Black sesame buns

Ingredients

For the filling

• Custard cream (see recipe here)

For the dough

• Basic yeast dough of your choice (see recipe here)
• 50 g (1¾ oz) black sesame seeds, toasted and ground (see Note)
• 10 g (⅓oz) full-fat milk

For the black sesame crumble

• 50 g (1¾ oz) butter
• 50 g (1¾ oz) raw cane sugar
• 25 g (1 oz) black sesame seeds, toasted and ground
• 75 g (2½ oz) white (light) spelt flour

For the topping

• Glossy glaze of your choice (see recipe here)

Rising time: 1½-2 hours total

Instructions

1. First, prepare the custard cream and leave it to cool fully. Whisk the cream again briefly before you spread it over the dough.
2. Prepare the basic yeast dough of your choice, adding the toasted, ground black sesame seeds and additional milk to the flour.
3. While the dough is resting, knead the butter and sugar in a small bowl to make the sesame crumble. Add the toasted, ground black sesame seeds and the spelt flour. Rub everything together gently to make a crumble. Set aside until ready to use.
4. After the end of the rest time, roll out the dough to a 50 cm × 30 cm (20 inch × 12 inch) rectangle. Spread two-thirds of the pastry sheet with 200g (7 oz) custard cream and then shape the dough into corkscrew buns. First, fold the third without filling over the middle third. Fold the final third on top. Roll the parcel out lengthways (to about 20 cm / 8 inches). Cut it into strips (about 2.5 cm / 1 inch wide). Stretch the strips out (to about 40-50cm / 16-20 inches). Corkscrew a strip (hold each end of one strip and twist in opposite directions). Wrap the twisted around in a spiral to create a bun. Tuck the end underneath. Repeat with remaining strips.
5. Transfer the buns to two baking trays lined with baking paper. Make a hollow in the centre of the buns and fill it with the remaining custard cream. Sprinkle with the sesame crumble. Cover and leave to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 210°C (425°F/Gas 6–7). Bake the black sesame buns on the middle rack, one tray at a time, for about 8–10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the glossy glaze. Immediately after baking, brush a thin layer of glaze onto the buns.

Note

You can find black sesame seeds in Asian supermarkets. I use a mini chopper for grinding.

Image and recipe from Sweet Buns by Maren Thobaden (Murdoch Books, $36.99). Recipe image by Maren Thobaden.