Ode to the pudding bun
The pudding bun: hated by some, loved by others. We belong to the latter group. In fact, of all the croissants, cakes and buns the baker has, we very often choose this bun without hesitation.
Why? Because we think pastry cream is the most delicious thing in the world. We would happily slurp down a bowl of it for breakfast, and one for dessert, or bathe in it. The pudding bun is one of the few pastries in which our favorite cream plays the leading role. And what a leading role. I mean: you have a pudding crumb pie and a chocolate croissant with pastry cream, and they are both fine. But the cream is showcased in no other creation as well as it is in the pudding bun.
The requirements
We may have tasted hundreds of them by now. So we can pick out a perfect pudding bun in an instant. The bun itself, a white, elongated roll with a tapered end, is soft, über-fresh and slightly sticky. When you bite into it, it must not crumble under any circumstances. That also means that the layer of egg yolk on top must not become too dark in the oven. As for the cream: it should be firm and jiggly, with a light vanilla flavor. Cream that is too watery is a serious turnoff. Too little cream is, too. Now we’re almost forgetting the powdered sugar. A must, not necessarily for the taste, but simply because your lips and the tip of your nose should be covered in white powder when you take a bite. For the ultimate eating experience.
Delicious in its simplicity
We leave pudding buns that fail to meet any of the requirements above. Although, of course, you can’t always tell from the outside. Once, for example, I ate a supermarket version whose bun was so old it practically fell apart, and another whose cream was so firm that it stuck to the roof of my mouth. We always prefer one that is cut open and filled from the top. It doesn’t make for a pleasant bite when the cream is injected from the side.
In short: you make us happiest with a sticky white roll filled with deliciously jiggly vanilla pudding. We don’t need any crazy additions. Ode to the simplicity of the pudding bun!
