Chana Curry Buns

Chana is the Hindi word for chickpea, a widely used legume in Indian cuisine.

These yeasted chana curry buns have a curry-scented dough and a filling of spiced chickpeas, coconut milk, raisins, and onions. They pair very well with a creamy asparagus or broccoli soup, or a fresh garden salad.

I made these as part of the showstopper challenge from the great British bake-off, season 1, episode 3. The task was to make a bread basket with 3 kinds of sweet rolls and 3 kinds of savoury rolls.

The theme I chose was “favorite family flavors”: chocolate babka, blueberry buns, sweet coconut rolls, mini pizzas, chana curry buns, and pesto-feta swirls. The other recipes are here if you want to give them a try.

I LOVE making bread, so this was my happiest challenge so far.

I made about a dozen of each and then picked the best ones for the pictures.

Sooo we will be eating bread for quite a while…. 

Great British Bakeoff Vegan: Season 1, Episode 3, Showstopper

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Ingredients

Dough

• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 ⅓ cup hot water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour 1
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sesame and/or poppy seeds
• ¼ cup olive oil

Filling

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 tsp curry powder
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 can chick peas, or 1 1/2 cups cooked from dry beans
• 2 blended tomatoes (for a red sauce) or 1/4 cup coconut milk (for a white sauce)
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions

Prepare the dough: in a small bowl, mix the yeast, coconut sugar, and hot water together briefly. Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom the yeast until a thick foam forms on top. In a large bowl, mix the flour, curry powder, salt, and seeds.

Once the yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture and the olive oil to the flour mixture. Stir well with a wooden spoon to form it into a dough.

Knead the dough with your hands for 10 minutes, then put it back in the large bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

Prepare the filling: In a large pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes to soften the onions. Add in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and curry powder, and mix well. Next, add the raisins and chickpeas, and finally the blended tomatoes or coconut milk.

Stir to combine and cook for about 10 minutes over low heat, until the mixture is pretty dry. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings as needed. Remove from heat and cool.

Assemble the chana buns: cut the risen dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out on a cutting board to a circle about 6 inches across. Divide the filling into 4 portions and put one portion into the center of each circle. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the ends together. Turn the bun over so the pinched ends are underneath, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover the chana curry buns with a damp towel and let them rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled. Remove the cover and bake the buns at 425F for 20 minutes until they’re nice and golden brown. Cut into them and serve warm with your favorite soup or salad.