Crumb Buns
Crumb Covered sweet bread Inspired by the NY Style bakeries I grew up loving These Crumb Buns are very time consuming but definitely worth the effort
Crumb Covered sweet bread Inspired by the NY Style bakeries I grew up loving These Crumb Buns are very time consuming but definitely worth the effort
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- crumbs
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- buns
- 1/2 cup water (105* degrees f.)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut in to chunks plus additional for the bowl
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
- Carbohydrate 43.4330501370606 g
- Cholesterol 301.492232142473 mg
- Fat 34.0351321577856 g
- Fiber 1.20914763911676 g
- Protein 11.6581641537434 g
- Saturated Fat 19.5268673675053 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (169g)
- Sodium 287.248238348425 mg
- Sugar 42.2239024979438 g
- Trans Fat 3.11048852832044 g
- Calories 527 calories
Step-by-step
- Place water in the bowl of your electric mixer, sprinkle with yeast and add sugar, stir until yeast is dissolved.
- Set aside for 10 minutes or until foam and a few bubbles start to form on the surface.
- In a small saucepan, over low heat, warm the milk and butter until butter just melts.
- Temperature of the mixture should not be more than 105°F
- Add the butter/milk into the proofed yeast mixture,
- Stir. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine
- Add 1 cup of all purpose flour, the cake flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Beat on low speed until smooth and well blended.
- Add 2 cups of the remaining flour and, with your mixer on slow, blend it in to the mixture.
- Slowly add the remaining flour in 1/4 cup increments until the dough forms a smooth, soft ball that comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- It may be necessary to do this last step by hand with a wooden spoon if your mixer is not a heavy duty model.
- If using the heavy duty mixer, install the dough hook and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. OR, knead by hand for about 5 minutes on a lightly floured board, it should be smooth and will no longer stick to the work surface.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl that's been well buttered; flip it around a couple times to coat all sides of the ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until it's about doubled in size.
- Using your fist gently punch down the dough to deflate.
- The dough is now ready to form into buns
- While your dough is rising, about 20 minutes before it's done, prepare the crumbs.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed beat the butter, sugars, salt and vanilla until the mixture is well combined, about one minute.
- Add the flour and the cinnamon
- Mix just until combined
- After punching down the dough, divide it into two portions, cover.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough until it forms a 8x14 inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
- Brush the dough lightly with some melted butter and evenly sprinkle 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture over the buttered surface.
- Starting at the long side furtherest away from you fold 1/3rd of the dough over on itself, brush this surface with melted butter, fold the double layer of dough over again to cover the remaining 1/3rd of the dough that's closest to you.
- You will now have a 3 layered dough that's 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.
- Press gently on the dough so the layers adhere and pinch around the edges to seal.
- Cut the rectangle into 7, 2-inch portions.
- Repeat with second half of dough.
- Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking pan; place the buns 1/2 inch apart in the pan.
- Brush the top of each bun with melted butter and sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the mixture allowing some to fall between.
- Gently press the crumbs into the top of the buns.
- Cover pan with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes or unit the dough looks puffy.
- The buns should NOT be touching.
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Remove plastic wrap from the buns
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the crumbs are slightly firm.
- The buns will have spread into one large pull apart pan of buns.
- Allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
- With a small sharp knife cut along the sides of the pan and carefully remove buns so as not to disturb crumbs.
- Transfer to a rack to cool,
- Just before serving dust with confectioner’s sugar.
- Cover and store at room temperature for 2 days
Standard ingredient declarations rarely reveal the thermal thresholds required for yeast activation, where liquids exceeding 105°F will outright kill active dry cultures before fermentation begins. Maintaining exact liquid temperatures prevents structural failure in enriched doughs, ensuring the final crumb remains light rather than dense. Butter and milk must be warmed gently on the stovetop and tested with an instant-read thermometer prior to mixing. Incorporating eggs at room temperature further stabilizes the emulsion, preventing the cold-shock that often seizes dairy fats during early mixing phases.
Adapting Rich Enriched Doughs for Dietary Needs
Modifying traditional sweet doughs requires understanding how structural fats and proteins interact within the crumb. Swapping standard dairy milk for unsweetened plant-based milks containing higher protein percentages, such as soy milk, mimics the structural integrity provided by whole milk solids. Plant-based butter alternatives containing at least 80 percent fat work reliably in both the dough and the heavy crumb topping, though high-water margaritas will melt too quickly and yield a greasy crust instead of distinct, sandy crumbs. Cake flour blended with all-purpose flour provides the necessary tender protein profile characteristic of New York bakery styles, but standard all-purpose flour substituted at a one-to-one ratio functions adequately if pastry flour is unavailable.
- Dense dough often results from adding excess flour during the final kneading phase; incorporate the remaining 1/4 cup increments slowly until the dough just clears the bowl sides.
- Soggy crumb toppings usually stem from over-mixing the butter and sugar paste; combine the fat, flour, and spices only until a coarse meal forms.
- Uneven baking can occur if the pan is overcrowded; ensure individual portions maintain a 1/2-inch spacing during the second rise so heat circulates efficiently.
