PREPARATION

Heat the milk until lukewarm. Scrap the marrow from the vanilla pod. Beat the egg with a little lukewarm milk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk well. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla seeds and mix well.

Mix the yeast with the flour. Put a little flour mixture into the pan and whisk well, that the dough become light. Beat in the flour mixture to start with a whisk by. When the mixture is too stiff continue with a wooden spoon. Finally, add the butter and knead with your hands into the dough until well blended.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a lightly dusted work surface or until the dough is elastic and very slightly sticky. If necessary, add a little bit of flour. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place, or until the dough has doubled in volume.

Pressure after one hour the air from the dough. Knead the dough briefly and divide into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a sausage of 3/4 inch thickness and turn to the spiral with the end under the volcano (they have to be higher from the side). Place on a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

In meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the butter with the sugar.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Press after 30 minutes with your finger a small cavity in the center of each volcano. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling into each cavity. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar if desired.

Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown and let cool on a rack.