Tag: Polish Custard

This is a variation on my post Kołaczyki which means little wheels from the word koła which means wheels.

This uses my favourite Basic sweet yeast dough. 

The buns are filled with budyń – Polish custard and dark forest fruits.

I used frozen blackberries.

A few reminders when using yeast in baking

• Learn to be patient – you cannot control the timings exactly with yeast, it depends on the temperature of the room and the flour used and other variables.
• Do yeast baking on a day you are planning to be in & have other things to do, but ones you can break off from when needed.
• Heat the milk so it is at body temperature – use the finger test – too hot and you will kill the yeast – too cold is okay – it will just take longer.
• Older Polish recipes use fresh yeast.
• I have used dried yeast and have had very good results. 

Ingredients – for the dough

Leaven – Starter

• 100g plain flour
• 15g dried yeast
• 125ml  milk

Rest of ingredients

• 3 egg yolks
• 60g sugar
• 50g melted butter or block margarine
• 400g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2-3 drops of vanilla essence
• 125ml milk

Method

• Warm the milk slightly – so it is just warm to the touch – and add the yeast and mix together.
• Put the flour in to a bowl and add the milk and yeast  mix it all together and leave it covered until it is double in size.
• *
• Melt the butter and leave it to cool.
• *
• Whisk the yolks and sugar until they are pale and fluffy.
• *
• Grease 2 baking sheets – You should get around 14 buns. – invite people round!
• I think these are best on the day they are made – start early in the morning.
• Into a large bowl put: the flour and the salt, the yeast starter, the yolk mixture, the zest of a lemon, the vanilla essence and the milk.
• Mix it all together so that you get a soft dough that comes away from the side of the bowl – you do not have to knead it.
• *
• Then work in the melted butter (this is the hardest part) until it is all incorporated and you have a uniform shiny dough.
• Cover the dough with a cloth and leave this to rise until it is double in size.

• *
• Onto a floured surface place the dough and form it into a rectangle and then roll this out until it is around  2cm thick.
• Using a 8cm diameter cutter cut out circles of dough and place them on the greased baking sheets, leaving room for the dough to rise.
• Gather together the left over dough and repeat the process.

• *
• Cover the trays and leave the circles to rise and double in size.
• Pre heat the oven to GM5 – 190ºC
• Use a clean napkin or tea towel and cover the base of a tumbler.
• Use the covered tumbler and press down on the centre of each circle to form an indentation into which you will put the filling.
• *
• Add the budyń to each bun.
• Top with the fruit.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes
• Can dust with icing sugar

• INGREDIENTS for  budyń 
• 500ml of milk (full fat is best)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2-3 drops of vanilla essence or 2 bay leaves (fresh are nice if you have then)
• 3 tablespoons of potato starch(or you can use cornflour)
• 3 egg yolks
•  
• METHOD
• Put 300ml of the milk into a saucepan.
• Add the butter, sugar and the vanilla or the bay leaves.
• Heat gently till the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.
• Stirring all the time.
• Bring this to the boil for a few seconds then take of the heat.
• *
• Blend the rest of the milk with the egg yolks and potato flour.
• Add some of the boiled milk mixture and stir well.
• Add this to the rest of the boiled milk mixture and stir well.
• Heat gently, stirring all the time until the mixture thickens.
• Leave to cool completely before using.

INGREDIENT for fruit

• Around 250g of forest fruits – they can be frozen and left to defrost.
• 1 – 2 tablespoon of granulated sugar – to taste.
• 1 tablespoonful of water.

Best on day of baking!