SUN BUNS
TOTAL TIME: 2H
Imagine homemade creamy and thick vanilla custard in wonderfully soft and light buns. Brushed with melted butter and rolled in sugar. It is hard imagining a better bun!
Kids usually play a game while eating these buns; the game is to eat a bun without licking your lips. This is almost impossible, but still a fun little competition that brings out a lot of laughter.
These buns are definitely among my top three favorite buns, and they really do taste like happiness and sunshine!
1. MAKE A PRE-DOUGH
Start by making a pre-dough. Heat the milk to lukewarm and pour bag a into a bowl.
When adding the milk, ensure that the milk is lukewarm when mixed with the yeast, but not warmer than that. You can check the temperature by placing your finger in the milk. If it feels room temperature and not hot, it is at the desired temperature.
Pour the milk over and stir until the yeast dissolves and add bag b to the mixture, mix, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
2. DO A GLUTEN TEST
Add the bag c and 1 egg to the pre-dough, then gradually incorporate 100g of room temp butter into the dough.
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Knead the dough for a good 10 min to make sure gluten threads has formed. To ensure that the dough has achieved the desired consistency and the gluten strands have developed properly, do a gluten test. Take a small portion of the dough and gently stretch it. The dough should exhibit elasticity, appearing thin and fine. You should be able to pull the dough without it breaking. If the dough does break, it indicates that further development is needed. Place the dough back in the mixer (or by hand) and work it for an additional minute to enhance gluten formation.
Now let the dough rest and rise for about 15 minutes under a kitchen towel.
3. TIME TO SHAPE THE BUNS
Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth bun, by grabbing a piece in your hand, then gently cup it with your other hand, and do a circular movement, until you get a round ball. Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Let them rise for 1-2h depending on how hot the day is. How humid weather will make your buns rise faster, and colder weather will require longer time. The buns are ready when they have doubled in size.
4. MAKE VANILLA CUSTARD
Pour 100ml of milk in to a small saucepan and bring the milk to a boil and remove from saucepan from the stove.
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolk and bag d. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while you continue to whisk.
When it’s all mixed together, pour it back into the saucepan.
Now heat it up on low heat while whisking until the cream thickens, as soon as it does, remove the saucepan from heat and keep whisking.
Then whisk in the butter. When fully mixed in scoop in the custard in the piping bag and put the bag in the fridge.
5. FILL THE BUNS
reheat the oven to 200°C if fan forced and 210°C if using a conventional oven.
carefully make a hole in the center of each bun. Pipe the vanilla filling in each hole.
6. TIME TO BAKE
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they have a nice colour golden light brown colour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Before serving, melt 40g of butter, then brush the buns with the butter without touching the filling, and dip them in sugar from bag e. Enjoy!