Toasting the spices beforehand really helps to bring an extra spicy fragrance to this cheesy bake. A modern interpretation of traditional Indian flavours, this savoury delight is the perfect accompaniment to soup or a mild curry.

Prep time: 1-2 hours
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 8 rolls

Ingredients

250g strong white flour
7g dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a little more for greasing
Zest of 1 lime
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tbsp cumin seeds
175ml water
75g paneer cheese, cut into 8 chunks and seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Method

• Toast the dried chilli and cumin seeds, in a non-stick dry pan on a medium heat, for about 30 seconds, or until they start to fragrance the room
• When they are toasted, remove from the pan and leave to cool slightly
• Place the flour into a large bowl and rub in the yeast with your fingertips
• Add the salt, oil, spices and water and combine until the mixture forms a dough (adding more water if it feels a little dry)
• Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and knead for around 10 minutes, or until it feels smooth and elastic
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and leave to rise for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size
• Grease a 12 hole muffin tin with a little rapeseed oil
• When the dough has risen, divide it into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
• Place the balls into the greased muffin tin, one ball to each hole
• Cover the muffin tin with a tea towel and leave the rolls to rise for about 20 minutes, or until they have noticeably puffed up
• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C
• When the rolls have risen, push a chunk of the seasoned paneer cheese into each one, making sure that you press down well so that they stay in place
•  Bake the rolls for around 15 minutes, or until their tops have turned a deep golden brown
• Leave the rolls to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing and leaving to cool on a wire rack

Top tip

Different flours will absorb different amounts of liquid, so I would add ¾ of the liquid to the mixture at first and then if the dough feels a little dry, you can always add some more.