Recipe for Masala Bread

I lived in Bangalore, India, for many years before moving to Germany. Like many other Bangaloreans, I, too, enjoyed and savoured the cakes and fresh bread from Iyengar Bakeries that dot every other street in Bangalore. After moving to Germany, I have always missed the masala bread I relished in Bangalore. Although Germany can easily be called the bread capital of the world with supermarkets loaded with varieties of bread, Indian bread like Pav, Masala Bread, Aalu bun, etc., are hard to find even in Indian stores. So, as I crave masala bread, I share this recipe with my readers right from the heart of Bangalore. This bread has Indian flavours and is best when accompanied by a cup of chai. So, here goes my masala bread recipe:

Ingredients needed for making Masala Bread:

1. All-purpose flour (Typ 550): 500 gms
2. Instant dry yeast:7gm OR fresh yeast: 21gm
3. Yoghurt: 150 ml
4. Unsalted Butter: 2 tablespoons
5. Finely chopped mixed herbs(Coriander, Mint, and fenugreek): 2 cups
6. Sugar: 1 teaspoon
7. Salt: 1.5 teaspoons
8. Ginger, garlic, and green chilli paste: 1 heaped tablespoon
9. Water: For kneading

Method for making Masala Bread:

1. Activate the yeast by combining it with sugar and 1/2 cup water. Let it rest for 2 minutes.
   
   
   
2. Take flour in a mixing bowl and add salt.
   
   
   
3. Then add the mixed herbs and ginger, garlic & Chili paste.
   
   
   
4. Add yoghurt. Then add water and knead. In the end, add melted (but not hot) butter and knead.
   
   
   
5. Now transfer to the bread mould. Keep it in a warm place for an hour. The dough will rise.
   
   
   
6. Now, bake it at 200 deg C for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
7. Cool completely, and then slice.
   
   

Masala bread is ready. It is soft and spongy and absolutely delicious. Enjoy it with some butter and a cup of hot chai.

You can also make it in the form of a bun. Below is a picture of the masala buns I made in India a few years ago.

Some notes for my readers in Germany:

1. You can make this bread with Pizzamehl (Pizza Flour) or Weisenmehl Type 550. I have used the latter in this recipe.
2. I have used instant dry yeast. Yeast is called Hefe in German. You get in a pack of multiple 7gm packets in German supermarkets. You need one such pack of 7gm for the recipe. You also get fresh yeast in the refrigerator section. That is usually a 42-gram pack. You can use half of it if you prefer using fresh yeast. Remember that for any bread recipe, 7gm of dry yeast can be replaced with 21 gm of fresh yeast ( 1 pack of dry yeast=1/2 pack of fresh yeast).
3. If you make this recipe in the summer, you can rest the dough on the kitchen counter. In winter, you can rest the dough in the oven at about 40 deg C.

Check out more recipes from my kitchen here.

If you need help identifying and understanding products in German supermarkets, click here.

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