Fluffy Sweet Buns with Chaudeau (Egg Custard) Sauce

Step-by-step method

At a glance

You're making feather-light yeasted buns paired with a silky, spiced custard sauce that's worlds away from school lunch memories. The dough needs two rises and some patience (about 2.5 hours total), while the custard requires gentle heating to keep the eggs from curdling – but the real payoff is that golden, nutmeg-scented sauce and crunchy toasted pecans that make this feel genuinely special.

1/15

Warm the milk for the yeast

Warm the milk until it's lukewarm, not hot (ideally around 40 °C). This matters so the dried yeast wakes up properly and the dough rises beautifully.

For this step
0/1

90 gram
Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat)
2/15

Mix the dough ingredients

Put the plain flour, granulated sugar, lukewarm milk with the yeast, and a whole egg into the bowl of a stand mixer. Start kneading a soft dough.

For this step
0/4

29 gram
Granulated Sugar

150 gram
All-purpose wheat flour

4 gram
Dried Yeast

1 piece
Chicken Eggs
3/15

Work in the butter

Gradually add the softened butter in small pieces, kneading continuously until it's fully incorporated and the dough is beautifully smooth (about 10-15 minutes).

For this step
0/1

42 gram
Unsalted Butter

4/15

Let the dough rise

The dough will be a little sticky at first – use a dough scraper to shape it into a neat ball. Lightly oil the bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot to rise for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size.

For this step
0/1

5 gram
Sunflower Oil
5/15

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, cut them in half again.
6/15

Brush with butter before baking

Generously butter a baking dish and arrange the pieces of dough in it with small gaps between them. Brush the buns with melted butter – this keeps them lovely and soft once baked and makes them easy to pull apart.

For this step
0/1

20 gram
Unsalted Butter
7/15

Second rise

Leave the buns in the baking dish to rise for another 1 hour so they become even fluffier. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
8/15

Bake the buns

Put the dish of risen buns into 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, keep an eye on the colour). Meanwhile...
9/15

Warm the milk with spices

In a saucepan, warm whole 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.

For this step
0/7

2 gram
Nutmeg

500 milliliter
Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat)

45 gram
Granulated Sugar

1 piece
Lime

1 piece
Orange

1 piece
Whole Cinnamon Sticks

1 teaspoon
Vanilla Sugar
10/15

Prepare the cornflour slurry

Remove the cinnamon stick. Take out half of the warmed milk and let it cool slightly. Then pour off a little into a cup, stir in the cornflour until smooth, and mix it back into the cooled portion of milk.

For this step
0/1

3 gram
Cornstarch
11/15

Brush with butter after baking

Take the hot baked buns out of the oven (but leave it on) and brush them again lightly with melted butter for extra shine and softness. Carefully turn the buns out of the dish and let them cool.

For this step
0/1

10 gram
Unsalted Butter
12/15

Toast the pecans

Spread a handful of pecans on a baking tray and put them into the hot oven. Toast for about 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Watch closely so they don't burn!

For this step
0/1

20 gram
Pecans (unsalted)
13/15

Combine eggs with the cornflour slurry

Add beaten eggs to the remaining lukewarm milk-and-cornflour mixture and stir well.

For this step
0/1

2 piece
Chicken Eggs
14/15

Thicken the sauce

Pour the egg and cornflour mixture back into the pan with the rest of the 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.
15/15

Finish and serve

Chop the pecans into smaller pieces with a knife. Spoon the sauce onto a plate. Sit a few buns on top and scatter the pecans around.

How it went

Nobody has tried this recipe yet

Be the first to say how it went.

Fluffy Sweet Buns with Chaudeau (Egg Custard) Sauce

Name: Dreamy Sweet Buns with Egg Custard Sauce
Prep time: 39 min
Cook time: 34 min
Total time: 211 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 150 gram All-purpose wheat flour; 5 gram Sunflower Oil; 90 gram Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat); 4 gram Dried Yeast; 3 gram Cornstarch; 1 piece Lime; 1 piece Whole Cinnamon Sticks; 74 gram Granulated Sugar; 72 gram Unsalted Butter; 2 gram Nutmeg; 500 milliliter Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat); 3 piece Chicken Eggs; 1 piece Orange; 20 gram Pecans (unsalted); 1 teaspoon Vanilla Sugar

flavorsbyyumsto

Prep 39 min Cook 34 min

Plus 2 h 15 min of resting (not counted in active time)

15 Ingredients

15 Steps

Hard Difficulty

Equipment

What you'll need besides the ingredients.

Stand mixer

Bench scraper

Tea towel

Roasting dish

Pastry brush

Baking sheet

What's in it?

564 kcal

Calories

63 g

Carbohydrates

29 g

Fats

15 g

Proteins

The nutritional information is an estimate and may vary based on the specific ingredients used.

About this recipe

Hand on heart, who among us doesn't have flashbacks to that thin, oversweet yellow sauce from school lunches? It's time to clear that legend's name! Our version, inspired by French chaudeau, brings these little buns back their rightful, regal flavour. Forget powdery instant mixes – we're making an honest, silky custard scented with citrus, cinnamon and nutmeg that finally has real depth and character. Soft yeasted dough and crunchy pecans lift this dish into something you won't want to share. Let's cook up a sweet lunch together that you'll fondly remember!

Vegetarian Desserts

Want a recipe like this every Thursday?

One recipe worth heating the oven for, and one tip that saves you time. Nothing else.

Similar recipes

Recipe

Choose your cookies

Cookie settings

Shop

Step-by-step method

At a glance

Warm the milk for the yeast

For this step

Mix the dough ingredients

For this step

Work in the butter

For this step

Let the dough rise

For this step

Divide the risen dough

Brush with butter before baking

For this step

Second rise

Bake the buns

Warm the milk with spices

For this step

Prepare the cornflour slurry

For this step

Brush with butter after baking

For this step

Toast the pecans

For this step

Combine eggs with the cornflour slurry

For this step

Thicken the sauce

Finish and serve

How it went

Nobody has tried this recipe yet

Fluffy Sweet Buns with Chaudeau (Egg Custard) Sauce

Ingredients — what you'll need

Equipment

What's in it?

About this recipe

Want a recipe like this every Thursday?

Similar recipes

Cart