This recipe was inspired by the filling I made for another recipe, using a sweet bun instead of a heavier dough. The bread is incredibly light and fluffy, and the custard is a smooth and sweet blob in the middle of it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to photograph the inside, because I made these as a gift for a friend and didn’t want to pull them apart for pictures!

Makes 12

Ingredients

Dough

1 x 7g sachet instant yeast
125ml milk, lukewarm
200g all-purpose (plain) flour
30g potato starch
60g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sultanas
40g butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

Filling

100g ricotta
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp sugar

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water, for egg wash

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and set aside for 5 minutes, until frothy.

Whisk the flour, potato starch, sugar and salt together, then stir through 1/2 cup sultanas so they are coasted in flour.

And the softened butter and whisk in, then add the milk mixture and mix well to combine.

Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until soft and elastic. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour , until doubled.

To prepare the filling, beat together ricotta, egg, vanilla, flour and sugar.

Prepare a tray with 12 muffin liners.

Punch down dough and knead lightly. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Cover with plastic while you fill them, so they don’t dry out.

Take a piece of dough and press it out into a circle about 10cm across. Place two teaspoons of filling in the middle, then lift the edges of the dough around it and pinch closed tightly. Smooth into a ball and place seam side down in muffin liner. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Let the buns rise again for at least an hour, until doubled.

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Brush buns with egg wash. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Variations: The sultanas could be omitted or replaced with other dried fruit or candied peel.