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Ruchik Randhap

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Cream Pan ~ Japanese Custard Filled Cream Buns


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Folks, I am back with another delicious bread this month!
This month’s host is Jenni of Pastry Chef Online who chose ‘stuffed breads’ as the theme and I was absolutely thrilled. Imagine all the delicious stuffed breads that I was going to discover! Everyone was just as excited as I was on our baking group. For the past two themes I had chosen to make savoury breads and so I decided to make another savoury bread for this month too! When I was flipping through the Bread Bible, I came across a mouthwatering bread from Japan called the Kare-Pan or the Curry Pan (where ‘pan’ stands for bread in Japanese and Kare or Curry is just that – a thick curry filling). The bread in question was oval shaped (pretty much like the Totapuri mango), was rolled in Panko breadcrumbs before being deep fried (or baked). I was actually salivating at the thought of eating fresh Kare Pan but to my bad luck when I finally found a recipe I realised that I may have to run from pillar to post to find the ingredients, although I am pretty sure that some well stocked supermarket would have them. However, since I like making stuff that calls for easily available ingredients I didn’t want to go ahead with this bread and make my readers in India face the problem of sourcing expensive ingredients that perhaps would not have a repeat use. I kissed the dream of eating Kare-Pan goodbye and proceeded to flip through the book some more. Thankfully, the Japanese have been generous with their variety of confections and it so turned out that the Cream Pan is a pretty popular and much loved snack. There was no way I was going to miss making these!

 
 
While looking for recipes online I came across plenty of them – they all looked so good and the reviews of those who had tried them out was even better. However, there was one recipe that called for using the dough of the Japanese milk bread to make these buns. The milk bread dough essentially makes use of a water roux or a kind of a ‘dough starter’ called as the ‘Tangzhong’ which gives the bread its soft texture (ultra soft actually) and also keeps it fresh for longer. Now this bread would have been a breeze if I had paid more attention to the fine details (and comments) in the recipe. I ended up trying this bread twice and learnt plenty from my mistakes.
 
Attempt#1
Since I was excited to try something new in my baking expedition I went ahead with the process without having read all the comments. To my horror the dough turned out to be extremely sticky. It was maddening! I panicked and added some extra flour to the dough. Realising that the dough was not going to co operate at any given point I added all the flour I had and reached out for some whole wheat flour too as I ran out of the all purpose flour. Somehow after a lot of effort the dough came together and I proceeded with the recipe. These buns were delicious despite the fact that they didn’t turn out ultra soft (thanks to the excess flour I had added) and the taste was largely of the whole wheat that I had added over and above the extra flour. My neighbour Mitchelle who is my baking buddy loved them too but there was no way I could post an incorrect recipe on the blog could I?
 
 
I decided to make these buns again the next day. I was well prepared this time. Experience is a great teacher and I knew exactly the kind of mistakes I should be avoiding. The previous night while I tossed and turned in bed I ran the entire process in my mind and made a mental notes of how I would proceed (yeah, I am crazy that way! I can eat, sleep and dream breads now!). Honestly, I couldn’t wait for the next day to dawn so that I could start baking these buns again.
 
Attempt#2
The second time around was a breeze. I worked on auto pilot and the bread is what you see in the pictures. I was patient and kind to the dough and kneaded it for a full 10 minutes without stopping until what I had was a smooth, soft dough with a window pane effect (which is what you get when you stretch it a bit and hold it against the light and see the light pass through)
 
I couldn’t wait for the buns to come out of the oven so that I could finish the photo shoot in the evening sun and sink my teeth into these gorgeous babies. One bite and I was in heaven! The bread was so soft, so melt in the mouth and the filling was delicious! If you like custard then this bread is for you!
 
 
My little baby girl was most delighted that I made these buns two days in a row. She ate the maximum number of buns and thoroughly enjoyed them. She has a sweet tooth I can tell, contrary to the older fellow who twitched his nose and said that he didn’t like sweet breads. He was only excited about drawing the flag of Japan and helping adorn my photoshoot. The oriental paper fan and the flag were placed by him at the last minute.
 
