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Goan · Indian

Goan poi

Vegetarian

पोई · poi

Goa's bran-dusted, wholemeal pocket bread: a yeasted dough shaped into thick discs that puff hollow in a hot oven. Split and fill it with chouriço, bhaji or anything saucy.

Goan poi is a Goan bread from India, ready in about 2 hours 45 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and wheat bran. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
2 h
Total
2 h 45 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
198

Ingredients

8 pois

For coating

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix both flours, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt; add the water and oil and knead 8–10 minutes into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and bulk-ferment until doubled, about 1½ hours at 27 °C.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Divide into 8 pieces of about 85 g and round them. Roll each ball in bran (opens in a new tab), then flatten with your palm or a rolling pin (opens in a new tab) into a 12 cm disc about 1.5 cm thick, bran on both sides.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cover and proof 30 minutes on a bran (opens in a new tab)-dusted tray. Meanwhile heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 240 °C with a heavy tray or stone inside for at least 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the discs to the hot tray and bake 8–10 minutes until they puff up into a hollow pocket and are lightly browned. Bake in two batches if needed.

    Food safety: Use oven gloves with the preheated tray.

  5. Step 5

    Wrap the hot poi in a cloth so they stay soft as they cool.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Goa, India · Well documentedPart of the Goan bakery (poder) tradition that developed under Portuguese rule; traditionally leavened with palm toddy.More food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
nutty, earthy, mild
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Whole-wheat flour · All-purpose flour · Instant yeast · Sugar
Techniques
Baking · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat bran
  • Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat bran

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

198 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 80 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 75%
  • Fat 12%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy198 kcal247 kcal
Protein6.6 g8.3 g
Carbohydrate38.8 g48.5 g
Net carbohydrate34 g42.5 g
Sugars0.7 g0.9 g
Added sugars0.5 g0.7 g
Fibre4.8 g6 g
Fat2.8 g3.5 g
Saturated fat0.3 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium390 mg487 mg
Salt equivalent1 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
162 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
59 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
84 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Strong bottom heat makes the pocket; a cool tray gives flat, dense poi.

Common mistakes

  • Shaping too thin — poi needs thickness to puff into a pocket.

Serve with

  • Split and fill with chouriço pao filling, bhaji (potato or chickpea), or dip into xacuti and sorpotel.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in a bag; freeze up to 1 month.

Reheating

  • Warm on a tawa or in a 180 °C oven for 4 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 30 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Final proof · about 30 min

    Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.

  4. Bake · about 20 min at 240 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 2 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
Whole-wheat flourFlour250 g62.5%
All-purpose flourFlour150 g37.5%
WaterWater270 g67.5%
Neutral vegetable oilFat14 g3.4%
SaltSalt8 g2%
Instant yeastYeast5 g1.3%
SugarSugar4 g1.1%
Total flour
400 g
Hydration
67.5%
With milk, eggs…
67.5%
Wholegrain
62.5%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Soft, slightly sticky dough (65–75%) — open crumb; most rustic loaves.
  • Salt 2% — normal for bread.
  • 62.5% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

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