Cristinas or Bambas of cream

How to make Cristinas de crema (pastry and whipped cream)

It is possible that you wonder that the name of Cristinas does not ring a bell to you and that you have always called these scones filled with pastry cream or whipped cream Bambas .

Well, the truth is that they are the same elaboration and the name depends on the area of ​​Spain in which you find them. We love the name Cristinas, so we stuck with it.

They are butter , milk and egg buns whose dough has flakes of mashed potato (which can be replaced by potato starch) that makes it more consistent when kneading, but ethereal once baked.

The result is similar to bun sweet rolls anise , the Nordic buns or brioches , which are very tender and light which, together with the filling, it becomes a swanky merendola.

If you are chocolate lovers you can substitute the icing sugar and bathe the surface with a ganache. Of course, we warn you that they fill a lot, although you can always divide the dough into more portions and make them smaller. So you can sin with less charge of conscience.

Preparation of the dough and kneading of the Cristinas

1. We heat the milk for a few seconds in the microwave, just enough to warm it, and add the yeast. Crumble with your fingers and let it dilute for a few minutes.
2. In a deep and wide bowl, mix the flour with the mashed potato flakes and sugar. We make a hole in the center and add the milk with the yeast and the beaten eggs.
3. We remove the liquid ingredients while gradually dropping the dry ingredients.
4. A kind of porridge will be formed that will have to be thicker. knead with your hands until amalgamated. Then we add the salt and knead for a couple of minutes.
5. Crush the dough and add the butter, diced, spreading all over the surface. Knead for 10 minutes until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
6. We roll and let the dough rest in the same container, covering with a clean cloth.
7. The dough has to double its size and the time this occurs depends on the ambient temperature. We can place the container near a heat source to speed up the process.
8. When the dough has doubled in volume, crush with your fingers to degas. Transfer to the counter and knead for a minute. We divide into six portions of equal weight and ball each one of them.

Baking of Las Cristinas

1. Let the dumplings rise, separated from each other, on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. When they have doubled their volume, they take around an hour, we put the tray in the oven, pre-heated to 180º C with heat up and down.
3. Cook for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Airless so they don’t dry out. We can turn the tray over in 5 minutes so that they all brown equally.
4. We can cover with aluminum foil in case of excessive browning. We remove from the oven and let cool.

When the Cristinas are cold we make a cross section and fill with pastry cream or whipped cream , using a pastry bag for each type of filling. Sprinkle with icing sugar and ready to serve.

You can see all the photos of the step by step recipe of Cristinas or Bambas of cream in this album. Do not miss any detail and you will get some Cristinas that will triumph between adults and children at home.

Preparation of the express pastry cream

1. For the preparation of the pastry cream we put all the ingredients in a high jar or the glass of a hand mixer and beat until integrated. We can do it by hand or with a mixer.
2. We pass the mixture, through a strainer, to a microwave-safe container.
3. We cook in the microwave for three minutes at 800 w of power. We remove, stir and program two more minutes at the same power.
4. We check the point in case it needs a little more cooking time, but these five minutes should be enough.
5. Let the cream temper before storing in the fridge and allow to cool completely before using to fill the Cristinas.

Preparation of whipped cream

1. For the whipped cream we need it to be very cold, so we will have it in the fridge for a few hours before using.
2. We can put the cream in the freezer 15 minutes before to make sure it is very cold.
3. In a container, also cold if possible, pour the cream and beat with manual or electric rods. As soon as it begins to take shape, add the icing sugar and continue beating until firm.
4. Be careful not to overdo it or it will turn into butter. We keep the whipped cream in the fridge until it is time to fill the Cristinas.

Tips for perfect cream Cristinas (pastry and whipped cream)

• The Cristinas dough can be made in a kneader or with the help of a robot, although it is very easy and manageable. Whichever way you do it, you must always respect the initial kneading time of 10 minutes.
• With these quantities, six very beautiful Cristinas come out, which can be converted into eight or ten smaller ones. If you decide to make more and smaller, it will be necessary to reduce the baking time a little.
• Fill only the Cristinas that you are going to consume. The buns can be frozen and filled for later consumption.
• If you have filled all the Cristinas and you are not going to consume them at the moment, it will be necessary to keep them in the fridge in an airtight container and consume in a maximum of 24 hours.