Brun pav (No knead crusty buns)
If the words – Brun maska and chai in an Irani cafe – trigger a memory for you and/or you crave a crusty pav/pao with a soft, chewy interior, this recipe is for you!
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So very often, I dream of brun pav/pao slathered with generous amount of butter dipped in a hot cutting chai! It is an ultimate breakfast that one can have in Mumbai’s iconic Irani bakeries. Simple, affordable food heaven!
And since I was working on the recipe of dhansak, I knew this was the right opportunity for me to try my hands at this seemingly simple brun pav aka gutli pao. For those who are unaware of this delicious pav, it is one of the most popular breakfast items you can order in an Irani café. A large pav with its signature crust is split in two and then spread with generous amount of butter/jam. It can be enjoyed on its own or with an egg omelet and a hot Irani chai.
Most Irani café are family-owned businesses and they are the master bakers with their signature bakes like mava cakes, parvali or khari biscuit, ladi pav and of course the brun pav. The Irani café with their homely ambience, round marble top tables spread with red checkered table cloth and antiques on the walls hold heritage value. The baked goods are high on technique, are machine free, uses khamir (sourdough) or toddy to ferment their dough and baked in a coal or a diesel oven.
During my research on this pav, I was told that as the day came to an end in these bakeries, the remaining unsold pav that turned dry were baked twice and sold for cheap. Soon it became so popular that people started lining for this crackly pav with its signature crusty top and airy pockets that could carry butter well. It made for a delicious and yet affordable and a substantial breakfast. Also, as the brun pav tends to hold its structure well when dipped in curries and stews unlike the soft pav, it also became a popular choice of bread to be dipped in dhansak and other stews/curries.
My version of brun pav has a crackling crust and a soft chewy interior AND it is a no knead pav that requires only 15 minutes of your hands-on time. Bake it, slather it with butter (and don’t skip on that part – this dough is plain, not enriched so needs that extra love!) and revisit the memories.
And don’t forget to rate this recipe and tag me on social media. Knowing that you created the recipe is a great motivation.
Some other bread recipes that may interest you:
Recipe Card
Brun pav (No knead crusty buns)
Recipe Rating
AUTHOR
Hema B Kathrani
CUISINE
Indian
PREP TIME
15 minutes + proofing time
COOK TIME
30 minutes
SERVINGS
makes 6 pav
Author: Hema B Kathrani | Cuisine: Indian | Category: Breads
Prep Time: 15 minutes + proofing time | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Servings: makes 6 pav
If the words – Brun maska and chai in an Irani cafe – trigger a memory for you and/or you crave a crusty pav/pao with a soft, chewy interior, this recipe is for you!
Ingredients
- 338 gm (2 ½ cups) plain flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 ml water
- Rice flour for dusting (approx 2-3 tbsp)
- 10-12 ice cubes
Method
- Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, mix plain flour, yeast, salt and room temperature water together in a sticky mass.
- Cover it with a lid and keep it aside to proof for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, the dough will be bubbly and will have a lot of ‘webs’
- Shape the pav:
- Sprinkle rice flour on the counter and dust your hands with the flour as well.
- Remove the dough on the well-floured counter and divide the dough in 6 parts with the help of a dough scraper as it is a highly wet dough.
- Working with one dough ball at a time, sprinkle the rice flour over the ball and roughly form in a ball.
- Use additional rice flour only if necessary, as too much flour can make the buns tough. It is a wet dough and will be challenging to form in a perfectly shaped ball.
- Place the pav seam side down on a parchment paper lined tray
- Repeat the same with the remaining 5 dough balls.
- Cover it and keep it aside to proof and start to preheat immediately.
- Bake the pav:
- Place an empty tray at the bottom rack of the oven and start to preheat the oven at 230 C for at least 30 minutes.
- The pav would have puffed a little but not doubled by the end of 30 minutes.
- Quickly but carefully, place the tray with the pav in the middle rack and throw the ice cubes in the empty tray placed at the bottom rack and close the oven.
- Bake the pav at 230 C for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and then on to the wire rack after 5 minutes.
- Optional: For a shinier crust, apply butter on the crust after 10 minutes of baking.
- Enjoy once cool with a generous spread of butter.
Notes
- If using active dry yeast, do proof it first before using. Proof 1 tsp yeast in 300 ml water + ½ tsp sugar. Once frothy, proceed with the recipe.
- Plain flour can be used for dusting as well however the pav will be darker in colour.
- There are three tricks to get the look like that of pav from the bakery. A: weigh the dough and divide its weight in 6 – this will make the pav look uniform in size. B: place the pav with only 1 ½ cm distance between them so that they rise taller not wider. C: use a container that is 10 X 7 inch (l x w), this will again fit them snugly ensuring that the pav rise taller, not wider.
- Check ‘baking tips’ in the highlights of my Instagram account to see how you can turn a larger pan into a size you desire.
- To get this pav right, here are some important factors:
- The oven needs to be SUPER-HOT at 230 C and preheated for at least 30 minutes.
- Use just adequate amount of flour to shape the balls. Too much flour can make the buns tough.
- Throwing 10-12 ice cubes in the empty tray will provide just enough steam for the pav to get that signature crust. However, using too much ice can bring down the temperature of the oven and in turn affect the crust.
- Use a metal or a stone tray to keep the pav in, not a glass tray for the best results.
- If you like your pav to be super crusty, once the pav is baked, remove all the trays from the oven and turn off the oven. Slide the pav (without the tray) on to the wire rack in the oven and keep the oven door half open and let the pav cool in the oven.
- I use US cup measurement which is 1 cup = 235 ml, however I would strongly recommend using the weighing scale to get the best results.
- These pav are made of a simple dough and therefore need some extra love. To enjoy these pav to the fullest, spread butter generously and post 24 hours, toast and butter to enjoy its crispy goodness.
Did you make this recipe? Follow me on Instagram handle @acookwithin or @acookwithin on Facebook.
www.acookwithin.com
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Let me know how this recipe turned out for you by writing to me in the comments below. And if you take a picture, please tag me on my instagram handle @acookwithin 
to share your creation😊 It would make my day!
2 thoughts on “Brun pav (No knead crusty buns)”
My childhood memories.. the best Brun bread ever..with butter Sunday special.
mine too 🙂 nothing beats freshly baked warm brun pav slathered with butter!