Cream de Parisienne

I haven't made bread in awhile and thought I would try this pastry. It's called Cream de Parisienne and the original recipe can be found at Do What I Like. The pastry came out really well. The bread's texture was really soft and the texture stayed soft until all the pastry finished. The filling is a custard filling, and it's just the right amount of sweetness. I love how pretty it looks, I kept looking at the oven when it was baking, because it looks so pretty!!! I definitely will make this again. I recommend anyone trying this recipe, it's pretty simple to make and the results are very rewarding. It does, however, take patience.

Cream de Parisienne

adapted from Do What I like

250g bread flour
3.5g instant yeast
50g castor sugar
2.5g salt
7.5g milk powder
25g unsalted butter (melted)
25g egg
130ml water

1. Mix the bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk powder together in a large bowl. Mix the butter, egg and water in a separate bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until a dough forms. knead the dough until it's no longer sticky. Return dough to a greased bowl and let the dough proof for approximately 60 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in a warm area.

2. Knead the dough to release the air in it and proof for another 30 minutes.

3. Divide dough into 60g pieces and shape it into round balls. Rest the dough for 25 minutes.

4. Roll the dough into a flat oval of approximately 10cm x 14cm in dimension. Add in 40g filling and shape (refer to illustrations on the e-pan site). Proof for 45 minutes.

5. Glaze the surface with an egg glaze.

6. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1o to 12 minutes or till golden brown.

Custard: (about 300g)

26g cake flour
60g Castor sugar
200ml milk
25g unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks (about 36g)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Sieve flour into a microwavable bowl. Stir in the sugar and mix well.

2. Heat milk in a saucepan till nearly boiling but not boiling. Add this hot milk into the flour mixture, stirring all the time.

3. Microwave for 1.5 minutes in a microwave oven. Remove from microwave, stir mixture. Return to microwave for another 1.5 minutes.

4. Add in the lightly beaten egg yolks and blend well.

5. Microwave mixture for 1 minute.

6. Add in the butter and vanilla essence and mix well.

Notes:

• I don't usually have castor sugar on hand, but what I do is put granulated sugar in the food processor for a few pulses to create my own castor sugar.
• When making this pastry, be patient, the dough needs time to proof. Don't rush the process.