Bread Flour: 200 grams
Caster Sugar: 20 grams
Milk 115-120 grams Butter 20 grams The above is the main dough ↑ Crumb Topping: Butter 15 grams
Powdered Sugar 5g Cake Flour 20g Basque Batter: Cream Cheese 130g Sugar 25g
Whole egg liquid: 30 grams
Whipping cream: 30 grams Decoration: Raspberries / Blueberries / Egg wash (Main dough ingredients) Pour the above ingredients into the mixing bowl and knead until a rough membrane forms. Add 20 grams of softened butter, then knead at medium to high speed until a thin membrane develops. (Crumb topping ingredients) 15 grams of refrigerated butter + 5 grams of powdered sugar + 20 grams of cake flour. (Main dough) After fermentation, degas the dough and divide it evenly into 6 portions. Shape each into a ball, seal, and let rest for 10 minutes.130g cream cheese + 25g sugar, beat until smooth. Add 30g beaten eggs, mix until well combined. Press indentations into the fermented dough, pipe in the Basque filling. Brush the edges with beaten egg, decorate the center with raspberries and blueberries.
Keeping the Filling Contained
The Basque batter is loose by design, and the indentation pressed into each bun is what stops it running over the edge. Press a deep, even well with floured fingertips and leave a wall of dough roughly a centimetre high all round; if the walls keep springing back, chill the shaped buns for ten minutes and press again. Cold batter also behaves better than warm, so keep the cheese mixture in the fridge until the moment of piping, and fill each well only about four-fifths full, since the egg and cream in the filling expand slightly as they heat.
The beaten egg on the rim does double duty here. It seals any weak point where the wall might split, and it gives the crumb topping something to grip during the rise.
Baking Until the Crumb Sets
These are enriched buns carrying a wet filling, so bake at a moderate temperature, around 180°C (356°F), until the crumb topping turns pale gold and the filling puffs and looks set at the edges, typically 15-20 minutes depending on the oven. If the tops colour before the centres firm up, tent the tray loosely with foil for the last few minutes. A heavy wobble in the middle means a few more minutes; a slight tremble will set on the tray as the buns cool.
Serving and Storing
- Rest the buns for 10-15 minutes before eating; the cream cheese centre drops from scalding to pleasantly molten and stops spreading when cut.
- They are at their soft, pillowy best on baking day, ideally still slightly warm.
- Leftovers keep in a sealed box in the fridge for up to two days; warm them for 5 minutes at 160°C (320°F) to soften the filling again.
- Frozen berries work in place of fresh; thaw and pat them dry first so the juice does not bleed into the batter.
