Custard Buns
These Custard Buns are soft, fluffy homemade sweet rolls filled with a rich and creamy vanilla custard. The tender yeast dough pairs beautifully with the smooth pastry cream filling. This creates an irresistible bakery-style treat that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or an afternoon snack. Serve them slightly warm with a dusting of powdered sugar for an extra-special homemade treat.
If you love sweet treats, this Puff Pastry Apple Tart is simple to prepare but looks as elegant as it tastes.
Custard buns are soft, lightly sweetened buns filled with a creamy custard mixture. Depending on the recipe and where they’re made, the custard may be baked inside the dough or added after the buns have finished baking. These sweet buns can be found in different forms around the world. Some are made with a rich brioche-style dough, while others use a lighter yeast dough. What they have in common is that wonderful combination of soft bread and smooth, creamy custard.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Great, easy-to-make dessert
- Looks elegant, tastes great
- Buttery soft, rich dough
- Classic bakery style and taste
- Perfect as a year-round baking treat
Ingredients For Custard Buns
There are 3 parts to this recipe: the vanilla cream, the dough, and the dusting.
Ingredients
Vanilla cream:
Milk – I like to use either 2% or whole milk; it makes the custard a little creamier.
Egg yolk – You want your custard to be nice and thick.
Sugar – White granulated sugar.
Cornstarch – Works as a thickening agent for the custard.
Vanilla – You can use either real vanilla extract or paste; don’t use artificial vanilla.
Butter – Salted or unsalted butter will work.
Yeast dough:
Milk – Use milk rather than water for this dough.
Instant dry yeast – Needed for the dough to rise.
All-purpose flour – Regular all-purpose flour.
Sugar – White granulated sugar.
Salt – Helps to bring out the flavor.
Egg – Always use large eggs unless the recipe specifies otherwise.
Vanilla – You can use either real vanilla extract or paste; don’t use artificial vanilla.
Butter – Adds smoothness to the dough.
Brushing & dusting:
Egg – The egg wash helps give the buns a deep brown color.
Powdered sugar – For a touch of sweetness and elegance.
How to make Custard Buns
In a small saucepan, add your milk and heat to a simmer over medium-low heat.
In a small bowl, add egg yolk, sugar, and cornstarch and whisk together until smooth. Add a small amount of the heated milk to your egg mixture and stir in.
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan slowly while stirring, and heat until the mixture thickens. Continue to stir while cooking the cream so it doesn’t cook the eggs separately from the milk.
Remove from heat, add the butter and vanilla, and stir through. Pour the mixture into a heat-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator while you make your dough.
Making the dough
In a small bowl, heat your milk to lukewarm, about 100-110°F. Add about a teaspoon of your sugar and your yeast to the milk and stir. Allow the milk to sit for about 4-5 minutes to activate the yeast.
In a medium bowl (or stand mixer bowl with dough hook), add your flour, pinch of salt, and remaining sugar and whisk together.
Add your activated yeast mixture, egg, and vanilla to your flour mixture. Start mixing together (turn stand mixer on to low). Start to add your butter as you mix your dough.
When your dough starts pulling away from the bowl, turn it out onto the counter. Knead for about 5 minutes. Or turn your speed up on your stand mixer and knead the dough with your dough hook for 5 minutes.
Place your kneaded dough into a greased bowl; cover with plastic. Allow to proof for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Forming the buns
Divide dough into 9 pieces and roll into small balls. Roll each ball into a long oval shape.
Watch this video to see the steps for stuffing, cutting and rolling the buns and more.
Place about a tablespoon of vanilla cream at one end of the dough. Fold over once to encase the cream inside the dough.
With a small roller cutter or sharp knife, cut about 5-6 slits in the remaining part of the dough. Careful not to cut through the edges. Continue rolling the dough up over the top of the slits, pulling the slits apart slightly. Grab each end of the roll and pull the ends together to form a crescent shape with the dough.
Place each roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them lightly with plastic wrap and allow them to proof again for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk your egg. Then brush your proofed buns with egg.
Bake your buns in your oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow the buns to completely cool on the pan. Sprinkle the buns with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Little Chef’s Secrets
- Gather all your ingredients at once and prepare equipment ahead of time. For this recipe, you want to make sure your butter and eggs are all brought up to room temperature before using.
- Before you place the dough in the bowl to proof, make sure it’s smooth on top by dragging it along the countertop and stretching it into a smooth ball. This allows the dough to proof evenly.
- Store your buns in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Custard Buns Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 2 tablespoons soft butter
- 1 egg
- Powdered sugar to taste
Method
- In a small saucepan, add your milk and heat to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a small bowl, add egg yolk, sugar, and cornstarch, and whisk together until smooth. Add a small amount of the heated milk to your egg mixture and stir it in.
- Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan slowly while stirring, and heat until the mixture thickens. Continue to stir while cooking the cream so it doesn’t cook the eggs separately from the milk. Remove from the heat and add butter and vanilla and stir through. Pour mixture into a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator while you make your dough.
- In a small bowl, heat your milk to lukewarm, about 100-110°F. Add about a teaspoon of your sugar and your yeast to the milk and stir. Allow the milk to sit for about 4-5 minutes to activate the yeast.
- In a medium bowl (or stand mixer bowl with dough hook), add your flour, a pinch of salt, and the remaining sugar, and whisk together. Add your activated yeast mixture, egg, and vanilla to your flour mixture and start mixing together (turn the stand mixer on to low). Start to add your butter as you mix your dough.
- When your dough starts pulling away from the bowl, turn out onto the counter and knead for about 5 minutes (or turn your speed up on your stand mixer and knead the dough with your dough hook for 5 minutes). Place your kneaded dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic and allow to proof for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Divide dough into 9 pieces and roll into small balls. Roll each ball into a long oval shape. Place about a tablespoon of vanilla cream at one end of the dough and fold over once to encase the cream inside the dough.
- With a small roller cutter or sharp knife, cut about 5-6 slits in the remaining part of the dough, careful not to cut through the edges. Continue rolling the dough up over the top of the slits, pulling the slits apart slightly. Grab each end of the roll and pull the ends together to form a crescent shape with the dough. Place each roll on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them lightly with plastic wrap and allow them to proof again for about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk your egg, and then brush your proofed buns with egg. Bake your buns in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow buns to completely cool on the pan. Sprinkle the buns with powdered sugar and enjoy!
