Coming Back to blogging is a homecoming for me. It has to be with something special for this post. I had experimented on making Brun Pao. The base is Mumbai Special Pao which is a soft bread with a fluffy center.The recent traffic directed to this blog prompted me to share this recipe here.
Brun is a crusty round bread with a absolutely spongy center. A Brun is larger in size than the Naram Pao (soft bread that is called Mumbai pao outside Mumbai). Depending on which bakery you go to pick up this bread you will have to ask for Brun, Broon or simply Kadak pao (crusty pao). When you love your bread so much it gets all these pet names like you would call your Dad, Baba, Pops, Popsicle etc.
A Brun being a crusty bread goes well with gravies, soups and the best way to enjoy it is lathering the center with loads of maska (God only knows what it was made of in the old days!) or Amul butter.
The Brun gets its crust from the steam baking. It is this a step if missed will give you just your regular Naram pao in bigger size.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115F)
1 tbsp active dry yeast (.25 oz)
1 tbsp sugar
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp butter softened
Mix 1/2 cup water and sugar then sprinkle yeast over it. Leave it to stand for 10 mins till the mix is frothy.
Measure out the flour in a big bowl. Don't forget the salt. Mix in the frothy yeast mixture in the flour with a wooden spoon. Then mix in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water and mix till it form a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl. Now add the soft butter and oil and knead till you get smooth dough.
Sprinkle some dough on a counter and then knead the dough on it for 2 mins. Make a smooth ball and store it in a greased bowl untill doubled, I kept it overnight to get the sour taste. Keep it covered with a wet kitchen towel. The towel should be dipped in water and wringed a bit to removed excess water.
Grease a baking tray of 8X10 inches and keep ready. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the counter and divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Shape them into balls and line them up in the tray.
Leave the tray covered with wet cloth again to double up or for atleast an hour. Glaze with molten butter.
Now preheat oven at 190 deg cel for 10 min. Then push in the tray laden with pao into the oven. At the base of the oven put a deep tray filled with water. Bake for 25-30 mins or till you see a slight golden color. Once you get the glaze it indicates the pao is well cooked from inside. This steam baking is what gives the Brun it's crust.
Remove from the oven (Convection mode) and allow to cool on a grill or in a bread basket. Don't leave it in the tray else the pao will sweat.
i like brun more than regular pao. another way to test if e bread is cooked is if a thermometer reads 190F when put in the center.
ReplyDeleteI love brun and so does my Dad - thanks for this recipe!
ReplyDeleteI havent heard of this anjali.. I would love to try this..
ReplyDeleteHi Anjali, the bread looks good! I'd like to try this sometime.
ReplyDeleteWe just recently got a new microwave oven and have been wanting to try our mumbai paos. This was the first hit I got from google and it is what I wanted. Thanks a mil. Now, I am going to push my wife into making these.
ReplyDeleteregards,
Nadim
Nadim do come back and tell me how they turned out!
ReplyDeleteHi Anjali,
ReplyDeleteI am Almas, Nadim's wife. He is pushing me alright but I will take my time to do it. It is a nice receipe and will try to do it. Wish me luck.
regards,
Almas
Hi Almas you will do well :) and Nadim will be proud of you. I love this couple thingy going on here.
ReplyDeletehi can we use jawar flour or any other millet flour...pls suggest me.
Deletehi can we use jawar flour or any other millet flour...pls suggest me.
DeleteIt's Nostalgia.... U have no idea how much this recipe means to me.... I have been livig in london for the past 3 years.... and the brun pao just brings back all the memories of the childhood...
ReplyDeleteThanks a Ton...
HI,
ReplyDeleteFollowed all the steps to the "T", the bread rose beautifully,but did not BROWN, like the normal brun... even after putting a water dish to steam the bread, tho it tasted real good.Thank you.
Roshan
Roshan I use a Convection Oven. I guess you made it in a microwave. Thank god it atleast tasted good and you did not waste it.
