-
1
Melt the butter and add the milk, ensuring a lukewarm temperature between 36-40 degrees.
-
2
Add the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved.
-
3
Add sugar and stir again.
-
4
Add half of the flour as well as the salt, baking powder and ground cardamom.
-
5
Add the 1/2 egg (preserve the other half for brushing before baking).
-
6
Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and then start to add more of the flour, bit by bit, until you have a dough that is only a little bit sticky.
-
7
Take care not to add too much flour: you will get dry buns.
-
8
Knead the dough for at least five minutes in the mixer, longer if doing it by hand.
-
9
Leave to rise in a warm (not hot) place until doubled in size this will take about 30-40 minutes.
-
10
Turn the dough out to a floured surface.
-
11
Knead again for a few minutes, adding more flour if needed.
-
12
You want a firmer but not dry dough.
-
13
Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.
-
14
Take care that the balls are completely round and uniform in size.
-
15
Place on baking tray with good spacing as they will rise again.
-
16
Leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
-
17
Gently brush each bun with the remainder of the egg wash and bake in a hot oven (200-210 degrees) for about 8-10 minutes keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.
-
18
Remove from oven and cover the tray with a lightly damp tea towel immediately this will prevent the buns from forming a crust.
-
19
When the buns have cooled down completely, cut a lid in the buns about 1 1/2 cm from the top.
-
20
Scoop out about 1/3 of the inside of the bun and place the filling in a separate bowl.
-
21
Mix or blend the almond paste with the inside from the buns until it forms a very sticky mass you can add a dash of milk or custard at this point to help it along.
-
22
Spoon the filling back into the buns, equally divided.
-
23
Whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff, then use a piping bag to pipe cream on all the buns.
-
24
The cream should be piped on top of the filling and bun surface, in a large round circle, ensure every bite has good amount of cream.
-
25
Put the lids back on and dust lightly with icing sugar.
-
26
The buns themselves freeze well but once made up, should be eaten on the same day.