 
Making Pav
Since these buns were such a hit I decided to use the same dough to make pav for dinner when we had guests a couple of weeks ago. This time around, I decided to revive my half sleeping Kenwood food processor which I have never used much – my excuse? The mixing bowl is too big for small quantities of cake batter. The good news is that the processor came with a dough hook that I never put to use and since I knew this recipe like the back of my hand I was sorted. The pav turned out deliciously soft – mind blowing actually. My guests were bowled over! I am definitely making them again – perhaps make the dough in bulk and freeze it until required.
 
You should definitely make these too but remember that patience is a virtue and you will be richly and deliciously rewarded for it! If I can do it, so can you! Just remember to read all the instructions twice before proceeding! And yes, if you have a bread machine or a food processor with a dough hook attachment, use that! If you can make your life easier, why not?
 

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Recipe for the dough adapted from food.com and recipe for the custard adapted from 350degreeoven.com

Cream Pan | Japanese Custard Filled Cream Buns

This beautifully soft & melt in the mouth Japanese style bun with a delicious custard filling. A must make for everyone with a sweet tooth. You won't regret it!
4.64 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breads
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Bun, Cream Pan, Custartd
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Proofing Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Author: Shireen Sequeira

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 2-1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour (or all purpose flour/maida)
  • 2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 4 tablespoons 60 grams caster sugar
  • 3 tablespoons 45 grams butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons (7 grams) milk powder
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) milk

For the tangzhong

  • 2 tablespoons+2 teaspoon (25 grams) bread flour (or all purpose flour/maida)
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) water

For the custard filling

  • 1-3/4 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons (60 grams) unsalted butter
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 5 tablespoons (40 grams) flour
  • 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch (cornflour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For the egg wash

  • 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Make the custard

  • Make the custard first as you need to chill it till it turns firm and easy to scoop. This could take at least 3 hours. By the time your dough is ready to be shaped, your custard will be too.
  • Place the butter and the milk in a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 1-2 minutes or until the butter is melted completely.
  • In another bowl beat the egg yolk lightly and add the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt to it and whisk till you get a thick crumbly mixture. Add the melted butter+milk mixture little by little and whisk till you get a smooth, thick paste.
  • Strain this egg+milk mixture into a saucepan (preferably non stick pan) to catch any lumps. Stir with a metal spoon until all the egg bits are smoothened and no lumps remain. Add the vanilla extract to the saucepan and cook it on a medium heat whisking continuously.
  • The mixture will thicken in a few minutes – do not stop whisking until you see swirl lines appearing over the mixture. Remove from heat and continue whisking for another half a minute.
  • Allow to cool a bit and then place contents in a box and refrigerate until required.

Make the tangzhong

  • Gently heat the water for the tangzhong in a small saucepan and sprinkle the flour. On a moderate heat whisk the mixture till it thickens and swirl lines appear. Remove and cool completely. Keep aside until required. This recipe requires 1/2 cup of the tangzhong, refrigerate the excess (if any) for upto 3 days.

Make the dough:

  • If you have a bread machine, use that (see note#3). Please note that kneading the dough by hand can be extremely messy initially as the dough is very sticky. Do not multitask if you are going to knead by hand.
  • If you are going to knead by hand:
  • Place the flour on a clean, large working surface. Add the prepared (and cooled) tangzhong and rub it until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Next add the rest of the dry ingredients mentioned under 'For the dough' and mix well. Now add the egg, butter and mix and add the milk in parts until you get a very sticky mixture. Resist the urge to use extra flour. Use a dough scraper to scrape the dough from sticking to the working surface and knead for 10-12 minutes continuously until the dough shapes up. Trust me, it can be very frustrating in the beginning but I promise you that as the gluten develops it will make the mixture less messy/sticky and you will get a nice, smooth dough.
  • If you are going to use a bread machine: Follow the instructions on the manual of the bread machine
  • If you are going to use the dough hook of your stand mixer (like KitchenAid/Kenwood): Add all the ingredients (for the dough plus the tangzhong) in one go and start the machine on medium speed – pause at intervals to scrape down the dough using a spatula. Continue for 10 mins or until all the flour/mixture has come together into a smooth dough
  • You need to knead for a minimum of 8-10 mins or until you get a windowpane effect i.e when you stretch the dough and hold it against the light, the dough should be transparent enough to let the light in. When you have achieved this, the dough is ready for proofing.
  • Place the dough in a warm spot, covered, till it doubles in volume. This could take about an hour and half. When the dough has doubled, punch it down and leave it to rise for another 30 mins.

