and Seeni sambol Bu ns. This dough is used for many of my filled bread rolls (bun) recipes. I kneaded the dough by hand, but you can use a stand mixer. While the dough is prooving, you can make the filling.

Ingredients

Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this recipe

Yeast – I use instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast which might take a little longer in the rising. Always check the expiry date of the yeast. I regularly prove the yeast with sugar and a little warm water, before adding it to the flour to see whether the yeast is activating. If the yeast is old the mixture won’t be frothy. This means you will have to start all over again with new yeast.

Water – It is important to use warm water (the temperature at 110°C ) Depending on the flour and the weather conditions you might need more or less water. Add the water gradually to get a very soft dough but not wet dough. If the dough is dry add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time similarly if the dough is too wet add flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get the correct consistency. Avoid adding too much flour.

Milk – Use whole milk and don’t use fat-free or low-fat milk. Use 2 tablespoons of dry milk instead of whole milk.

Butter – Full fat unsalted butter or full-fat salted butter. If using salted butter reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/2 teaspoon.

Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar.

Milk wash – Brush the buns with milk or cream to get a lovely color on top of the buns. If you are not a vegetarian, you could use an egg wash.

How to make the bun dough ( bread roll dough)

Combine flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and butter in a large bowl.
Make a well in the center.
Add warm water and milk to the flour mixture and knead it to form a very soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough springs back.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl and cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave it somewhere warm for 1 hour or till the dough is doubled in size.
Punch the dough down, leave it to rest for 10 minutes and shape the dough.

How to fill the buns( bread roll dough)

Divide the dough into 10 for large buns.
Now, roll each ball of dough into a 5-inch circle (center should be slightly thicker than the edges.)
Put 1 Tablespoon of paneer filling right in the middle. Bring the dough around it together and make a ball by pinching the edges together. Make sure you pinch the edges to seal well.
Next, put the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment, cover and let it rise until double in size, about 40 minutes. (depends on how warm the room is)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200° C.
After 40 minutes, brush milk or cream on top of the buns gently.
Bake the buns till golden brown for 20- 25 minutes.
Serve warm.

Can I freeze these buns

These Paneer buns can be left in the fridge for 2 days and frozen up to 3 months. Cool the buns completely and place them in a freezer bag and freeze it. Thaw and reheat the buns in the oven 200°C for 8-10 minutes.

Make it Kid-friendly

To make it kid-friendly, completely leave the chili powder and green chilies. This Paneer bun is excellent for lunch boxes, and can be made smaller than the regular size for kids’.