"Kuri-mu pan" Cream custard buns クリームパン

 While I was growing up in Japan, sweet breads called "Kashi-pan" 菓子パン were very popular among kids. They came in many forms such as Melon-pan メロンパン  bread covered with a thin layer or sweet crunchy cookie, or bread filled with  cream custard (cream pan クリームパン), chocolate  (choko-pan チョコパン) or sweet bean paste (an-pan アンパン). The word “pan” is derived from the French word for bread “le pain” pronounced (le pan). Although these breads were very popular with kids either my parents' policy (most likely) or my own choice (I doubt it), I rarely enjoyed "kashi-pan" while growing up. When my wife and I visited Japan, my wife found "Kashi-pan" and, like the kid she is at heart, she really liked it. When we got home she even made "melon pan". My wife in general is very fond of filled buns. She somehow found this recipe for "Asian cream custard buns". She made two versions shown below. For the buns on the left, she fully encased the filling in dough. This is the more traditional way of making them. On the right, she filled a depression made on the top of the bun with the cream custard. This is the method she used for ricotta cheese buns. 

She said she did this to avoid having a bun with the steam created gap on the top as as shown in the picture below. This occurs because of the steam produced by the filling during baking. The one with custard filled in the surface depression does not have this problem. Since both are basically the same bun just prepared slightly differently I think both are equally good.

The picture below shows the glazed buns with cream totally encased in dough just out of the oven.

And these are the ones with the surface depression filled with custard.

Ingredients:
for the custard:
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
70 g sugar (1/3 cup)
15 g corns starch (2 Tbs.)
20 g cake flour (2 Tbs.)
300 g milk (1 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. butter

for the dough
250 g bread flour (2 cups)
50 g cake flour (1/3 cup)
30 g sugar (2 Tbs.)
20 g sweetened condensed milk (1 Tbs +1 tsp)
80 g cream (1/3 cup)
80 g milk (1/3 cup)

1 egg (25 g for the dough, the rest for the glaze)
1 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
30 g cold butter cut into small cubes (2 Tbs.)

Directions:
For the custard
In a bowl, mix eggs, sugar, corn starch and cake flour until well combined. Heat milk in a sauce pan until steaming. Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk by adding several ladles full slowly and stirring to combine. After the egg mixture is tempered add it to the milk still in the sauce pan. Cook on medium low heat until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly. This could take some time so be patient. When it achieves a fairly firm consistency (i.e. won't run off if placed on a flat piece of dough). Take it off the heat. Add the butter until melted and then stir in the vanilla. Continue whisking so it doesn't form a skin as it cools. After it cools slightly cover with plastic wrap touching the top of the custard, again so it doesn't form a skin as it cools. Set aside or put into the refrigerator to use later.

For the dough
Add everything from the bread flour to the yeast into a stand mixer. Mix until dough forms. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Add the salt and knead for 1 minute. Add the butter a piece at a time kneading the dough until smooth. Knead 7 to 10 minutes. Form into a ball in a greased bowl. Turn the ball until it is covered with grease. Put into proofing box set at 81 degrees. Let it rise until doubled in size.

To assemble:
Punch down dough. Weigh the dough and calculate how many 50 g buns the dough will make. Then weigh the custard and see how much each scoop of filling must weigh to equally fill the 50 g buns calculated. I completely encased the filling for 8 buns in dough and put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I formed the remaining buns into balls and put them on the cookie sheet. The cookie sheets went back into the proofing box until the buns had about doubled in size. I took the buns made into balls but not filled with custard and using the base of a small cup dipped in flour pressed down on the center of the ball until the cup stopped moving. I then filled the depression with the remaining calculated portions of custard. I took the remaining egg and glazed the fully encased muffins completely and the depression filled buns just on the bread portion. I cooked them in a 375 degree oven for 12 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. I removed them from the oven and cooled on a rack.

These buns were everything you would expect in a kashi pan. The dough was tender and slightly sweet. The custard was luscious, not too sweet and vanilla flavored. What a breakfast treat!