Masala Khara Buns || Low calorie version

Evening snacks were a great part of our childhood as well now with kids at home. I remember our Appa used to get those jam buns, cream buns, open sandwiches, and Khara buns from the Iyengar bakery when coming back home. of all these, my little brother loved the cream buns while Amma, Appa, and I used to stick with the savory Khara buns. A rainy, gloomy evening which is a usual occurrence in my place made me recreate these khara buns. However, I tried to go for a low calorie, the healthy option with these. I have used whole wheat flour against the regular maida and replaced loads of butter with a light, extra virgin olive oil. The warm, freshly baked buns with a cup of elaichi tea were the right combo for our evening snacks reminiscing wonderful childhood memories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozx5MchuBVQ
Servings: 6 yield(s)
Prep Time: 120 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 145 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp Active dry yeast
  • 0.5 cup Chopped onions
  • 1 tsp Chopped green chilli
  • 0.25 cup Chopped Coriander leaves
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 0.25 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 0.5 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 0.25 tsp Garam Masala Powder
  • 0.25 tsp Jeera Seeds
  • 1 dash Salt
  • 0.5 tsp Sugar
Instructions
  1. In a small cup, add warm milk along with half a teaspoon of sugar. Add one teaspoon of fresh yeast and stir. Set them aside for 10 to 15 mins to rise.
  2. Meanwhile, in a wide bowl, add two heaped cups of whole wheat flour and salt. Mix it to combine. Add jeera seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder to it and combine.
  3. Add chopped onions, coriander leaves, green chili, and combine. Add the risen yeast to it in intervals to it. Knead with hands along with some olive oil. Cover the bowl with a lid or cloth and allow it to rise for 2 hours.
  4. After two hours, the dough will rise and become soft and porous. knead again and pinch out balls out of it. Roll them in between the palms. place on a baking sheet and let it rest for 30 mins.
  5. The buns would have risen again. Now brush the buns with milk and bake in the oven at 300 F for 20 mins. Once done, allow it to cool down in a cooling rack for ten mins and serve warm with tea.
Recipe Notes

  • In this recipe, I have used whole wheat flour. You can also replace it with all-purpose flour or maida. And also a combination of these both flours.
  • If you like a buttery taste and don't mind those extra calories, replace olive oil with butter.
  • The main ingredient to get the perfect buns is the yeast. Make sure your yeast is active. If it is inactive and doesn't rise, discard and replace it with fresh, dry yeast.