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Classics, Sweet Pastries

Custard Pretzels (Puddingbrezel)

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Custard pretzels made from puff pastry, filled with vanilla cream and glazed with white fondant

4.9 (15)out of 5, 15 ratings

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Prep
10 min
Bake
35 min
Total
45 min
Makes
8 pieces

Today it's an absolute bakery classic that almost everyone loves: custard pretzels, known in Germany as Puddingbrezeln or Puddingteilchen! 😍 These delicate pastries with a creamy vanilla filling, tender Danish dough and a glossy glaze are a real highlight in every bakery case, and with this recipe you can easily bake them at home!

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I know that sometimes it just has to be quick! That's why I'm sharing an easy shortcut with store-bought puff pastry from the refrigerated aisle, which comes together in no time and still tastes incredibly good.

💡 Why are custard pretzels brushed with apricot jam and glazed?

The combination of apricot jam and pouring fondant not only gives them a beautiful shine, it also has a few secret benefits that many people don't know about:✔ It enhances the natural color of the pastry for an appetizing look✔ It adds a delicate fruity note and a light caramelization✔ It extends shelf life by keeping the pastry from drying out✔ It's the perfect base for further decorations, such as nuts, marzipan or chocolate

Ingredients

Makes 8 pieces

  • 7 tbsp90 ggranulated sugar
  • 1large egg
  • 6 tbsp45 gcornstarchA fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes. In the US cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • 1 ¾ cups430 mlmilk
  • ½vanilla beanA whole vanilla pod; the seeds are scraped out and used. In the US use a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per bean; in the UK a vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste per pod.
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 2 packagespuff pastry or Danish dough1 German package = about 10 oz (275 g). In Germany puff pastry is usually bought ready-rolled from the chilled section. In the US use frozen puff pastry sheets, all-butter if possible; in the UK, ready-rolled puff pastry.
  • ⅔ cup200 gapricot jam
  • pouring fondantOr a little powdered sugar to make a simple sugar glaze. Pouring fondant is a white sugar paste that is warmed and thinned into a glossy pouring icing; it is not the rollable sugarpaste used to cover cakes. In the US use poured fondant mix (sold online), or a thick powdered sugar glaze; in the UK fondant icing sugar mixed with a little water, or a thick icing sugar glaze. Powdered sugar is very finely ground sugar (US: confectioners' sugar; UK: icing sugar).

Method

  1. Stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg and stir vigorously again.

  2. Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla seeds and the scraped-out bean.

  3. Add a small splash of the boiling milk to the egg mixture and stir vigorously. Then add a splash of milk two more times, pour the whole mixture into the boiling milk and boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

  4. Remove the vanilla bean and take the pan off the heat. Stir in the butter.

  5. Cover the hot cream and let it cool completely.

  6. Preheat the oven: 350°F (180°C) convection (fan), 375°F (190°C) conventional (top and bottom heat).

  7. If you like, brush the puff pastry sheets with a little water or egg white and stick them on top of each other, then cut them lengthwise into strips about 1 ¼ inches (3 cm) wide. Twist the strips into pretzels and place them on a large baking sheet (about 16 × 14 inches / 40 × 35 cm; a US half sheet pan, 18 × 13 inches, works too).

  8. Fill the cooled vanilla cream into a piping bag and pipe it into the pretzels.

  9. Bake in the oven until the puff pastry is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

  10. Bring the apricot jam to a bubbling boil with a splash of water. Brush the boiling hot jam onto the pastries and wait a few minutes so the jam has time to cool and set.

  11. Gently warm the pouring fondant until lukewarm (hand warm). If needed, add a splash of water or an egg white to thin it, then spread it over the pretzels.