Aloha bread

It has been my long time wish to bake some soft buns like the sweet buns of India. Then I got this interesting recipe that uses pineapple juice. I think the pineapple is the reason behind the name Aloha bread.  Recipe coutesy: Lovefoodies.com. My sincere thanks to the author. Now I have learned 'how to make a soft bun that melts in mouth'.
I have modified the original recipe a little bit.
While making these buns, I took out some of the dough and stuffed it with coconut +sugar +cardamon and some dry fruits, so that it tastes like coconut bun (thengai bun) for snack.
 Here goes the recipe

Aloha bread

I suggest using this yeast for soft breads.

Proof the yeast.

Butter (melted), milk, pineapple juice, eggs, salt, sugar, vanilla

Add the flours , yeast solution, milk mixture to mixer

Mix at speed 2-3 with dough hook for 5 minutes

keep it covered with cling wrap and let the dough rise in  mild warm place

The dough is risen after 1 hour

Divide it into small balls and place on baking tray

Cover with a wet clean towel coated with AP flour

For our pleasure, I baked a coconut bun using 2 dough balls

coconut stuffed Aloha bun

After 30 minutes, the buns would double in size (second rising)

Bake at 350 for 20- 25 min

Aloha bread is ready

Coconut stuffed Aloha bread is also ready !

hubby dear clicked this photo for me...this is the best picture ever...love the way he care for my simple joys too ☺ 

So the first piece goes to ....my hubby dear ☺

This is Xav's most favorite ☺

Coconut Aloha bread

Aloha bread 

Ingredients:
Bread flour / All purpose flour - 4 cups + 2 tbsp
Wheat gluten (optional) - 1 tbsp
pineapple juice - 1/2 cup
vanilla essence - 1 tsp
milk - 1/2 cup
egg - 2
Sugar - 1/3 cup
butter - 1/4 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp

for yeast proofing:
yeast - 1 sachet (1.5 tbsp)
sugar - 2 tbsp
water - 1/4 cup
Bring water to lukewarm temperature. Add sugar, salt, yeast mix well. Let it rise for 5 minutes. If it didn't rise in 5 minutes, then discard that solution and start again. Care should be taken in lukewarm temperature and freshness of yeast. That is the secret behind soft breads.


Method:
If using fresh pineapple (which I did), then crush it and make juice in a blender. I used 1/2 cup of pineapple pieces.
Add the yeast mixture, pineapple juice, egg, molten butter, milk, vanilla, salt, sugar in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat everything together (using a fork manually or beater).
Fix the dough hook to the mixer.
Add flour, gluten and knead at medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes. If needed add little flour or juice and knead again till the dough gets soft , little sticky at bottom. Add little butter and knead everything together to a ball.  Switch off.
Cover the bowl using a cling wrap. Keep for 1 hour in warm place to double in volume.
Divide into small balls (20). Place on baking pan. Cover with damp clean towel. (Keep some towels for baking alone)
Let it rise for 30 min.
Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Place the baking trays. Spray the oven with some water.
Bake for 15 - 25 min.
Check after 15 min and if needed bake for 5 more min.
Brush with butter and keep for 5 min to get a gorgeous top.
Sweet Aloha bread is ready !

Serving suggestions:
Makes 24 buns.
We used it just like pav buns and it tastes delicious with pav bhaji.
Or serve as breakfast along with butter.

Thengai bun ( Coconut bun)

Thengai means Coconut. A popular stuffed bread available in the bakeries of Tirunelveli , Tuticorin (TN, India) and other places South to it. Usually they stuff the bread with sweetened coconut, raisins, cashews, cherries and left over fruit cake some times.

This is one of the snacks we usually buy in my father's house for evening tea. I love the way my mother used to keep a snack every evening while we return home from school. She was so dedicated and caring in such a way that at least she would buy some goodies from the nearby bakery for us:) When I told my hubby of those fond memories after marriage, he started bringing me my sweet breads when he comes to pick me up from the University, so that I won't starve till I reach home...hi..hi. Those were the touching moments , he waiting to pick me up after work and myself feeling embarrassed to do so. That was the most sweet bread any one can get..right!

So whenever we talk of our home town's specialties , this bun will make a great topic for us. We both are crazy for this but I never know a recipe to try it. So I tried a version myself with the pizza base and it came out fantastic. May be a bread dough can also work here. I don't know the exact recipe for that bread, but this gives me the exact taste and no wonder we enjoyed it to the core:)

Here is that special thengai bun for you all!

Thengai bun before slicing.


Sliced thengai bun , ready to eat:)

Ingredients:
Pizza base (or) bread dough - enough to make a medium size pizza.
butter - 1 tsp
egg white - 1 tbsp
water - 1 tsp

For stuffing:
Sweetened coconut - 1 1/2 cup
(I used store bought one. But we can make it at home by stirring 1 1/4 cup coconut with 1/4 cup sugar till it becomes dry).
raisins - 10
cashew - 10
cherry - 5 (halved)
cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 deg F.

Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Grease it with butter (1/2 tsp).

Mix all the stuffing items. Let them cool, if we prepared the sweetened coconut at home.

Take one ball of the dough. Flatten it a circle of 1 inch thickness and almost 1/2 feet dia.
Place it on the sheet. Spread the stuffing uniformly.

Make a similar circle with the other half and cover the stuffing.
Gently fold the edges without any opening there.
Coat a 1/2 tsp butter over the top.

Make a few slits at the top to make vent.

Mix the egg with water and coat the top (Egg wash).
Egg wash makes the bread shiny and more brown and it is purely optional.

Place it in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or till the top starts turning red.

Take out and slice it (into 4 or 5 pieces) after cooling a little.

Thengai bun is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as dessert or snack.
I like it instead of regular pizza for dinner:)

Variations:

I won't use egg wash (don't wanna waste that yellow portion...hi..hi). A coat of butter / ghee will give a shiny brown top. Broiling will make it more gorgeous.
Some bakeries add scrambled fruit cake (that goes as waste or less priced snack), to this stuffing and make it like a less coconuty bun. That will also be tasty.