Custard Cream Filled Buns

These cream-filled buns are made with a generous amount of pastry cream. This bread has been popular in Japan. In a stand mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, yeast, cake flour, butter, sugar, non-fat dry milk powder, salt, beaten egg, and water. If the non-fat dry milk powder isn’t available, substitute milk for water. Start the mixer on, low speed, and increase the speed of the mixer as the dough starts to come together.

You will knead this dough for about 20 minutes until the dough is very smooth and it does not stick on the sides of the bowl then lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough and let it rise. To make the pastry cream, break the egg yolks into a bowl, and to that, add the sugar then thoroughly beat the mixture until it begins to lighten in colour. Sift in cake flour and corn starch then combine the mixture thoroughly.

The starch and gluten in the cake flour will give the pastry cream a gooey texture and thick consistency. Heat the milk in a pot and remove from the heat once it starts to boil then add half of the milk to the egg mixture a little at a time while mixing. When you’ve added about half of the milk, place the pot back on the heat and combine the egg mixture while stirring then strain the mixture into a pan and place it back on heat while stirring until the mixture starts to thicken.

Add a dash of vanilla extract, and mix it in. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and place it in the fridge to chill until when you are ready to use it. Lightly flour your work surface and remove the dough from the bowl. With a scraper, cut halfway through the dough on the side closest to you. Open the dough and shape it into a long oval then, divide it into 8 equal pieces. ‘

Gather the dough toward the bottom, and rub it between your palms using a circular motion. Avoid rubbing it too much; otherwise, the surface will be damaged. Pinch the seam and close the bottom then line up the dough balls in a baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise for 15 to 20 minutes then place one dough piece onto the kneading board, lightly dust the surface with flour, and flatten the dough then, using a rolling pin, roll the dough back and forth, shaping it into a flat oval. Take the pastry cream from the fridge and fill each dough ball with up to 40g of the cream and close the buns making sure the cream will not sip through.

Place the piece onto the baking sheet, and cover with the plastic wrap. Let the bread bund rise for an additional 50 to 60 minutes. Once risen, remove the baking sheet, and preheat the oven to 220°C. With a pastry brush, coat the dough with beaten egg for glazing. Gently brush the surface. When the oven temperature reaches 220 °C, quickly place the dough into the oven and lower the temperature to 200 °C, and bake for 12 to 13 minutes.

The baking time is a rough estimate so remove the bread when it reaches the perfect golden brown. Place the cream pan onto a cooling rack. If the cooking time is too long the moisture will evaporate and the bread will dry out. It depends on your oven but the baking time should be 12 to 13 minutes.

Alternatively, you can bake them without the pastry cream then once out of the oven, slice them and sandwich them with the pastry cream, either way, you are going to love these buns.

Instructions;

Bread Dough;

140 grams of Bread Flour
60 grams of cake Flour (low gluten or protein flour)
20 grams Butter
20 grams Sugar
8 grams Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder if unavailable, use 110ml milk instead of adding 100ml water.
3 grams of salt
25 grams of Beaten Eggs
100 ml Water use lukewarm water in winter
3 grams of Instant Dry Yeast
Beaten Eggs for brushing the buns

Pastry Cream;