Spicy Paneer Twist Bread

We all love paneer and we all love bread in this house. So, what’s better than combining the two and making a paneer twist bread that can be enjoyed by all. This is such a delicious recipe that once you try it, I can guarantee, you will be coming back to it time and again. It can be made with tofu in place of paneer or even ricotta if you don’t have paneer. Such a versatile recipe.

The Ingredients for Spicy Paneer Twist Bread

A handful of ingredients and you enjoy a mouthful of flavour with each and every bite.

The Ingredients List for Spicy Paneer Twist Bread:

The Dough

• 1 cup of water (110 degrees F)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil

The Paneer Filling

• 1 package paneer (350 grams)
• 1 onion
• 1 chili of choice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup tomato puree
• salt to taste

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The Dough:

Let’s start with the dough. The dough needs to rest and rise, so we need to work on that first. I start off by adding the water to a bowl or measuring cup and adding the yeast and sugar to it. Allow the yeast about 10 minutes to bloom. It will foam up on the top and when it does, you know it’s ready for use.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and mix. Pour in bloomed yeast water and oil into the bowl and mix together to form a dough. I like the feeling of kneading the dough by hand, but you can use a mixer and do that. I like to sprinkle some flour on a clean counter space and knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Return it to the bowl and cover it with a tablespoon or so of oil so that the dough doesn’t dry out. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit for about an hour to double in size.

The Paneer Mix for Spicy Paneer Twist Bread:

While the dough is resting, we can make the paneer crumble for the paneer twist bread, It needs to be cooled down enough to use by the time the dough is ready. Let’s start by finely chopping the onion, garlic, chili, and ginger. Add the oil into the pan and once it’s heated, add the cumin seeds. Allow them to pop and get fragrant. Then add the onions, garlic, chili, and ginger into the pan. Allow them to cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the onion starts to brown a little.

Add the garam masala, turmeric, paprika, and salt to the pan and mix it in well, so that the onions are well coated with the spice mix. Now we can add the tomato puree to the pan and mix it in. Allow it to cook for about 2-3 minutes. While the masala is cooking, we can grate the paneer. I find it easier to grate, but that would depend on the paneer you buy. Some are softer and can be crumbled instead of grated.

Once the tomatoes have cooked down and most of the liquid has disappeared, we can add the paneer to the pan. Mix it well, so that the paneer is well coated with the masala and there are no white bits of paneer left. It should all be yellow. Below is a picture of a similar mix that I make for my paneer pillows (recipe here), except I add peas to it. You don’t need peas for this recipe. Allow the mix to sit and cool down completely while the dough is rising.

The Filling Process:

Now that we have our masala ready and our dough ready, we can start with making the paneer twist bread. Let’s start by knocking the air out of the dough and placing it on a counter sprinkled with some flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape that is about 1/2 a centimeter thick (approximately 9×18 inches or so). It doesn’t have to be a perfect shape.

Once you have the shape ready, we can add the paneer mix to the dough. Using a spoon, evenly spread out the mix onto the dough. Leave about 1/2 an inch of space all around the corners cause that will help the dough to stick together.

Now we can roll the dough. Start rolling it from the longer side so that it forms a large log. Once the log is ready, I like to stretch it out a little, or else it will be too thick. I then cut mine into two equal halves – since I make two paneer twist bread. Once I have the log, I slit it in half, but this time along the length of the log. This way, you will be able to see the layers of the paneer that is stuffed into it.

Baking the Twist

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Now we can form the actual paneer twist bread. I start with the side that has less paneer in it. Join the two ends together and squeeze them so that they don’t fall apart later. Now, twist the dough one side on top of the other until you have a braid like twist.

Line a 9×13 inch baking tray with parchment paper and gently lift the paneer twist bread onto it. Place it in the center and fold it over to form a circular shape. Squeeze the sides together so they stick and look almost like a long wreath.

Bake it for 20-25 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and crisp.

Serving Suggestions for this Vegetarian Recipe:

Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down completely on a cooling rack before you slice into it and enjoy it.

• Try it with my Creamy Mushroom Soup.
• My Masala Chai makes for a great accompaniment to this.
• I love to have it with my Mango and Coriander Chutney.

This is a great treat to enjoy for your upcoming Christmas party or dinner. An Indian food addition to your regular Christmas meal.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

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