Fluffy Creamppang
Time:
4h30m
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Loot:
8 buns
Ppang (빵) = bread/bun
For those of us who aren’t tapped in — boom. There's your Duolingo lesson for the day. Now you’ll be able to keep up with some more of my baking lessons.
Anyway, creamppang is one of the staples of Asian baking, and for me, was my first introduction to the wonderful world of Korean pastry (RIP Bini Bakery Niles). Back then, my young, picky palate wasn’t crazy about danpat, matcha, or soboro. But these little custard-stuffed buns? They were my meta. I can still remember those hot summer nights in our old flat, our tiny AC unit buzzing for its life, the smell of damp wood from the rain hanging in the air. My family was gathered around the TV watching Lydia cook baked ziti or something on PBS, and I’d sit there, hands sticky with that cool, buttery cream. It was both a sort of respite from the heat and, interestingly, a source of warmth and coziness from the storm outside.
Creamppang, to me, is the flavor of summer rain. It’s such a specific feeling, a flavor that you can’t quite explain to someone wh hasn’t lived it. So as the weather warms, the rain starts pouring, and that wet, dusty smell drifts through our homes again, I wanted to share this little piece of the Korean bakery canon with you.
Tips for Folding
Roll out your dough ball into a flat, round disc. Be sure to flip it over so that the seam side that you rolled up is facing up, and the smooth side faces the board.
Scoop about 1-2 tsp worth of custard into the center of your bun. Make sure you leave about an inch of room on all sides so that it doesn’t overflow.
Fold two of the opposite sides inwards towards the center.
Fold the other two down to create a little envelope shape.
Take the remaining sides opposite to the folds, and fold them inwards to form a little dumpling looking shape. Pinch the top shut, and round out the edges with your palms. Flip it over seam-side down.
Word to the Wise
If the dough feels a little too dry or shaggy after kneading, add 1 tsp of milk and knead a little more. Keep adding as much milk as you need until it becomes a little more pliable.
Use the windowpane test when dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You know the drill. Stretch out a piece of your dough to see if it can get thin enough for light to pass through without tearing.
Stir CONSTANTLY when adding your warm milk to your yolks. We’re not making scrambled or poached eggs here.
Keep stirring 45-60 seconds after your custard mixture thickens/bubbles on the stove. This’ll help it maintain its thickness and cook all the way through.
Don’t overstuff your buns! If you’ve made dumplings, tamales, etc before, you know the struggle. Leave about 1 inch of space from the edge to your filling to make sure it doesn’t explode.
Let your buns cool all the way. Seriously. As tempting as it might be, it’ll be a hot, runny mess if you don’t give the cream time to set.
OPTIONAL: Make cream in advance. This is definitely a weekend/work from home recipe already with all the rises. With that I mind, I tried to expedite the cream process. But for absolute BEST results, it might be best to chill your cream overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients
Dough
2 ¾ cups bread flour
4 ½ tsp nonfat dry milk powder
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup granulated white sugar
1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 large egg white
1 large egg
⅔ cup + 1 tbsp whole milk, lukewarm
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (½ stick)
Filling
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
⅛ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tbsp butter (cold is fine)
Instructions
Dough
Fill a small heat-proof pan or bowl with water. Place this on the lower rack in your oven. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting (usually around 170 degrees Fahrenheit in the US). If it can go as low as 80-85 degrees with a proof setting, do this.
Warm ⅔ cup milk slightly in a small pot or microwave (not hot, just lukewarm). Whisk in the egg white.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¾ cups bread flour, 1 ½ tsp yeast, ½ tsp salt, ⅓ cup granulated white sugar, and 4 ½ tsp nonfat dry milk powder.
Add the milk mixture and tangzhong. Mix until well-combined on low speed (2) using the paddle hook attachment on your stand mixer for 2 minutes. After this, the dough will look a little shaggy and dry. That’s alright. Add 1 tbp of whole milk here.
Knead for around 4-5 minutes on medium speed (4) with the dough hook attachment. The dough should stretch to form a thin "windowpane" without tearing.
When the preheat timer beeps, kill the heat, and crack open the oven just a little bit. Using an oven or meat thermometer, measure the center of the oven. Leave it open until it reaches about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Shut off the heat, but leave the oven door closed.
Gradually knead in your softened butter until fully incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and passes the windowpane test. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and pop it in your oven with the heat off. Let it rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size. Start on the filling while this rises.
Filling
In a medium saucepan, pour in your milk and vanilla, and stir over medium heat until it simmers. Once you see persistent bubbles on the surface, immediately take it off the heat and place it to the side to cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, combine your egg yolks, sugar, and salt, and whisk until pale, thick, and viscous (don’t worry about ribbons, it just needs to be mixed together). Stir in your corn starch until the mixture is combined and thick.
Grab your saucepan full of milk, and gradually pour it into your egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly to avoid cooking the yolks. Continue pouring until fully combined and the mixture reaches a lukewarm temperature. Save the saucepan!
Pour your custard mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly and vigorously for around 4-5 minutes until the mixture thickens and turns yellow. Once the mixture thickens/slightly bubbles, continue whisking for about 45-60 seconds more to ensure it sets.
Add your butter to the hot custard and stir/fold it in until it melts in all the way.
Immediately cover your custard with Saran wrap so that it touches the surface of your custard and doesn’t allow any air into the pan. This is to ensure it doesn’t form a skin. Immediately place in the fridge and let it chill for 1-2 hours.
Assembly
Get out a 9x13 baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
Once your dough is about doubled in size, remove it from the fridge, punch it down, and divide into about 8 even pieces.
Roll each one of the pieces out into a disc or oval. Roll it up from bottom to top, and pinch down your little sides into a ball.
Let your dough rest for about 10-20 minutes to loosen up a bit. Place each one of your dough balls seam-side down. Be sure to cover them with a towel to avoid drying them out.
Remove your custard from the fridge and whisk to loosen it up a bit.
Loop:
Flatten out and roll each ball into a disc. Flip it over so that the smooth end faces the work surface, and the seam side faces the top (see Tips for Folding).
Scoop a small (1-2 tsp) dollop of custard into the center of each bun, leaving about 1 inch of space on each side.
Fold two opposite sides of your disc towards the center and pinch them together.
Fold the other two opposite sides together to form a little dough envelope. Pinch your remaining loose corners towards the center towards the top to form a sort of dumpling shape.
Pinch the top of your bun closed, and round out the shape of the edges with the palms of your hands. Flip your bun over so that the seam-side faces down and place it on the parchment. You should see a round bun, with a smooth top (don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh).
Once you have your buns, cover your pan with a towel or Saran Wrap, and place them back into your warm, humid oven to rise for 45-60 minutes or doubled in size.
When your buns have risen enough, remove them from the oven. Remove your water dish, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small bowl, whisk together one egg and a splash of milk to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of your buns until they shine.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, and the tops turn a lovely golden brown color. They should be slightly crispy on the outside, but rebound quickly when you poke the surface lightly.
Once you remove them from the oven, let them cool completely for at least 30-45 minutes so that the cream can set properly.
Serving
Eat ‘em while they’re fresh! If you want to save some for later, wrap up your buns tightly with Saran Wrap after they cool completely and place them in the fridge for storage. Enjoy!