I’m pretty novice when it is comes to bread baking. But I’m very happy that finally I’m able to bake a whole batch of beautiful & gorgeous buns. They not only look good but also they taste really well. Soft and chewy with the tangy taste of tomatoes, the melting cheesy centre and the sexy punch of garlic, have made these buns real winners.
I and my family enjoyed eating them a lot. Try this, hope you wouldn’t be disappointed. 🙂
Cherry Tomato and Garlic Focaccia Buns
Ingredients
- All purpose flour/maida- 3 3/4 cups
- Active dry yeast- 1 tbsp
- Powdered white sugar/caster sugar- 2 tsp
- Salt- 2 tsp
- Olive oil- 5 tbsp + more
- Cherry tomato- 9-10 (cut into halves, lengthwise)
- Lukewarm water- 1 cup
- Melted butter- 3 tbsp (I used Amul’s)
- Black peppercorn (roughly crushed) for sprinkling on top
- Oregano or any dried herb of your choice- 1 tsp (hipped)
- Garlic cloves- 10-12
- Cheddar cheese- 6 small cubes (I used Amul’s cheese)
Method
In a bowl mix active dry yeast with sugar and lukewarm water (don’t use Hot water, it kills the yeast). Keep aside for 10-12 minutes. It will become foamy and frothy.
In a large bowl mix AP flour with salt and herb. Make a dent in the centre, pour the yeast mixture slowly into this. Now mix with the flour mixture. Add rest of the water, olive oil now and knead, you may need more water at this stage. Add water if required, and knead until a sticky dough forms. Cover the dough with cling-film and let it rise for the next 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.
After an hour the dough should have raised well. Punch down the dough on a lightly floured work area, and knead briefly for the next 5-6 minutes. Knead the dough using your two hands. Stretch the dough with one hand, and pull with other. Then collect the dough back in the centre and stretch again. At the end you will get a smooth lump free dough, which will not stick to your kitchen counter.
Make 6 equal sized ball from this dough, and insert one cheese cube in the middle of each ball (just the way we stuff chapati balls to make stuffed paratha). Roll the balls using your fingers and plums, to give them an even bun like shape. Place them on a greased baking tray/pan. Make dimples on the buns by pressing your thumb on the dough. Stick the garlic cloves and tomatoes in these holes. Sprinkle crushed black pepper on top and drizzle with some olive oil. Cover with cling-film and leave them to rise again for 30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 deg C for 20 minutes or until golden. After removing from oven, pour the melted butter immediately on top of the buns. This step is optional, but highly recommended, cause the butter keeps the buns soft for a longer time. And don’t we love the extra buttery taste! 🙂
Serve warm.
Note:
- Instead of making buns you can use this recipe to make a single foccacia too.
- Use any toppings of your choice, be experimental.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Minimally adapted from Saee Koranne Khandekar’s article, Good Food Magazine’s March 2013 issue.
