Scottish Cream Buns are a simple, yet delicious treat. These lightly sweetened and glazed brioche-style rolls are filled with clouds of whipped cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. Perfect for afternoon tea or dessert!
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Why this recipe works
- The dough is a tender, lightly sweetened brioche-type bread roll
- The bun is sweetened further with a simple syrup glaze after baking
- Using homemade whipped cream allows you to sweeten it to your liking, or you can use ready made whipped cream
Many types of breads and rolls are based on brioche, a bread enriched with eggs, milk, and butter. Babka loaves (like my chocolate babka and apple honey babka), challah bread, and sourdough sandwich bread are just a few examples of enriched brioche-style breads.
Another variation are Cream Buns - a lightly sweetened brioche-style roll that's filled with whipped cream (plus sometimes jam) and dusted with powdered sugar.
There are regional variations on what cream buns are called and how they're made around the world (see the FAQs below). In Scotland, Cream Buns (aka Cream Cookies) are shaped into small rolls (similar to how soft sourdough dinner rolls are formed), then glazed with a simple syrup after baking before being cooled and filled.
These Cream Buns are a wonderful snack to have with your afternoon tea or coffee, or serve them for a light dessert. And if you're looking for Scottish treats to serve at Hogmany (the Scottish New Year celebration) or for a Burn's Night supper, Scottish Cream Buns are another option alongside bannocks, Scottish shortbread, and cranachan trifle.
Whatever you serve them for, you'll be enchanted at how good these are!
Recipe ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this Cream Bun recipe:
Ingredient Notes
The dough is made up of flour, sugar, milk, yeast, salt, butter, and an egg.
Milk and Butter: The difference between making a cream bun dough and challah dough is the use of butter and milk instead of canola oil and water (although there is some water in the recipe). Butter is used to add richness and flavor, and milk gives the dough a softer texture.
Since we're using melted butter in the dough, it's best to measure out the butter (especially by weight using a kitchen scale) before melting it.
Yeast: I use instant yeast in all my baking, but Active Dry yeast can also be used (the difference is discussed below). If you use Active Dry yeast, you'll want to follow the steps to prove the yeast before proceeding with the recipe.
Sugar: Besides the sugar in the dough, it's used for a simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water) to glaze the cream buns when they come out of the oven. You'll be making more simple syrup than you need, so it can be refrigerated and used to sweeten tea, cocktails, or to glaze more Cream Buns!
Whipped cream (not shown): You can use homemade or store bought whipped cream. If you do make it yourself, check out my tips for homemade whipped cream success below.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
What's the difference between yeast types?
Did you know that there are different types of baker's yeast? Packaged yeast are dehydrated single-celled organisms (like being in suspended animation). Rehydrating the yeast (using the liquid in bread dough) allows it to "come back to life," as it were.
The differences between yeast types are mainly based on moisture content and the size of the granules.
- Instant yeast: Has very small granules with a high percentage of live yeast cells. It doesn't need to be rehydrated (or "proved"), and can be added directly to the bread recipe's dry ingredients. Instant yeast can be used instead of Active Dry yeast in bread recipes.
- Active Dry yeast: Has larger granules than instant yeast. It needs to be rehydrated in a warm liquid before using, an action called proving the yeast, and will take about 15 to 20 minutes longer to rise than instant yeast.
- Rapid-rise yeast (aka bread-maker's yeast): Has even smaller granules than instant yeast, allowing it to dissolve faster, and is frequently used in bread machines. While it saves rising time, the shorter rise has an adverse effect on the dough's overall flavor. This type of yeast isn't interchangeable with other yeast types.
How to make Cream Buns
Step 1: Make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, beaten egg, melted butter, milk, and water. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes.
Alternatively, you can make the dough using a bread machine set to the “dough” cycle, or just combine the dough ingredients in a large bowl, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.
How to prove yeast
If you're using Active Dry yeast (or you're not sure if your yeast has passed its prime), you can prove the yeast is active and make the dough by following these steps:
- To prove the yeast: Combine lukewarm water, yeast and ½ teaspoon of sugar. Allow the yeast to rest for a few minutes, until it begins to foam. The foaming is what tells you your yeast is good to use.
- To make the dough: In a small bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, and the beaten egg together. Stir the milk mixture into the yeast mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, remaining sugar, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture, then knead the dough until smooth.
Roll the dough into a ball, then place in a bowl sprayed with canola oil spray. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (the oven with just the light turned on works well), about 90 minutes.
After the dough has risen, knead it gently into a ball to release any gas. Let the dough rest on a lightly floured surface, seam side up, for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Shape the dough
Divide the dough into 18 pieces, covered with a kitchen towel (see the Yield Notes). Shape each piece into a tight round ball (keeping the remaining dough covered), and place them seam side down on a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.
Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Step 3: Bake the buns
Bake the buns at 350˚F for 20 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
While the buns are baking, prepare a simple syrup glaze by combining equal amounts of sugar and water and cook just until it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Remove the buns from the oven and use a pastry brush to glaze them with the warm simple syrup while they are still hot.
Place the glazed buns on a rack to cool completely.
Step 4: Assemble the buns
When the buns are completely cool, cut them almost all the way through at a downward sloping angle. Fill them with whipped cream and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage instructions: It's best to fill only as many buns as you'll need for one sitting and store the rest. Unfilled cream buns can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for several days.
Make-ahead instructions: Unfilled cream buns freeze well in an airtight plastic bag. Defrost them on the counter for an hour (or in the microwave on 50% powder for about a minute), then split, fill, and serve.
Yield Notes
You can portion the dough by either eyeballing them into 18 equally-sized pieces or by portioning the dough into 50-gram balls using a kitchen scale (my preferred method, but I’m a sucker for precision). To make larger cream buns, divide the dough into 12 pieces, about 75-grams each.
Homemade whipped cream success
Making homemade whipped cream is easy, and you can control the level of sweetness to your liking. Here are a few tips for homemade whipped success:
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before whipping chilled heavy cream
- Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks before adding powdered sugar to taste
- Continue whipping the cream until it's just at the stiff-peak stage. Any further and you're making butter
You can also use a pie filling thickener (like Instant ClearJel) to stabilize the whipped cream so it will hold its structure longer. I find a 3 : 1 ratio of powdered sugar to thickener works well.
For this recipe, I whisk 2 teaspoons of Instant ClearJel with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar before adding it to 1 cup (240 grams) of whipped heavy cream.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Generally speaking, cream buns are an enriched lightly sweetened yeast dough baked into a roll then filled with whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar. Some cream buns also are filled with fresh fruit or jam.
Cream buns seem to be a global phenomenon, similar around the world in style with different names. There are maritozzi in Italy and Cornish splits from England. In Scotland, they're called cream cookies and are brushed with a simple syrup glaze before being topped with the powdered sugar.
Regional preparation variations exist as well - in Hong Kong, Asian milk buns are filled with a buttery cream, then dusted with coconut. In New Zealand, cream buns are filled with sweetened whipped butter (aka mock cream) and raspberry jam, and in Australia the dough sometimes contain raisins.
Wherever you get them, cream buns are delicious!
I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More shaped bread recipes to try
Recipe
Cream Buns from Scotland
Equipment
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast, or Active Dry yeast, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup milk, warm (100 to 110°F)
- ½ cup water, warm (100 to 110°F)
For the glaze
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
For the filling and topping
- whipped cream, homemade or store bought, see Recipe Notes
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, beaten egg, melted butter, milk, and water. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes.Note: If you're using Active Dry yeast, see the Recipe Notes on how to prove the yeast and mix the dough.
- Alternatively, you can make the dough using a bread machine set to the “dough” cycle, or just combine the dough ingredients in a large bowl, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough into a ball, then place in a bowl sprayed with canola oil spray. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size (the oven with just the light turned on works well), about 90 minutes.
- Shape the dough: After the dough has risen, knead it gently into a ball to release any gas. Let the dough rest on a lightly floured surface, seam side up, for 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 18 pieces, about 50-grams each, covered with a kitchen towel (see Recipe Notes). Shape each piece into a tight round ball (keeping the remaining dough covered), and place them seam side down on a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Bake the buns: Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
- Make the glaze: While the buns are baking, prepare the simple syrup glaze by combining equal amounts of sugar and water and cook just until it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Remove the buns from the oven and use a pastry brush to glaze them with the warm simple syrup while they are still hot. Place the glazed buns on a rack to cool completely.
- Fill the buns: When the buns are completely cool, cut them almost all the way through at a downward sloping angle. Fill them with whipped cream and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Storage instructions: Unfilled cream buns can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for several days.
- Make ahead instructions: Unfilled cream buns freeze well in an airtight plastic bag. Defrost them on the counter for an hour (or in the microwave on 50% powder for about a minute), then split, fill, and serve.
Notes
- To prove the yeast: Combine lukewarm water, yeast and ½ teaspoon of sugar. Allow the yeast to rest for a few minutes, until it begins to foam. The foaming is what tells you your yeast is good to use.
- To make the dough: In a small bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, and the beaten egg together. Stir the milk mixture into the yeast mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, remaining sugar, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture, then knead the dough until smooth.
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