Potato Buns

Image credit: Cookidoo International

Servings 24

Prep Time 30

Total Time 3

200 g Russet potatoes, cut into cubes (1 cm)
70 g Water
120 g Fresh milk, room temperature
1 tsp Dried yeast
70 g Sugar
1 Egg
450 g Bread flour
40 g Butter softened, plus extra for greasing or 40 g olive oil, plus extra for greasing
� tsp Salt

Place potatoes and water in a mixing bowl, cook 8 min/100�C/speed 1. Blend 30 sec/speed 5. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Clean mixing bowl.
Place milk, dried yeast, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl, mix 1 min 30 sec/37�C/speed 2.
Add high protein flour, butter, reserved potatoes and salt, and knead for 4 min/. Transfer dough to a large bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 1 hour). Grease 2 baking trays (20 cm x 20 cm) with butter. Set aside. Clean mixing bowl.

Place milk, butter, vanilla extract, plain flour, cornflour, sugar, egg yolks and custard powder in a mixing bowl, cook 10 min/90�C/speed 2 until thickened. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside.
Divide dough into 24 pieces, form each into a ball and place them on a prepared baking tray (1.5 cm apart). Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 1 hour). During the last 10 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 170�C. Brush dough with a lightly beaten egg using a pastry brush. Transfer reserved custard cream to a piping bag and pipe custard cream on the dough surface in a cross pattern.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (170�C) or until golden brown. Remove buns from the tray and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

To avoid the dough sticking to your kitchen towel while rising, you can use cling film, plastic wrap or a pastry mat instead.
Always preheat your oven before baking. The baking time and temperature illustrated here are general guidelines. Make necessary adjustments on the time and temperature to suit your oven.
If local potatoes are used, reduce fresh milk to 100 g; they contain more water compared to Russet potatoes.
Serve remaining custard with ice cream, fruit crumble, apple strudel or use it as filling for cream puffs or pie.