Ladi pav recipe – step by step recipe to make soft and light Mumbai Ladi pav bread at home.
Pav or pao is basically a small loaf of bread, introduced by the portuguese in India. Commercially, pavs are always made with maida or all purpose flour. At home we can make these small bread rolls with whole wheat flour or other flours. I have made pavs with 100% whole wheat flour too. But unlike bread, the texture has denseness and a bit of chewiness.
There is a recipe of wheat pav posted made with 50-50 % of both all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. This 50-50% recipe also yields a soft textured pav. You can also check Ladi pav made in pressure cooker.
The Mumbai pav recipe in this post is made with 100% all-purpose flour. I make these light bread rolls once in a while, when the family demands and they get bored of Whole wheat bread and chapatis.
I have developed this pav buns recipe over a period of time to get the best results. the recipe method makes use of the sponge or poolish method for leavening and the result is very soft & spongy pav. I added instant yeast to the recipe. However, fresh yeast or dry active yeast can also be added.
To get the aroma and taste like that of the pav buns made in the bakeries, its advisable to use fresh yeast. The proportions of all three are mentioned in the recipe details.
Usually I make pavs to be served with pav bhaji or misal pav or masala pav or vada pav or samosa pav or pav sandwich. I never buy pavs from outside. I hope the step by step pics help you to make excellent homemade pavs.
How to make pav recipe
1. In a bowl take 1 cup of all purpose flour, yeast and sugar.
2. Add 1 cup warm water.
3. Stir or whisk to make a smooth thick batter.
4. Cover and keep the bowl for 30 to 40 minutes till you see a bubbly & frothy mixture. The batter would also have risen. The below pic shows the consistency. This is the sponge starter.
5. Add oil, salt and 1 cup flour.
6. Mix with a spoon or spatula.
7. Add 1 cup flour again.
8. Mix and then begin to knead. If the dough appears sticky then you can add about ¼ to ½ cup flour. The proportion of water to be added depends on the quality of the flour. Overall I added 3.25 cups flour and 1 cup water.
9. Knead to a smooth pliable dough.
Leavening pav dough
10. Spread oil or butter all over the dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen cotton napkin or a lid and keep the bread to leaven for 20 to 25 minutes. The leavening time depends on the type of yeast used & the temperature conditions. For instant and fresh yeast, 20 to 25 minutes of the first rise is enough. For dry active yeast, you will have to keep for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more.
11. The risen & doubled pav dough.
12. Gently punch and deflate the dough and form a log.
13. Slice the log into equal sizes.
14. Take each slice and roll between your palms to get a smooth round roll.
Baking pav
15. Make rolls this way and place them in a greased tray keeping 1 inch space between all of them. Cover and allow the second rise for 25 to 30 minutes. The small loaves would increase in size.
16. Then brush the pavs buns with some milk. This gives a golden color to laadi pav.
17. Place the baking tray with the pavs in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius for 25 to 30 mins or till the tops turn golden and the pavs sound hollow on tapping.
18. Remove the pav buns from the tray and place on a wired rack or tray, so that they don’t become softened and moist from the bottom due to heat condensation. brush melted butter or spread softened butter on top of the pavs for a glaze. This is an optional step.
19. Serve the pavs warm or at room temperature with any curry like usal or vegetable dish or just as plain bun maska pav (buttered rolls) served with masala chai. You can also use them to make Mumbai street food snacks like pav bhaji or kutchi dabeli or misal pav or vada pav.
More bread recipes
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pav recipe
Ingredients
- 3 to 3.5 cups all purpose flour (maida) - i added 3.25 cups flour
- 2 tablespoon oil or softened butter
- 1.5 to 2 teaspoon instant yeast or ½ to ¾ tablespoon dry active yeast or 1 to 1.5 tablespoon fresh yeast
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or as required
- 1 cup warm water or add as required
- some milk for brushing
Instructions
making dough
- In a bowl take 1 cup of all purpose flour, yeast, sugar.
- Add 1 cup water. Stir or whisk to make a smooth thick batter.
- Cover and keep the bowl for 30 to 40 minutes till you see a bubbly and frothy layer on the top. The batter would also have risen.
- Add oil, salt and 1 cup flour. Mix with a spoon or spatula.
- Add 1 cup flour again. Mix and then begin to knead.
- If the dough appears sticky then you can about 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour. The proportion of water to be added, depends on the quality of the flour. Overall I added 3.25 cups flour and 1 cup water.
- Knead very well to a smooth pliable dough. Spread oil or butter all over the dough.
leavening pav dough
- Cover the bowl with a lid or a kitchen cotton napkin and keep the bread to leaven for 20 to 25 minutes. The leavening time depends on the type of yeast used. For instant and fresh yeast, 20 to 25 minutes of the first rise is enough. For dry active yeast, you will have to keep for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or more.
- Once the pav dough has risen & doubled, then gently punch and deflate the dough and form a log.
- Slice the log into equal sizes. Take each slice and roll between your palms to get a smooth round roll.
- Make rolls this way and place them in a greased tray keeping 1 inch space between all of them. Cover and allow the second rise for 25 to 30 minutes. The small loaves would increase in size.
baking ladi pav
- Just before 15 minutes you bake the pav, preheat the oven at 200 degrees celsius. For a regular oven, heat both the top and bottom elements. For a microwave oven with convection mode, preheat for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Then brush the pavs buns with some milk. This gives a golden color to laadi pav.
- Place the baking tray in the center rack in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius for 25 to 30 mins or till the tops turn golden and the pavs sound hollow on tapping. For baking in the microwave oven at convection mode, bake at 180 degrees celsius.
- Remove them from the tray and place on a wired rack or tray, so that they don't become softened and moist from the bottom due to heat condensation.
- Brush melted butter or spread softened butter on top of the pavs. This is an optional step.
- Serve the pavs warm or at room temperature with any curry, vegetable dish or just as plain bun maska pav (buttered rolls) served with masala chai.
Notes
- If the dough become sticky then add some flour and if the dough looks dry, then add some water.
- If the top surface of the bread browns quickly than place aluminum foil or butter paper on the top. This will avoid further browning.
- Instead of kneading with hands, you can also knead the dough in a food processor or in an electric mixer with paddle attachment.
Hi Dasana
Thanks for sharing d recipe. Planning to try out just wanted to know if I can use the sourdough starter here also keeping it outside to proof wil it not develop a sour taste esp during summers?
Thanks
Shruti
welcome shruti. you can use a sourdough starter for the pav recipe. with the sourdough starter, there will be some sourness in the dough during these hot summers. otherwise, keep the dough for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature for the first rise. then keep in the fridge overnight or for a day. then you can bring the dough to room temperature and make the rolls. let the rolls rise and then bake.