Description
This Baked Custard Bun recipe, also known as Cream Pan, features soft, fluffy bread filled with smooth, rich custard cream. The buns are made from a tender dough enriched with butter and condensed milk, filled with homemade vanilla custard, and baked to golden perfection. Perfect as a delightful breakfast or snack, these buns offer a sweet, creamy treat that combines Japanese-style baking with luscious creamy custard.
Ingredients
Custard
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 70 g sugar (⅓ cup, or more to taste)
- 15 g corn starch (2 tbsp)
- 20 g cake flour (2 tbsp, can be replaced with all-purpose flour)
- 300 g milk (1¼ cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Bun Dough
- 250 g bread flour (2 cups)
- 50 g cake flour (⅓ cup)
- 30 g sugar (2 tbsp)
- 20 g condensed milk (1 tbsp, can be replaced with honey)
- 80 g cold water (⅓ cup)
- 80 g cold milk (⅓ cup)
- 1 egg (whisked, divided, about half used in dough and remaining for brushing)
- 1 tsp instant yeast (ideally SAF instant yeast)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp, cut into 4–6 small pieces)
- Pearl sugar (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Making Custard: In a heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, corn starch, and cake flour until smooth and well combined. Heat milk in a saucepan until it just begins to steam; pour half the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to temper the eggs, then add the remaining milk and whisk thoroughly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking slowly and constantly until it starts to thicken and stick to the whisk. Increase whisking speed and continue until fully thickened. Remove from heat and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds for a smooth custard. Stir in vanilla paste and butter until combined. Transfer custard to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent skin formation, and refrigerate to chill.
- Preparing the Bun Dough: In a stand mixer bowl, combine bread flour, cake flour, sugar, condensed milk, cold milk, cold water, about half of the whisked egg (25 g), and instant yeast. Knead on low speed until a rough dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature (if above 80°F, place in fridge). Meanwhile, soften unsalted butter by leaving it out at room temperature.
- Kneading the Dough: After resting, add sea salt to the dough and knead for 30 seconds. Gradually add softened butter one piece at a time while kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, passing the windowpane test; this takes approximately 6–8 minutes total (5–7 minutes on low speed, 1 minute on medium speed). Form the dough into a sticky ball; if too sticky to handle, add a little bread flour and knead an additional 1–2 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place (80°F to 90°F) for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
- Shaping the Dough: Transfer risen dough to a working surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and cover loosely with greased plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Assembling the Buns: Roll each dough ball into a 3–4 inch round. Place 30–40 g (about 2 tbsp) of chilled custard in the center. Lift two opposite edges (3 and 9 o’clock), pinch together to seal, then lift the other two edges (12 and 6 o’clock) and pinch. Continue pinching to securely enclose the custard. For a semi-circle shape, roll dough into an oval roughly hand-sized, place custard at the center, fold the top over quickly to prevent custard leaking, pinch edges tightly, and optionally make decorative cuts along the edge without cutting too deep. Reserve any leftover custard in a piping or zip-lock bag for topping.
- Proofing the Buns: Place shaped buns on a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375°F during the last 10 minutes of proofing. Brush buns with remaining whisked egg mixture to give a glossy finish.
- Adding Custard Topping (Optional): Pipe leftover custard onto the surface of the buns in a swirl pattern. Optionally, sprinkle with pearl sugar and make decorative light cuts on semi-circle buns without cutting through the custard.
- Baking: Bake buns in the preheated oven at 375°F for 12 minutes or until golden brown. If buns have custard topping, bake an additional 2 minutes using convection bake if available to enhance browning. Remove buns from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the custard is smooth by whisking vigorously after cooking and refrigerating well.
- Adjust sugar in custard to your taste preference, especially if you like sweeter buns.
- Softened butter is essential for good dough elasticity and proper rising.
- If dough is too sticky to handle, add small amounts of bread flour gradually to avoid tough buns.
- Proof the dough in a warm environment between 80°F and 90°F for best rise.
- Brush buns with egg wash for a shiny golden crust.
- Convection baking helps achieve a nicely browned and crispy top.
- This recipe works well with a stand mixer, but kneading by hand is also possible with more effort.
- Pearl sugar adds a pleasant decorative crunch but is optional.
