Khara buns (spicy buns)
Honestly, I have never tasted these in the Iyengar bakeries that were around when I grew up in Chennai. My mil & I were on vacationing in UK in her niece’s place when they were talking very fondly about various bakery items including these Khara buns (spicy buns). They raved quite a bit about this which made me interested and googled this out. The recipe I saw seemed quite simple (what I am realising is most of these to be baked items have fairly similar ingredients) and thought we could try it while we were there. We carried these to London and had them as a snack. We were just 3 of us (out of which the other 2 are poor eaters) and the batch I had made gave me about 20 buns (think I doubled the recipe the first time I did it) and I pretty much remember having only these for most times while we were in London :D. Anywho, from then on my mil and I have been talking about making it at home (and for the blog) since fil loves these. Finally got around doing it on his birthday (which was last month) and getting around to posting it now. We don’t purchase maida/ all purpose flour at home and all my baking is done using whole wheat. Hence, my fil didn’t think it tasted exactly like the bakery products. However, my mil reminded him that this is way healthier than the bakery ones and hence this form is more sustainable/ consumable than the other. Having said all these, my interest to eat the proper bakery product has grown and hopefully I get to eat it once in order to tell the difference. Anywho, this bun is a nice savoury bun that can be had for breakfast or as an evening snack. It’s pretty simple to make, especially for someone who likes baking. The flavours shout Indian and I love that indianized touch to the buns. I plan to make this again soon & will be taking photos of that as well just in case it turns out even better. Stay tuned!
- 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1.5 tsp refined sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 cup butter/ olive oil
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/8 cup warm milk
- 1 medium onion
- 4-5 nos green chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tsp refined oil
- 1 tbsp melted butter
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Heat oil in a pan/ kadai and add cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
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To this add finely chopped green chillies.
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Throw in the finely chopped onions & saute till it starts to brown. Add some salt at this stage.
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Finally, add the finely chopped fresh coriander leaves & turn off the heat.
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Set it aside & let this mixture cool down.
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In a wide vessel, add all the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, salt & instant dry yeast. Mix well.
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Now add all the wet ingredients - melted butter, milk & water. Mix well.
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Knead the dough into a pliable one.
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To this add the khara/ spice mixture & continue kneading. Add 1 or 2 tbsp of flour if you find the mixture a bit more wet than it should be.
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Set the mixture aside for 30 mins for raising.
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You will find the dough would have risen to double its original size.
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Punch the dough and divide it into 8 equal balls.
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Set this on a tray lined with parchment sheet.
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Let this be set aside again for it to rise for 30 mins.
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You will notice the balls would have risen in it's size.
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Bake this in a preheated oven of 200c for 25-30 minutes in which you brush the top of the buns with melted butter roughly after about 12-15 minutes.
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Once the buns are baked, leave it out to cool down a bit and dig in when it's still warm.
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You can store this in an air tight container and use it within 3-4 days.
- You can use all purpose flour instead of wheat flour for an even softer bun. In that case, reduce the water quantity a bit.
- If you want to keep this vegan, skip the milk & replace with water.
Stepwise pictures
For the khara/ spice part
Heat oil in a pan & add cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
To this, add finely chopped green chillies.
Next add the finely chopped onions & saute till it starts to brown.
Add some salt at this stage.
Finally, add the finely chopped coriander leaves & turn off the heat. Set this mixture aside for it to cool.
For the bun
In a wide vessel, throw in the all the dry ingredients – flour, salt, sugar, instant dry yeast and mix well.
Now add the wet ingredients – melted butter, milk & water.
Took a step of adding the milk & water separately.
Knead well till it becomes a pliable dough.
Add the khara/ spice mix and continue kneading.
Set it aside for atleast 30 mins for it raise.
The dough must double in size and must be airy like this.
Divide the dough in 8 equal size balls and place it on a tray lined with parchment sheet.
Let this be left aside to raise once again for another 30 mins.
Bake the buns in a preheated oven of 200c for 25-30 minutes. In between the baking, gently brush the top of the buns with the melted butter for the brown coat on top. Serve warm!
