Apple Custard Buns

Buns

Combine 20 g of bread flour with the whole milk in a small saucepan and stir until there are no more lumps. Cook over medium heat, mixing constantly until it forms a thick paste, remove from heat

Transfer this paste into a bowl and add evaporated milk, stir to cool it down slightly. Mix in the egg.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix 320 g bread flour, yeast and sugar. Add the liquid mixture from step two and mix with a spatula and with your hands until no dry flour is left. Cover with a kitchen towel and rest for 20 minutes.

After resting, with the dough hook attached, turn the mixer on medium speed and knead the bread. Sprinkle the salt. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed.

When the dough is smooth, add the butter a little at a time while the mixer is still running, keep kneading until all butter is absorbed and until enough gluten is developed. You can check by taking a small piece of dough and stretching it between your thumbs and fore fingers. It should be able to stretch to form a window pane, if it is not able to, keep kneading. Total kneading time is around 10-15 minutes.

After kneading, tip out the dough and form into a ball, place in a well greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let proof for 1 hour or until double in size.

Apple Custard

While the dough is proofing, make custard - combine the flour, sugar, milk, and salt in a medium-sized pan. Whisk until there are no lumps.

Heat over medium heat, stir with a spoon for around 4 minutes until bubbles start to pop up.

Reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Stir in beaten egg yolks gradually and cook over 20 to 30 seconds.

Remove from heat. Add the butter, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Mix well.

Peel and chop the apples, fold into the custard while its still warm. Let cool.

After proofing time is up, punch down on the dough to let the air out. Break apart approximately 1/8th-1/6th of the dough, put one or two drops of green food colouring (gel is preferred) and knead until desired colour is achieved. Set aside. These will be your leaves.

Putting it all together

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin

Divide the remaining dough into 10 roughly equal balls.

Roll a dough ball with a rolling pin to make a round flat shape

Place approximately 1 tablespoonful of apple custard in the middle of the dough

Close it up, making sure the top is sealed.

Very gently, roll the filled dough portion back into a ball, I do this by cupping my hand over the ball and rolling lightly in a circular motion on the bench top. Be careful to not use too much force or the filling might leak. Place the ball into one of the holes of the muffin tin.

Pinch and shape one of the green dough pieces into a leaf. Affix onto the bun.

Repeat for remaining doughs.

Cover lightly with a paper towel and let proof for another hour or until puffed up.

When the second proofing time is almost up, pre heat the oven to 180 C (350F)

Brush the buns with egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

When the buns are cooled to room temperature, break off sections of chocolate pocky sticks and stick them in the buns to make the apple stems.