Fluffy yeast dough, thick vanilla custard, and juicy fruit come together in these delicate twisted buns, perfect for breakfast, a festive table, or as a treat for guests. Thanks to the spiral shape and slicing into swirls, they also look beautiful.
Preparation is not difficult, you just need to allow about 45 minutes for the dough to rise. You can make the dough in a bread machine or by hand. For the topping, use plums, strawberries, apricots, or peaches—just pick your favorite fruit according to the season.
What You’ll Need
For the dough:
- 500 g plain flour,
- 40 g yeast,
- 50 g granulated sugar,
- 250 ml lukewarm milk,
- 75 g softened butter,
- a pinch of salt,
- 1 whole egg,
- lemon zest.
For the custard filling:
- 400 ml milk,
- 1 packet vanilla custard powder,
- 2 tablespoons sugar,
- fruit of your choice – plums, strawberries, apricots, or peaches.
For finishing:
- butter for brushing,
- sugar for sprinkling.
The original recipe does not specify the exact amount of lemon zest, fruit, butter for brushing, or sugar for sprinkling, so adjust these to the amount of buns and your own taste.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Preparing the dough: Place the plain flour, yeast, granulated sugar, lukewarm milk, softened butter, salt, egg, and lemon zest into a bread machine and let it knead. If you don’t have a bread machine, knead the dough by hand from all the ingredients.
2. Letting the dough rise: Let the prepared dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Give it enough time so it will be nice and fluffy after baking, and the twisted layers stay soft.
3. Cooking the custard: In a saucepan, cook a custard from 400 ml milk, vanilla custard powder, and two tablespoons of sugar. The filling should be thicker so it holds well in the indentations and doesn’t run out of the buns during baking.
4. Rolling out and brushing: Roll the risen dough into a rectangle. Melt the butter and brush the entire surface evenly so the twisted layers separate nicely and the buns get a delicate buttery flavor.
5. Shaping the swirls: Roll up the brushed dough as you would a strudel. Cut the roll into swirls about 1.5–2 cm thick and arrange them spaced apart on a prepared baking sheet.
6. Filling the buns: Make an indentation in the center of each swirl and fill it with the prepared thick custard. Place half a piece of your chosen fruit on top, such as plums, strawberries, apricots, or peaches.
7. Baking: Place the buns in an oven preheated to 180 °C and bake for about 25 minutes. They’re done when the dough is cooked through and the surface turns a tempting golden color.
8. Finishing: While still warm, sprinkle the twisted buns with sugar to taste. Then you can serve them as a sweet breakfast, a treat with coffee, or a homemade snack for guests.
Which Fruit Works Best
The recipe can be made with plums, strawberries, apricots, or peaches. Choose the fruit according to your taste and what you have on hand. Place half a piece of fruit on the custard filling in each bun to keep the typical swirl shape with a filled center.
Why Make a Thicker Custard
The custard forms the center of each bun, so it should be thicker. It’s easier to spoon into the indentations, stays in place, and together with the fruit creates a creamy filling that perfectly complements the fluffy yeast dough.
Final Tip
If you want to change up the buns, you can try a quark (farmer’s cheese) filling instead of custard. The original recipe does not specify the exact composition or amount for the quark version, so choose according to the desired consistency and the number of buns you’re making.
