ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (115g) water
• 1/3 cup (40g) bread flour
• 2/3 cup (166g) whole milk, luke warm + 1/4 cup (62g), room temp
• 1/4 cup (50g) white granulated sugar
• 2 ½ (7g) teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 3 ¾ cups (450g) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (48g) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon (4.2g) of vanilla extract  
• 2 large eggs
• pinch of salt (2g)
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon (4g) of milk
• 1 cup (120g) of cream cheese
• 1 cup (175g) of

  Creamy pistachio spread

• one handful of blackberries and/or raspberries
• sprinkle of powdered sugar

instructions:

1. add the water and flour to a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. place on low-medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until you have a very thick paste. set aside.

2. add 2/3 cup of warm milk, yeast and sugar to a bowl and mix a little. let it sit for 5 minutes to develop.

3. add the rest of the ingredients, knead the dough for around 8 minutes. the dough at the end will still be quite sticky, so don’t be tempted to add too much flour and use a bench scraper to help.

4. add a splash of oil to a large clean bowl and rub it around the sides. let the dough rise for 1 hour.

5. punch down the dough then roll 8 even balls from it. if you weigh the dough, then divide that by 8, then weigh each portion before rolling you’ll get even sized buns (mine are roughly around 130g each).

6. place them smooth side up on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper. let them rise until puffy and almost doubled in size again. (another hour).

7. preheat the oven to 350°F.

8. brush the rolls all over with egg wash making sure to get right around the sides. bake for 18-20 minutes, turning the tray at the halfway point, until puffed up and deep golden brown. don’t over-bake or they’ll dry out.

9. once the buns have cooled, mix the cream cheese and pistachio spread for the filling.

10. slice straight down through the center of each bun, leaving a thick hinge at the bottom.

11. fill each one with cream and use a bench scraper or spatula to the top to scrape away the excess and any lines along the top of the bun.

12. top them buns with some berries and powdered sugar. ready to serve!

recipe development by @chefccita