To make the buns: warm the milk and butter on the stove until the butter melts

meanwhile, put 3 1/2 cups flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, sugar, and a pinch of salt to the bowl

when the butter is melted pour the milk mixture into the flour

add the eggs

stir on low with the dough hook until the dough comes together, add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to make a soft dough, you may not need it all

add the lemon zest over the dough

knead with the machine for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is soft and silky

cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size this may take some time so be prepared

While the dough rises make the plum sauce by chopping plums and putting them in a saucepan, add the orange juice and sugar

cook over medium heat and stir the plums until they've broken down

puree them in a small food processor or with an immersion blender, taste and add cinnamon as desired, set aside until needed

make the Creme Anglaise

heat the milk and cream over low heat until almost boiling

while they heat whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla paste together in a bowl

when the milk is almost boiling pour over the egg mixture and whisk

then pour it back in the saucepan

cook and stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is thickened up, this is a pourable custard so it will not be as thick as say pastry cream, when it's done cooking pour into a bowl and cover with a circle of parchment or wax paper

when the dough is doubled gently deflate it by pressing it down

divide the dough into 12 roughly equal pieces, roll them on the counter into balls, cover with a damp towel while you prepare the poaching liquid

Make the poaching liquid: gently warm the milk, sugar, and butter in a 12-inch non-stick frying pan with a tightly fitted lid(I used a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet) stir until the sugar is dissolved

set the buns in the warm poaching liquid with the lid on to prove for 15 minutes or so

then put the pan on low heat, cover it tightly, and let it steam for 25-30 minutes, be careful to NOT boil it dry at this stage

after 25 minutes or so you can remove the lid and continue cooking the buns for another 5-10 minutes or so, the bottoms of the buns will be browned and most of the poaching liquid will have cooked away at this point

serve warm with the plum sauce and creme Anglaise