ReplyDeletehi Anjali,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the brun recipe. Just a question about steaming. I use a convection oven too. wont the steam harm the electronics inside the oven?
nisha m
Nisha don't worry about the steam. But yes as a good practice ovens should be dried with wipes to remove any condensation after use, for both convection as well as microwave ovens.
ReplyDeleteI made Brun today and reminded me of my college days in Bombay and my happy days in Pune Now I can make them in Chiangmai Thailand Thanks Anna Parabrahma
ReplyDeletePradeep you are most welcome! Do share the pics on my FB page, would love to see.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the broon recipe Anjali. You've made my day. I am basically a Punekar but am in Bangalore for the past three years and don't get to see broons out here (only idlis) :) Will try this recipe today.
ReplyDeleteCool, tell me how it turns out. I'm baking it for bf 2moro too, tahnks for bringing it up on my mind.
DeleteHi Anjali, I would like to know what kind of flour you recommend for this recipe? I am in north america and flour here is complicated. I want to make this recipe for my dad and mum it was their absolute favourite bread. I often have to listen at breakfast on weekends about how much they miss this pao. I would like to try your recipe once you confirm the type of flour. Please and Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, I made it with the regular maida which is similar to the all purpose flour (minus the barley flour) which most people use in the US. It works pretty well. This pao is the crusty one. If you are trying to make the naram pao or the soft pao then here is the recipe.
Deletehttp://annaparabrahma.blogspot.in/2007/02/mumbai-special-pao.html
This was such a smashing hit. Honestly I wasn't very hopeful I could recreate burun but was pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteWow,thanks for sharing Brun Pao recipe though i am from Mumbai I have checked at few Irani restaurants just to have this couple of years ago but dint get Brun anywhere as it was typical confused;-)pao version!I never thought about its recipe and wow I chanced upon this while checking a pickle recipe!Infact couple of days back since I wanted to bake PAV laadi pav as known in Mumbai I ordered Yeast and What a Timing,I can now bake this Brun Pao:-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it at the right time. Do let me know how it worked for you.
DeleteTurned out quite good. Super excited. Wondering what I can do to get a more open crumb.
ReplyDeleteWill try tweaking this recipe a bit and if it works will share. In a nutshell.... thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast this morning.
Glad you liked it. This was posted long time ago. For a more open crumb let it proof longer.
DeleteOk... then how much yeast do I use? I'll have to reduce the quantity of yeast if I am to proof it overnight right. Also do I refrigerate the dough for overnight proofing?
ReplyDeleteIf proofing in the fridge keep the quantity of yeast the same, that's safe.
DeleteHi! I make my Brunes a bit differently however one suggestion I have to home bakers is to put a cast iron or any other heavy pan on the bottom rack of your oven when preheating. Meanwhile boil a cup of water. When you put your bread into the oven, pour the water carefully and quickly shut the door. Don’t forget to wear a long oven mitt. The reason why it’s important to to this is that oven spring and a good crust depends on steam in the first few minutes of baking. If you wait for the water to boil in the oven it will be too late.
ReplyDeleteHello Anjali! Thank you so much for this recipe. A decade of my childhood was spent between Pune and Nagpur, and Bombay was just an elusive metropolis that I heard the adults talk about. I graduated this year and decided to visit the city, and I ended staying for more than a month. Absolutely loved the food, and the people, and somethings that I don’t find in Delhi. Was hunting for the brun pav recipe and came across your blog. I’m a beginner to baking, and the brun pav is the first thing I’ll be baking. You’ve explained the process so well. Thanks
ReplyDeletePlease let me know how it turns out. I am so happy you enjoyed staying in Mumbai and its food. Keep baking and commenting here.
DeleteThey turned out quite well (for a first time baker), atleast muma approves and the buns were finished in just two days. I will keep trying the recipe a few times more to get things just about perfect. I had a query however - you have simply mentioned "flour" in the ingredient list, so does that mean I can you either plain flour or refined flour.
DeleteFlour here means maida. Glad you enjoyed baking it and eating. Knead well. Practice makes man perfect! Keep at it 👍🏽
Delete