Soft and Fluffy Pull Apart Buns

"What must you break apart in order to bring a family close together? Bread, of course."
                                                                                      - Jodi Picoult.

Quite literally in this case.

I just love to bake these cute little pretty balls of dough. It's so exciting to shape these buns and so satisfying to see them puff up in the oven getting all cosy to each other. Many times, I just tear each bun in two parts, slather one with a good dollop of home made jam and the other one with good soft butter and sometimes, both the parts with Nutella. So yummm.

In India, these pull apart buns are called 'pavs' and are usually served with a very popular Mumbai street food called Pav Bhaji, bhaji essentially being a mixture of vegetables that is cooked with a mixture of spices and tastes just amazing. Traditionally, these buns are made with all purpose (plain) flour rather than bread flour, and so that's what I decided to go with. You can use bread flour instead or a combination of bread flour and plain flour, whatever you prefer really. Though do remember that the amount of water required to make the dough would change as well. So if you use bread flour, you would need more water.

These buns have a soft and fluffy crumb and are brushed with melted butter as soon as they are out of the oven, giving them a nice soft and slightly shiny crust. I sometimes bake these for breakfast since they are pretty easy and quick to make. After the first rising, you just knock back the dough and make little balls out of it, and then let them double up in size, by which time they would be snugging into each other. Then just bake for 30 minutes or so at 200 degrees C / 390 degrees F and that's it ! You are ready to pull them apart :-)

Makes 12 Pull Apart Buns

Recipe Source: Bakingyummies

Ingredients
400 grams / 14 ounces all purpose or plain flour
2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 + 1/2 teaspoons regular salt
1+1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
210 grams / 7.4fl ounces water at room temperature
2 tablespoons melted butter to brush on top of the baked buns

Method
Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast and mix.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the water. Please click here and follow the steps till the initial proofing stage. You can either use a stand mixer with the dough hook or your hands to knead the dough.

Knock back the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Divide the dough into twelve equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a round and smooth it by pressing the ball to expel any air bubbles. Now form your palm into a cup shape and roll the ball against the counter with the help of the palm until it forms a smooth and round ball.

Place all the shaped balls on the baking sheet with about an inch gap between each.  Cover the pan loosely with a cling film or a tea towel. At this stage if you want, you can place the pan in the refrigerator to be baked early in the morning or a day later.

Once the buns are almost double in size, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / 390 degrees F. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 mins or until the rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped at the bottom. Alternatively, you can check if the buns are done with a food thermometer as well. It should register at least 80 degrees C / 180 degrees F.

Enjoy your home made and warm Pull Apart Buns!

Storage Suggestions: Pull Apart Buns can be stored at room temperature in a ziplock bag for up to 2 days.

Happy Baking!!!