Paneer Puffs | Savory Indian Paneer Patties

Paneer Puffs | Savory Indian Bakery Style Paneer Puff Pastry Turnovers

Try these Paneer Puffs, or more popularly known as Paneer Patties, made using the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets. These puffs can be relished at breakfast time, or these are even a great option to have as evening snacks with a hot cup of tea. Read on to make this quick and easy snack!

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Savory bakes are not as occasional on my blog as the sweet ones. But whenever I get a chance to give a break to the never ending love for baking cookies, I try my hands on some of my savory favorites.

Puffs are something that I have been eating ever since I was a child. Almost every bakery in India carries this classic bake. Every morning you can smell this deliciousness from far across a bakery shop. Tea with puffs is quite a common breakfast for many people in India. And Paneer Puffs are hands down the best savory Indian puff pastry breakfast ideas.

The puffs come in mostly two shapes, that is you can make them as rectangles or triangles, though you can play around with many other different shapes. And the filling options are numerous. The most common ones are Boiled Potato and Paneer (Cottage Cheese), especially in India. The other options are Chicken puffs (for non-vegetarian lovers), pizza puffs (for the Italian cheesy lovers), mixed vegetables, scrambled eggs etc. Keep trying out different ways you can make them as per your taste. These even serve as a great option to use leftovers. I had recently added leftover bhaji (from Pav bhaji) and found them phenomenal.

Puff Pastry Sheets Recommendation

I have tried different brands of puff pastry sheets but I always come back to the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets. The pastry comes out to be perfectly flaky and delicious. Do let me know in comments if you have any other favorite brand that you like using, or even a favorite homemade puff pastry recipe. Homemade pastry sheet is on my list of things to try.

The savory puffs serve as a great homemade snacks option for a picnic or a party.

How to make Paneer Patties at home?

Making Paneer Puffs is easy, but the process takes a bit of time. We can convert it to four steps, first is thawing the sheets, then preparing the filling, then assembling the puffs and last one is baking them. Here is the step-by-step process.

• Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheets as per package instructions. Alongside, once you take out the pastry sheets from freezer for thawing, immediately start working on the filling.
• For the filling, you need to prepare the Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Masala using small Paneer dices, diced onion, chopped tomato, some spices and tomato ketchup. Once the filling is ready, keep it aside for later use.
• Take the thawed pasty sheet, and cut it into 9 (3*3) squares. Also, preheat the oven to 400 degree F.
• For making one puff, take the square and roll it using a rolling pin. Apply egg wash to the 4 sides of the sheet (on the side facing up). Add the filling in the center of the sheet. Fold the pastry sheet into a triangle carefully. Then, using a fork, prick the folded sides very carefully creating the lines effect. Put the triangular pastry on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• Repeat the above step for all the pastry squares.
• Finally, apply egg wash on top part of all the prepared pastry triangles. Bake the prepared pastry triangles in the preheated oven for around 18-20 minutes. Once done, remove the baking tray from the oven.
• Serve the hot flaky puffs with a sauce or dip of your choice.

Substitutions & Tips

• Ready-made Pastry Sheets – Feel free to use whatever brand of pastry sheets you have available with you. I have used Pepperidge Farm pastry sheets since those are the best ones from among I have tried till date.
• Paneer (Cottage Cheese) – If you don’t like Paneer or if it is not currently available, then it can be replaced with the same amount of Tofu.
• Pastry Sheets Handling – The Pepperidge Farm pastry sheet pack calls for thawing 30-40 minutes at room temperature. I would advise you to check the sheets after 30 minutes, and using them immediately, otherwise they become difficult to handle.
• Egg Wash – If you want to skip the eggs in this recipe, you can use milk wash in place of egg wash. It will give the similar shine effect to puffs after they are baked.
• Storing leftover pastry sheets – The Pepperidge Farm box contains 2 pastry sheets, and this recipe uses 1. So, to store the other frozen sheet, wrap the sheet tightly in a plastic wrap or a ziplock bag and freeze until next use.

Similar Recipes

Also, continuing the tradition, here comes the 42nd recipe under My Julie & Julia Project. For those who don’t know, I had started this project last year, under which I had planned to post 100 recipes from my kitchen by the end of the year 2019. But since I got busy with other priorities in life, I have planned to continue the tradition in 2020. So, this is the Recipe #42 for you all.

If you like this recipe, you would definitely love other savory bakes on the blog, like this Classic Vegetable Lasagna or these Semolina Veggie Muffins. Also, if you are a Chicken lover, then for sure, check these ultimate Chicken Curry Puffs recipe from the blog. Without taking more time of yours, let me take you straight to the recipe of Paneer Pattice aka Cottage Cheese Puff Pastry now. Happy baking everyone!!

Step-by-step Instructions

• Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheets as per package instructions. Alongside, once you take out the pastry sheets from freezer for thawing, immediately start working on the filling.

• For the filling, heat oil in a non-stick pan or skillet and add cumin seeds to it. Once it splutters, add onions to it. Saute onions till they are light golden (don’t brown them). Add chopped tomatoes and saute them again for a minute. Now, add the spices (salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, black pepper and red chili pepper) and tomato ketchup and saute for another minute. Finally, add the Paneer dices, saute for a minute again and switch off the flame. Keep aside the filling for later use.

• Take the thawed pasty sheet, unfold it carefully, spread some flour on your kitchen surface (where you want to prepare the puffs) and lightly dust both sides of the sheet. Cut it into 9 (3*3) equal squares as shown in the picture. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Prepare egg wash by beating 1 egg in a bowl and keep it aside.

• For making one puff, take one square and roll it from all sides using a rolling pin (For measurement idea, I rolled the square from ~3 inches to a 4-5 inch square for final use). Apply egg wash using a pastry brush to the 4 sides of the sheet (on the side facing up). Add ~1 Tbsp of filling in the center of the sheet. Fold the pastry sheet into a triangle carefully. Then, using a fork, create a design on the folded sides very carefully. Put the triangular pastry on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

• Repeat the above step for all the pastry squares.
• Finally, apply egg wash on top part of all the prepared pastry triangles.

• Bake the prepared pastry triangles in the preheated oven for around 18-20 minutes. Once done, remove the baking tray from the oven.

Serve the hot and flaky Paneer Puffs with a sauce or dip of your choice.