True Corn Custard Bun 全玉米奶油馅面包

Creamy corn custard filled sweet corn buns 🌽 - a type of bread I like to eat but hard to find in local bakery. I mean true corn flavour bread without any artificial flavouring and colouring.  To be honest, true corn bread should not have an intense yolk yellow hue, it should be quite mild, almost close to beige.  I cheated the colour appearance by adding a little golden pumpkin to both the bread and its corn custard filling - at least it is natural 🌿

The creamy corn custard has a rich milk flavour coming from the fresh milk, whipping cream and butter used. The addition of the corn puree brought the flavour closer to corn ice cream🍦. Yup, that's how I tasted it 😋

The process of preparing these buns was quite time consuming and tedious⏳.  However, after enjoying the buns, you would know that worth the effort spent 🏖

Yield: 9 x 7cm diameter round buns

A powerful food processor 

Breadmaker: Mayer MMBM12

Raw dough weight: 430g

Due to the longer and more tedious working process, I prefer to prepare the dough and corn custard a day prior to baking.

Steamed Corn Kernel 

Ingredients
1 ear sweet corn
15g pumpkin chunks
1 blade pandan leaf

Directions

1. Collect corn kernels from cob.  Steamed corn kernels with pumpkin chunks and pandan leaf at high heat for 15 minutes. 

2. Allow the steamed corn kernels and pumpkin chunks to cool down before use.

Custard filling (about 300g)

Ingredients

80g fresh milk 牛奶

40g whipping cream 动物性鲜奶油

20g top flour 低筋面粉

5g corn flour 玉米粉

1 egg, beaten 蛋液

10g unsalted butter 无盐奶油

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 香草精

30g raw sugar 黄砂糖

60g fresh milk 鲜奶

35g steamed corn kernels 蒸玉米粒 

10g steamed pumpkin 蒸南瓜块

Direction

1.  Mix 80g fresh milk, whipping cream, top flour and corn flour in a bowl.

2. Pour beaten egg into (1) and blend well. Strain the mixture through a sieve.

3. Blend 60g of fresh milk with 35g of steamed corn kernels and 10g of steamed pumpkin in a food processor till smooth.

Pour corn-pumpkin mixture into the milk mixture in (2) and mix well.

4. Heat over medium low heat and stir regularly till the custard thickens.

6. Remove the bowl of custard from the stove. Add in the butter, vanilla extract, and raw sugar. Mix well.

7. Cover with a cling wrap in close contact with the custard. This will help to prevent a crust from developing at the top layer. Allow the custard to cool down before keeping in the fridge till needed in the next day.

Bread dough

Raw dough weight: 430g

Ingredients

75g cold whole milk 冷全脂牛奶

50g steamed corn kernels 蒸玉米粒

5g steamed pumpkin 蒸南瓜块

15g condensed milk 炼奶
20g beaten egg 蛋液

30g raw sugar 黄砂糖

2g fine salt 盐, ~1/4 tsp

30g cold unsalted butter 冷无盐奶油

195g bread flour 高筋面粉

10g superfine wholegrain flour 超幼全麦面粉

1/2 tsp instant dry yeast 即发干酵母粉

Some beaten egg as egg wash

Direction

1. Blend 50g of steamed corn kernels and 5g of steamed pumpkin chunks with 70g cold milk in a food processor till smooth and creamy.

 

2. Add all ingredients into the bread pan following the sequence listed in the ingredient list (except the egg wash).

Dig a hole and pour in the instant dry yeast.

3. Place the bread pan into the bread machine. Select "C-11 Ferment Dough" function; and press "Start". Stop the process manually when the countdown timer reads "0:45" after the kneading blade rotated.

Starting

Manually stop at 0:45

Above picture borrowed from other recipe, just for demonstration purpose.

Keep the dough in a plastic bag coated with a thin film of oil in the interior. Squeeze out the excess air and tie a loose knot at the end. Let the dough stands in room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Above picture borrowed from other recipe, just for demonstration purpose.

Store the dough in another bigger plastic bag (to prevent the dough from drying up), and put in a covered bowl or container. Store it in the fridge till the next day. I kept the dough  in the fridge for about 16 hours .

Above picture borrowed from other recipe, just for demonstration purpose.


4.  Take out the dough from the fridge about 1 hour before shaping and thaw in room temperature. Invert the dough while thawing.

5. Cut open the plastic bag and turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Flatten it with your palm to release the trapped air.

6. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions, about 47g each.

7. Roll up the small dough, pull down the sides several times to stretch out the dough surface, and seal at the bottom. Lightly coat with some flour and place in a plate, cover with a lid, to rest for 15 minutes.

8. Roll out the dough with the centre thicker than the edge. Flip the dough over so the smoother face will be facing out when wrapped.

Scoop a heap tsp of custard, about 25~30g, onto the dough, wrap and seal by pinching.

Wrap your palm around the dough and let it roll within your grip, to shape it.

9. Place the dough onto a non-stick baking sheet or into a bread paper cup. Proof in a warm oven for about 50 minutes, or till the dough double in size.
To me it is not easy to wrap the soft custard in the dough, if the custard touches the dough edge, the opening cannot be seal properly. So I prefer to keep it in bread paper cup to prevent leakage.

10. Transfer the remaining custard to a piping bag fixed with 0.5cm nozzle for "doodling" on the buns at the end. Keep in the fridge till needed.

11. After the final proofing, remove the dough from the oven. Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius for about 10 minutes.

Apply egg wash over the dough, then pipe the cold custard to "doodle" over the surface.

12. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes,or till the top becomes golden. At the lower rack of the oven.

13. Allow the buns to cool down slightly over a wire rack. Enjoy :)