Assemble & bake

  • Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
  • Use the dough scraper or a knife to divide the dough into 16 equal parts. Divide the chilled custard cream into 16 equal portions using an ice cream scoop.
  • Now take a portion of the dough and roll it into a smooth ball and stretch and flatten it slightly, big enough to place the scoop of custard in the middle. You can place the flattened dough over your 1/4 cup measure to make things easy for you.
  • Now place the custard scoop in the centre of the dough and carefully pull the edges together and seal them.
  • Place the buns seam side down on the baking sheets and cover with cling film/plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 30-40 mins.
  • Preheat oven to 175 degrees C and brush the top of the buns with the egg wash.
  • Bake for approx 12-15 mins or till the buns turn golden on top.
  • Remove and cool thoroughly. Store in the refrigerator for upto 2 days. Do check for spoilage (as custard may go bad) after 2 days.

Notes

1. Try and make the custard much in advance, perhaps the previous night if you intend making the buns the next morning. It will save you a lot of work and also give the custard enough time to chill and firm up to be scooped up with an ice cream scoop.
2. The longer you cool the tangzhong the better it is for the dough.
3. If you have a stand mixer (like KitchenAid or Kenwood) with a dough hook, use that. Just place all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and turn the machine on a slow speed for 10 minutes or till you get a smooth dough. If you have a bread machine, follow the instructions on the manual.
4. If you are hard pressed for time you can make the dough in advance and freeze it. Just thaw it on the counter and allow to rise for at least an hour before you are ready to bake.

Disclaimer

The nutritional values are only indicative.

Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap

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Comments

  1. Renee Dobbs says

    What perfect looking buns and I'm dreaming about that soft custard filling squeezing out as I bite into one. It's like a hundred times better than a donut.

    Reply

  2. Stacy Rushton says

    What beautiful buns, Shireen! They are perfectly round – and that custard filling looks divine. And the flag's pretty nice too. 🙂 How wonderful that you have help in both the eating and decorating departments in house.

    Reply

  4. Shireen Sequeira says

    @ Stacy: Thanks so much!! It was such a great experience making these as I improved at the skill of shaping them perfectly – better than how I used to do earlier. Yeah, I do have help eating and presenting food at home, haha! I will pass on your compliment for the flag to my son 🙂

    Reply

  5. Jennifer Field says

    Rolled in panko and then deep fried?! Oh my goodness, you *have* to make that sometime! But these guys? Wowie! I love custard, and shoving it inside bread seems like a very good idea. I also like using the Tangzhong method, but you are so right–it gets major sticky and takes forever to knead. Great results though. Love the cream buns. =)

    Reply

  9. Holly @ abakershouse.com says

    Shireen, these are gorgeous! I laughed when you wrote that you fell asleep thinking of how to improve your process of bread-making. You are not alone! I think the best baking ideas sometimes pop in my head when I am about to fall asleep too. Maybe we are most relaxed then and can actually think things through? Glad these worked for you the second time!

    Reply

  13. Shireen Sequeira says

    @ Holly: Thanks! So good to know that you dream of baking too!! Yes, when we are relaxed we are more likely to get better ideas..I like to have second chances sometimes 🙂

    Reply

  19. Pavani N says

    I love working with tangzhong starter — it makes the best bread in my opinion. Your cream pans look very tempting. Thank you for the detailed instructions.

    Reply

  31. Tessa says

    This recipe is so good! I just made them and tried one fresh out of the oven and they taste and feel just like a doughnut! If you have the ingredients and the time, I would definitely suggest making these, I know I will again! Thanks so much for the great recipe. 🙂

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thank you so much for the positive feedback Tessa! I am so glad to know that you enjoyed these!

      Reply

      • Tessa says

        Hi Shireen,

        I made them multiple times once again with variations in flavor and they turned out just as delicious! For one batch, I made a Kahlua/mocha custard, and for another I made an apple pie filling to go with the original custard recipe. They were absolutely to die for, everyone that tried them loved them so much! Again, I would highly recommend this recipe, it is, by far the best ‘custard bun’ I have ever had! Thanks so much for sharing it!

