These lovely crescents are totally dedicated to my children who enjoyed thoroughly while shaping the crescents all by themselves. We all had a great time in the kitchen while baking these crescents. I’m so glad that I chose to bake this when they were at home. This recipe is from Archana’s space whose blog I’m supposed to hop to for this week’s Blog Hop. Though I wanted to try out her Thumbs Up cake, my boys chose this one after I showed them both the recipes and asked them to choose one. It was instant love for them with these crescents and according to them they have had enough of cakes.
When the topic steered towards the topping, Arun was quite clear about the flavor that he wanted. It should be aromatic and also tangy at the same time. So I went for Kasuri methi, which always makes quite a pair with paneer and the spices were all to my imagination. I made the rolls quite small as it would help my children in handling it with ease but if you want a bigger size just make big balls and the rolled out ones a bigger size so that you would end up with bigger crescents. They did not shape into a crescent either as they liked the cigar like shape, but do try and go by the name.
Paneer Crescents
You’ll need:
| All Purpose Flour | 2 cups |
| Warm Milk | 1/2 cup |
| Paneer / Cottage Cheese | 100 gms |
| Active Dry Yeast | 2 tsp |
| Sugar | 1/2 tbsp |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp |
| Melted Butter | 2 tbsp |
Spices that I used for Topping :
| Coriander leaves | 1 tbsp |
| Mint Leaves | 1 tbsp |
| Kasuri methi | 1/2 tbsp |
| Garam Masala | 1/2 tsp |
| Amchoor Powder | 1/2 tsp |
| Chaat Masala | 1/4 tsp |
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 200 Deg C. Prepare a baking try by greasing it and keep it aside. Chop the coriander and mint leaves finely and mix it together with the spices mentioned in the list and keep it ready.
Method:
Proofing the yeast: To the warm milk add the dry yeast and sugar and give it a nice mix. Let it rest for 10-15 mins. It will turn frothy.
Mash the paneer with your hands. I used home made paneer. Mix together flour and salt. Add the mashed paneer to the flour and mix. Pour the yeast mix to the flour and knead into a soft dough. Use more milk/water if necessary.
Wrap the dough in a moist cloth and let it rest for 2 hours or till it doubles in volume.
Divide the dough into 3 or 4 big balls and roll each one out as shown in S.No.4 or as you would for a roti and cut into 8 triangles.
Start rolling each triangle from the outer to the inner tip softly with your fingers and shape them into crescents. I left it as it is as my children preferred it that way.
Place them on a greased baking tray and cover again with a moist cloth. Let it rest for 30 mins.
To Proceed:
Brush the top with melted butter and drizzle the remaining over the crescents. Sprinkle the mixed spices on top and bake for 20 mins or until it turns golden yellow.
Verdict:
I served it with Tomato Sauce and we all loved it to bits. It was so buttery and along with the spices every morsel was heaven. The outer layer a bit crisp because of the butter and the insides being soft and spongy, it was delicious.
Notes:
| Feel free to play with the spices used for topping. |
| If using dry yeast always activate it before using. |
| You can also use egg wash for the topping instead of brushing with butter. |
| The baking timings vary from oven to oven. |
| You can also blend the paneer instead of mashing it with hands for a smooth and even texture. |
This is my submission for the Blog Hop Wednesdays and do take a moment to check out yummylicious entries of the Blog Hoppers and if you want to join the hopping gang all you have to do is drop in a mail to me.
and this is also off to Celebrate Sweets 