Fluffy Sweet Buns with Chaudeau Custard Sauce
·Warm the milk for proofing
Warm the milk until it's lukewarm, not hot (ideally around 40 °C). This is important so the dried yeast wakes up properly and the dough rises beautifully.
Mix the dough ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine plain flour, granulated sugar, the lukewarm milk with yeast, and a whole egg. Start kneading into a soft dough.
Work the butter into the dough
Gradually add the softened butter in small pieces, kneading continuously until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is beautifully smooth (about 10-15 minutes).
Prove the dough ball
The dough will be a little sticky at first – use a dough scraper to shape it into a neat ball. Lightly grease the bowl with oil, place the dough inside, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size.
Divide the risen dough
Carefully tip the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal portions for easier shaping. Roll each portion into a long rope, then cut off small pieces. If any look too long, simply cut them in half again.
Brush with butter before baking
Grease a baking dish generously with butter and arrange the shaped pieces of dough inside, leaving small gaps between them. Brush the buns with melted butter too – this will keep them lovely and soft once baked, and make them easy to pull apart.
Second proof
Leave the buns to rise in the baking dish for another hour, so they become even fluffier. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Bake the buns
Place the dish of risen buns in the oven and bake for the first 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190 °C and continue baking until golden (about 15-25 minutes, keeping an eye on the colour). Meanwhile...
Warm the milk with spices
In a saucepan, heat full-fat milk with vanilla sugar, nutmeg, lime and orange zest, sugar and a whole cinnamon stick. The milk should just barely simmer, not boil, so the spices release their flavour.
Prepare the cornstarch slurry
Remove the cinnamon stick. Take out half of the warm milk and let it cool slightly. Then pour off a little into a small cup, stir in the cornstarch until smooth, and mix it back into the cooled milk.
Brush with butter after baking
Take the hot baked buns out of the oven (but don't turn it off yet) and brush them lightly with melted butter again for shine and softness. Carefully turn the buns out of the dish and let them cool.
Toast the pecans
Spread a handful of pecans on a baking tray and place them in the still-hot oven. Toast for about 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Watch closely so they don't burn!
Combine eggs with the cornstarch mixture
Add the whisked eggs to the remaining lukewarm milk-and-cornstarch mixture and stir well.
Thicken the sauce
Pour the egg and cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat gently while stirring constantly, taking care not to exceed 75 °C, or the eggs may curdle. The sauce should gradually start to thicken.
Finish and serve
Chop the pecans into smaller pieces with a knife. Spoon the sauce onto a plate, nestle a few buns into it, and scatter the pecans around.