        Reply

        • Shireen Sequeira says

          Hi Tessa,

          Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!! Your variations are making my mouth water! I hope to try the Kahlua custard version…wow! That sounds brilliant!! Thanks again for letting me know! Appreciate it!

          Reply

  32. Jacque Dunn Rong says

    Made these last weekend. Amazing. Custard was perfect! I did stir much longer than the recipe states. My only other issue was I went straight to the instructions for using a dough hook and it says add all the dough ingredients. Which actually didn’t say tangzhong so I didn’t add it. I also don’t have milk powder so looked up alternatives online. After review, it was included in the knead by hand part though but I never do that. Dough was of course dry so I added more milk. Amazing the dough turned out fantastic despite this major error.

    I also did a short proof with the longer proof after the buns were made based on a different recipe.

    Thanks for posting. I shared with Th neighbors and at work as I was very pleased with the outcome.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thank you so much for the feedback! Yes, it is important to read the whole recipe. I had mentioned add all the ingredients. I have updated the ‘tangzhong’ part in the instructions for using the dough hook.Thank you for trying the recipe and I am glad that you were happy with the results!

      Reply

  34. Becca says

    I made these yesterday , as my 21 year old daughter loves all cuisine that is Japanese , I think the end result was well received , I could not get my head round making a bun shape so I watched a tutorial and the lady made the shape at the end more like a pasty shape

    Reply

  35. Steph says

    So yummy. Great texture. My tangzhong was a little lumpy and my dough did not have a windowpane appearance when stretched, but didn’t seem to matter! Great!

    Reply

  36. Bex says

    Your recipe says 1-3/4 cups milk for custard. Is that 1 and 3/4 or 1 cup or 3/4 your choice? It’s not very clear.

    Reply

  38. Kaya says

    It doesn’t say what to do with the butter that’s under the dough ingredients. And I’m wondering if that’s either a mistake in the ingredient area or during the recipe’s making of the dough?

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thanks for letting me know, I have updated the recipe now. The butter needs to be added along with the egg and milk

      Reply

  39. Tiffany says

    I followed your recipe for these buns. Firstly, the custard filling is delicious but the proportion of custard to dough seems a bit too much custard for the amount of dough. However I found that your dough recipe seem to have insufficient proportion of flour. I mixed in stand mixer for 10 minutes and the dough was still very wet (clinging to the side of the mixing bowl). The wetness is a lot more than some of the other milk bread recipe I have used. I gradually added more flour and mixed another 10 minutes. Whilst I thought the dough still seemed wet, I went on to first proof. After 2 hours, the dough did double in size but then was still so wet that I kept adding more flour just so that it won’t stick to my hand when handling. I hand kneaded some more hoping to make the dough more smooth but it was still very sticky. At the end, I just proportioned into about 9 portions of around 75-80g each (so not the 16 portions you suggested as I think 16 would make the buns too small). I spooned about 35-40g filling per dough portion. The finished product was tasty and it puffed up nicely but the buns did not have a smooth top as the dough is too wet (I think). At any rate, feedback for your consideration.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thank you for taking the time to share a detailed feedback. I made this years ago and remember that the dough was very tricky to work with but I had followed the recipe to the tee, resisted the urge to add any extra flour and I was rewarded with the most beautiful and delicious custard buns. I will definitely give this recipe a try again and share any additional tips or pointers.

      Reply

  40. Julie M says

    I made these for a young man from Japan, who is going to college here. I made them according to directions and it turned out so good! He said they taste better than at home (they bake them longer so not as soft). He even sent pictures to his Dad.

    *Do not add flour to the dough. When flattening the dough, lightly flour the surface and get both sides of the dough and flour your hands. Use a medium cookie scoop for the custard – it’s perfect. I’ll be making these again! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Dear Julie,

      Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! I am so happy to note that the young man from Japan liked these better that what is found back home! Thanks for taking the time to let me know

      Reply

  41. Kalani says

    I made this recipe for a class party and everyone loved it! Two people even asked for this recipe – it felt good to share it with more people.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      So happy to hear that Kalani! Thanks a lot for the feedback and for sharing the recipe with others!

      Reply
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