Vanilla buns
The vanilla buns love story started when I visited Juno Bakery in Copenhagen last year. I had the most amazing buns there. After I arrived home I put my dough to work. I had a clear vision of how to achieve that beautiful shape and it turned out exactly how I envisioned it.
These buns are every vanilla lover’s dream. Soft dough paired with a rich vanilla cream makes for a truly indulgent treat. With just the right balance of sweetness and flavor, they’re perfect for any occasion.
For this recipe, I recommend preparing both the dough and the vanilla cream the day before baking. The dough is easy to make and doesn’t require resting at room temperature—it can go straight into the fridge after kneading. However, if you prefer to bake the buns on the same day, make sure the vanilla cream is chilled and ready to go. Prepare the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Before we start, let’s talk vanilla varieties: For these buns, I wanted to achieve a truly rich and intense vanilla flavor, so I decided to go the extra mile and ordered two exquisite vanilla varieties online: Tahiti vanilla and Tahitensis vanilla. They elevate the flavor of the buns, creating a dreamy experience that is worth the extra effort.
Tahiti Vanilla is known for its fruity and floral aroma. It adds a delicate complexity to desserts. It’s perfect for recipes where you want the vanilla to shine as the main flavor.
Tahitensis Vanilla: A variety of Tahitian vanilla, it is prized for its creamy, slightly spicy notes with hints of cherry and anise. It’s richer and more aromatic than standard vanilla beans, making it an excellent choice for indulgent baked goods.
Note: If you prefer to use vanilla beans from the supermarket, which are typically Bourbon vanilla beans, you can substitute as follows: Replace one Tahiti vanilla bean with four Bourbon vanilla beans, and one Tahitensis vanilla bean with two Bourbon (one could also work) vanilla beans. For this recipe you will need: one Tahiti Vanilla bean and two Tahitensis vanilla beans. This means that if you want to use the bourbon variety, you will need 6-8 beans.
Ingredients for 11 bunsActive time: 1.5 h
Total time: 12 h rise overnight + max. 2 h rise the next day + 1.5 hour (making the dough and the cream, forming and baking the buns)
Dough:
21g fresh yeast
125 ml lukewarm milk (37°C)
125 ml lukewarm water (37°C)
100 g butter (cubed, straight from the fridge)
80 g sugar
Seeds from 1 Tahitensis vanilla bean
7 g tsp salt
500 g Manitoba flour
Filling:
100 g room temperature butter
80 g sugar
Seeds from ½ Tahiti vanilla bean and 1 Tahitensis vanilla bean
Pinch salt
Vanilla Custard Cream:
250 ml whole milk
50 ml heavy cream
3 large egg yolks (56 g)
60 g granulated sugar
20 g cornstarch
seeds from ½ vanilla Tahiti bean (2g) + leftover vanilla pod from the dough
15 g unsalted butter
Sugar syrup:
25 g water
50 g sugar
Extra:
Piping bag
Day 1
Prepare the Dough
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Keep the pod for later.
Add everything in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead the dough for about 10 min. In the end it should not stick to the walls of the bowl anymore.
After 10 min shape the dough in a ball and let it rise in the fridge overnight. (10-12h)
Prepare the Vanilla Custard Cream
The cream needs to be fully cooled before using it, so I recommend that you make it the day before baking.
Split the Tahiti vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add both the seeds and pod to the milk. Also, add the vanilla pod which you use for the dough.
In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to steam. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and let it infuse 20 mins with the vanilla pods. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture turns pale and creamy. (3-4 min).
Sift the cornstarch into the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth and lump-free.
Take out the vanilla pods from the milk.
Slowly pour about 1/3 of the warm milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs and prevents them from curdling.
Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.
Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon, ensuring you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent scorching.
Cook until the mixture thickens and reaches a pudding-like consistency. This should take about 10 minutes from the moment you start.
Whisk in the butter until fully melted and incorporated.
Transfer the custard through a sift to a clean bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled and set.
Day 2
Make the filling
The next morning start by making your filling. Mix everything together until you rich a smooth consistency.
Make the buns
Roll out the dough (approximately 25x45 cm). The short side should be close to you.
Spread the filling evenly. Fold the dough like a letter starting from the short side. Roll out the dough again on the long side, left and right (until it is approximately 36-40 cm long).
Cut the dough into 11-12 strips, each about 3 cm wide.
To shape the buns:
Take one strip of dough and position it so the cut sides are facing upward.
Roll the strip into a spiral, keeping the cut sides visible as you roll.
Tuck the end of the strip underneath the bun to secure it.
Gently press down on the bun to give it a flatter, rounder shape.
Carefully place the buns on a baking tray, lined with baking paper, with some space in between (I could fit 9 pieces on my tray). Let them rise in the warm oven (turn the oven on for 1 minute at 180°C, then turn it off) for about 2 h or until they have doubled in size.
In the meantime prepare the syrup by boiling water and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
After two hours remove the tray from the oven and preheat it at 180°C/356°F.
Transfer the custard cream to a piping bag. Gently press down the center of each bun with your fingers to create a small indentation. Pipe approximately 1–2 teaspoons of vanilla cream into the center of each bun - as seen in the video above. I recommend skipping the step of smoothing the cream with a teaspoon. After baking the buns, I noticed they looked much better without it. The taste won’t be affected, of course.
Bake the buns in a preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until they are golden brown.
While the buns are still hot, carefully brush the syrup over the outer edges, avoiding the vanilla cream in the center. Enjoy!
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