Wolf's mouths with cream

To prepare the wolf's mouths, first make the starter. In a container, pour the water, the yeast, and mix with a teaspoon until it is completely dissolved. In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a hook, pour the Manitoba flour, the water in which you dissolved the yeast, and mix until a homogeneous mixture is obtained 3. 

At this point, transfer it to a work surface, form a ball 4, place it inside a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap 5. Let rise for 1 hour and a half in the turned-off oven with a pot of hot water placed at the bottom of the oven. Take the dough after the rising time has elapsed 6.

Pour the starter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the all-purpose flour 7, 70 ml of room temperature water 8, and the lemon zest 9.

Add the vanilla bean seeds 10 and the sugar 11. Work until you have obtained a homogeneous mixture, then add the egg yolks little by little 12 and let them absorb completely. 

Add the salt 13 and work for a few minutes until you get a smooth and elastic dough. Add the softened butter a little at a time 14, waiting for it to be well absorbed before adding more. Then work for at least 15 minutes until it is well incorporated 15. 

Once you have obtained a soft but very elastic dough, using a dough scraper to detach it from the sides 16, transfer it into a bowl. Lightly oil your hands 17 and make 4 folds, bringing the outer edges of the dough toward the center 18. Repeat this operation 3 times, letting the dough rest for 10 minutes and covering with a cloth between each fold. 

After making the last fold, cover with plastic wrap 19 and let the dough rise for an hour and a half in the turned-off oven, adding a pot of hot water. This is the best time to prepare the custard; you can find all the tips in the dedicated box. As soon as it has doubled in volume 20, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface 21. 

Divide into 20 pieces of 50g each 22. Take the first piece, lift the edges of dough bringing them toward the center 23, flip the ball over and rotate it with circular movements to obtain a spherical shape 34. Repeat the same operation for all portions of dough, ensuring that the closure of the balls is well sealed.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them generously 25. Cover them with plastic wrap. Let rise for another 30 minutes at room temperature 26. Then bake in a preheated static oven at 347°F for 20 minutes. When they are golden brown, remove the brioches from the oven and let cool 27.

To prepare the custard, first place a glass bowl in the freezer. At this point, extract the vanilla seeds and cut the pods into pieces 1. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add both the seeds and the vanilla pods. Extract the zest from the lemon, removing only the yellow part, and add it to the saucepan 2. Turn on the heat and heat everything, stirring occasionally. In another saucepan, pour the egg yolks, sugar, and rice starch 3

Using a soft whisk, mix to obtain a creamy and smooth consistency 4. As soon as the milk is about to boil, transfer it into the yolks in 3 times, filtering it with a sieve 5 and always mixing with the whisk 6. 

Transfer back to the heat, stirring continuously until it thickens 7. To cool it quickly, take the bowl from the freezer and pour the cream inside 8. Mix with a whisk very quickly until you bring the cream to 122°F, below the cooking point. You should obtain a smooth and very shiny cream 9. Place in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap until ready to use. 

When both the cream and the brioches are cold, create a crosswise cut on the surface of the rolls: just like a mouth, the bottom part should be greater than the top 1. Soak the cut part in the alchermes 2 3 

and fill abundantly with the custard 4. Dust with powdered sugar 5 and serve the wolf's mouths with cream 6.