Lusciously Soft and Creamy Custard Buns

 Most people call baking an addiction. I call it an inspiration. The more you bake, the more inspired you are to bake even better and better and better. While in India my baking skills were restricted to just occasional cakes, coming to Singapore has opened a whole new world of baking for me. The easy availability of key ingredients is the prime reason behind it. However, the main credit goes to my landlord here who has provided us with a wonderful oven, along with other furnishings, which really inspires me to bake. I started with cakes and then slowly moving onto cookies and now my latest obcession is with breads. So here's an interesting recipe of sweet bun stuffed with soft and creamy custard.

Ingredients

For the custard

3 tbsp custard powder

500 ml milk plus 100 ml for dissolving the custard

6 tbsp sugar (or as per your taste)

2 tbsp fresh cream

For the buns

2 cups bread flour (or 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

100 ml warm milk plus for brushing

Olive oil for brushing and for oiling hands and bowl

3 tbsp butter, softened plus for brushing

Direction

For the custard

In a cup, mix the custard powder and 100 ml cold milk and dissolve completely till no lumps appear. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat the remaining milk and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and slowly mix in the custard, stirring continuously till all mixed well. Continue stirring on low heat till the custard is about to thicken. Mix in the cream and stir till dissolved completely. If the custard by now gets too thick, stir in an additional 1-2 tbsp of milk and remove from heat. Ensure that the custard is similar to cake batter consistency. Making it too thin will make it difficult to stuff into the buns. Pour into another bowl and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for a few hours to set it completely.

For the buns

In a bowl, mix butter, milk, and sugar. Add 1/2 cup flour and yeast and make a smooth paste. Keep aside covered in a warm place for 45 minutes.

In a separate bowl, take the flour and salt and mix well. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg and knead well to a soft and non-sticky dough. You nay apply some olive oil on your hands for a smoother and quicker kneading. Continue kneading for another 5-7 minutes till the dough becomes soft and elastic to touch. Apply a little oil on the dough and cover with cling wrap. Keep in a warm place and let it rise for 1-11/2 hours or until double in size.

Once the dough has proofed, take it out on a floured surface and lightly knead the dough for few more minutes. Prepare a baking sheet. Take large lemon sized balls and make a small indentation in the center. Add about little more than a teaspoon of the refrigerated custard and close again into a ball. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. Line all the balls on the baking sheet about an inch apart and keep it covered with a cling wrap for another 45 minutes for the second proofing. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius on the toast mode (both the rods heated).

Brush the buns (which would have again doubled in size) with some milk and bake in the toast mode for 10-12 minutes until golden on top. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter while still hot and cover with a kitchen towel for few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Your super soft and creamy custard buns are ready to be served.