1. Dissolve the fresh yeast in lukewarm milk with a tablespoon of sugar. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes until it bubbles.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, remaining sugar and salt. 3. Add the yeast mixture and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. 5. Place the cold butter between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll out into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Let cool in the fridge. 6. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, put the butter in the center and fold the edges of the dough over the butter so they are completely sealed. 7. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, fold one third of the dough toward the center and then fold the other third over the first (like a triptych). Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the stretching and folding process three more times. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes between each fold. 8. After the last fold, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 9. Heat the milk with the vanilla pod (opened and seeds scraped out) until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. If using vanilla extract, add it last. 10. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch until smooth. 11. Slowly pour the hot milk (without the vanilla pod) onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and boils. Cook for a further minute and remove from the heat. 12. Add the butter to the hot cream and stir until fully incorporated. Cover the cream with cling film if it is in direct contact with it to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool. 13. Roll out the puff pastry to about 5mm thick. Cut into 10cm squares. 14. Place a tablespoon of pastry cream in the centre of each square. Fold the corners towards the middle and seal slightly. 15. Arrange the pastries on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes. 16. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush the pastries with beaten egg and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
17. Allow to cool slightly and dust with icing sugar if desired before serving.
ADVERTISEMENT
