Blueberry Cream Buns (Video)

Snowy, fluffy buns filled with homemade blueberry cream is a delectable dessert that contains the perfect amount of sweetness! The buns are easy to make and are perfect for blueberry lovers.

These snowy milk buns filled with blueberry cream are such a delight to the eye and tastebuds. The buns contain a colorful surprise on the inside that is slightly sweet and super fruity. As it is Winter-time, I felt that these snowy Hokkaido buns were suitable for the weather. Hokkaido is the northernmost island in Japan, known for its frigid winters. As the island receives plenty of snow each year, it only seemed fitting to make a bread that resembles the Winter scenery, which explains the pale, flour-dusted buns. I promise the bread rolls are not raw!

How does the bread not brown in the oven though? You simply bake the oven at a lower temperature and omit the egg wash. The bread is soft, tender, and lightly sweetened – delicious as is, but even better when stuffed with cream. I chose to make a blueberry cream since the blueberries at my local grocery looked extremely large and fresh, but you could use any sort of fruit such as strawberries or peaches. The ingredients for this bread are basic and can be made in an electric stand mixer or by hand. If kneading by hand, the knead time is slightly longer, which I have included below. Hand kneading time may vary, so you may use the windowpane test to test if the gluten in the dough has developed enough.

How do you make successful cream buns?

To make successful cream buns, I have included tips and tricks below. Please read!

1. Liquid temperature : As with any bread, weather plays a huge role in the outcome. Therefore, if you are making this recipe in cold weather, the water and milk temperature will need to be about 85-88 F. In hotter weather, the water temperature can be around 80-83 F. Do not overheat the water and milk, as it can kill the yeast.
2. Rising conditions : The dough will rise well in a slightly warm and humid place. To create such an environment, I turned on my small oven for 1 min. and placed a bowl of boiling water inside. I then placed my dough inside to rest. The vapor from the boiling water helps the yeast produce bubbles.
3. Whipped cream : It is important to whip the cream at cold temperatures. Therefore, the jam must be chilled completely and the mixing bowl for cream and electric whisk attachments should also be chilled as well.
4. Piping : Use a Bismarck piping tip to pipe the cream. This tip has a long and thin nozzle. If you do not have one, like me, use a chopstick and small piping tip (as show in the video).
5. Accuracy : Use a food scale to evenly divide the dough. Weigh the dough as a whole and divide that by 15. The dough balls should be around 37 g. each. A food scale is a good investment as they are much more accurate than measuring cups. I use the Ozeri food scale.
6. Baking pan : This recipe is best made with a 7 x 11 in. baking pan, like Fat Daddio’s. If you don’t have this pan, you can covert the recipe to a square pan with similar area dimensions for 4 x 4 buns instead of 5 x 3.

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Blueberry Cream Buns

yield: 15 buns (7 x 11 in. pan)

total cook time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

For bread:

• 300 g. or 2 c. + 3 tbsp. bread flour
• 22 g. or 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3 g. or 1/2 tsp. salt
• 5 g. or 1 1/4 tsp. active yeast
• 112 g. or 1/2 c. minus 1 tsp. warm water
• 90g. or 1/3 c. + 1 tbsp. warm milk (any fat percentage)
• 30 g. or 2 tbsp. butter, softened

For blueberry filling:

• 400 g. or 2 3/4 c. blueberry
• 100 g. or 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 22 g. or 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. or 3 g. cornstarch
• 160 g. or 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 22 g. or 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1. Start by making the blueberry jam/compote. In a pot over low-medium heat, combine blueberry, 100 g. sugar, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and allow mixture to come to a boil, while occasionally stirring.
2. Let the jam boil for about 5-10 min, or until the blueberries are broken apart for the most part. Add in the cornstarch and let the jam boil for an additional 1 min. Remove from heat to cool and chill for at least 2 hrs.
3. In a stand mixer with the dough hook, combine bread flour, sugar, and salt and mix with a spatula. Add yeast, water, and warm milk and knead on medium speed (setting 4) for 8 min (15 min. for hand-knead). Add softened butter in and knead for an additional 5 min (10 min. for hand-knead).
4. Roll dough into a smooth ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hr to double in size.
5. Punch the dough to remove air and divide dough into 15 equal pieces using a scale. Dough should be about 37 g. each. Roll each dough into a ball and place them about 1 cm. apart on your work surface. Cover with damp cloth and rest for 10 min.
6. Place the rolls in baking pan lined with parchment paper in 5 x 3 formation and cover and rise for 45 min. in a warm place.
7. Preheat oven to 305 F.
8. Once the bread has doubled in size, lightly dust flour on top and bake the bread for 20 min. at 305 F. Once baked, remove bread from the oven and pan and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack. This takes about 15 min. The bread should look pale and not brown as we are trying to achieve a snowball appearance.
9. While the bread is cooling, make the blueberry cream. In a large bowl, add in the heavy cream, 22 g. sugar, and 80 g. of chilled blueberry jam. Use an electric whisk to beat the cream until whipped cream forms.
10. Place the cream in a piping bag with a thin piping tip or Bismarck tip. Pipe cream into the cooled buns and enjoy!

*Nutrition facts are estimates.

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