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Indian

Ladi pav

Vegetarian

लादी पाव · ladi pav

Soft, pull-apart white bread rolls baked snugly in a slab (ladi) — the bun behind Mumbai's vada pav, pav bhaji and misal pav.

Ladi pav is an Indian bread, ready in about 3 hours 22 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and instant yeast. It serves 16 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
22 min
Rest
2 h 30 min
Total
3 h 22 min
Serves
16
Level
Intermediate
Calories
151

Ingredients

16 pavs

To finish

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and milk powder (opens in a new tab). Add the water and milk (opens in a new tab) and mix to a shaggy dough, rest 5 minutes, then knead 6 minutes. Add the softened butter (opens in a new tab) in pieces and knead 6–8 minutes more (by hand or stand mixer (opens in a new tab)) until smooth, slightly tacky and able to stretch into a thin windowpane.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and bulk-ferment at about 27 °C until doubled, 60–75 minutes.

    • 70 min

  3. Step 3

    Grease a 23 × 23 cm square tin. Degas the dough and divide into 16 pieces of about 55 g. Shape each into a tight ball by tucking the edges under and rolling against the worktop, and set them in the tin in 4 rows of 4, just touching.

  4. Step 4

    Cover and proof 45–60 minutes until the rolls have risen into each other and a floured fingertip leaves a dent that springs back slowly. Preheat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 200 °C during the last 20 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Brush gently with milk (opens in a new tab) and bake 18–22 minutes until deep golden on top and the centre reads 90–93 °C (or the slab sounds hollow underneath).

  6. Step 6

    Brush immediately with melted butter (opens in a new tab), turn out onto a rack and cover with a clean cloth while it cools — the trapped steam keeps the crust soft.

About this dish

Origin
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedWidely credited to Portuguese-influenced bread-making brought via Goa; the bread itself is a fixture of Mumbai's bakeries.More food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
mild, sweet, buttery
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Instant yeast · Sugar · Milk · Butter
Techniques
Baking · Kneading · Fermentation

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk powder, milk, butter
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

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

151 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 54 g · recipe makes 16

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 69%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy151 kcal281 kcal
Protein3.8 g7 g
Carbohydrate25.8 g47.9 g
Net carbohydrate24.8 g46.2 g
Sugars1.9 g3.4 g
Added sugars1.3 g2.3 g
Fibre1 g1.8 g
Fat3.5 g6.4 g
Saturated fat2 g3.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol8 mg16 mg
Sodium246 mg457 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
52 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
8 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
28 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
102 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: milk powder.
  • “—” 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

  • Rolls packed closely rise upwards rather than outwards and get the characteristic soft sides.

Common mistakes

  • Adding extra flour to a tacky dough makes dense, dry pav.
  • Under-proofing gives tight, heavy rolls that tear on the sides.

Serve with

  • Slit, toast in butter on a tawa and serve with pav bhaji, misal, or a vada with chutneys.

Storage

  • Keep airtight for 2 days, or freeze the cooled slab up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Split and toast in butter on a tawa, or warm wrapped in foil at 160 °C for 8 minutes.

Variations

  • Whole-wheat pav: Replace up to half the flour with atta and add 15 ml more water.

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 steps 1, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 33 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 10 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 55 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 22 min at 200 °C

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

  5. Cool · about 30 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  6. Start to finish: about 3 h 30 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
All-purpose flourFlour500 g100%
WaterWater200 g40%
MilkOther liquid134 g26.8%
ButterFat40 g8%
SugarSugar20 g4%
SaltSalt9 g1.8%
Instant yeastYeast7 g1.4%
Total flour
500 g
Hydration
40%
With milk, eggs…
63.3%
Wholegrain
0%

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

  • Medium dough (55–65%) — soft and easy to knead; sandwich loaves and rolls.
  • Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 23 points of extra water, so it handles like a 63% dough.
  • Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.

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
  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Spreads flat / no oven spring

    Likely causes

    • Over-proofed
    • Weak shaping (no surface tension)
    • Oven not hot enough
    • Too much water for the flour

    What to do

    • Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
    • Shape tightly so the skin is taut
    • Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
    • Lower hydration or use bread flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • 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
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • 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
  • Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)

    Likely causes

    • Too warm
    • Too much yeast
    • Left too long

    What to do

    • Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
    • Use less yeast or a cooler proof
    • Set a timer and check early with the poke test
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

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