Dampfnudeln with vanilla sauce

Warm 50 ml milk until lukewarm. Put 500 g flour in a bowl and make a well. Crumble in the yeast, add 1 tsp sugar and the warm milk. Mix in the well, cover and leave for 20 minutes. Melt 50 g butter and let cool slightly. Crack and beat the eggs, then add with the butter, 200 ml milk, 8 tsp sugar and salt. Beat until the dough comes away from the bowl. Cover and leave to rise for 40 minutes.

Dust the worktop with 10 g flour, briefly knead the dough and shape into 12 balls. In a 30 cm deep frying pan with a tight-fitting lid, melt 50 g butter with 3 tsp sugar, then add 250 ml milk. Put the buns in the lukewarm liquid, cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid has evaporated and the bases are lightly golden.

Cut off the required portion of vanilla pod, split it and scrape out the seeds. Mix the cornstarch with 50 ml cold milk. Bring 450 ml milk to the boil with the seeds, pod and vanilla sugar. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Remove the pod and spoon the warm sauce over the buns.

Use for the recipe: half a vanilla pod (prepare 1 vanilla pod).