CARDAMOM BUNS RECIPES

Steps:

• Crack open 10 of the cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar, and tip into a saucepan. Add the milk and warm until steaming but not boiling. Add 50g butter (leave the remaining butter at room temperature to soften) and set aside to cool until lukewarm, swirling the pan from time to time to encourage the butter to melt.
• Put the flour, 75g of the sugar, the yeast, cinnamon and 1 /2 tsp salt into a large bowl, or the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Mix until well combined. When the milk has cooled, strain it through a sieve into the flour, discarding the cardamom. Using a wooden spoon or dough hook, mix to form a soft dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead for 10 mins, or run the freestanding mixer for 5 mins, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Clean the bowl, lightly grease with oil, then return the dough to the bowl and turn it over until well coated in oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise for 2 hrs or until doubled in size (you could prove it in the fridge overnight).
• Crack the remaining cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar. Prise them open and tip the seeds back into the mortar, discarding the pods. Crush the seeds to a powder, then combine with 150g sugar. In a bowl, mix the remaining butter with all but 2 tbsp of the cardamom sugar.
• Line two baking trays with parchment. Punch the dough down to knock out the air, then roll to a rectangle roughly 35 x 45cm, with the longer edge facing you. Spread the cardamom butter over the surface, right to the edges. Fold the top third down to the middle and the bottom third up, like an envelope, so you have three layers of dough. Score, then cut into 12 equal strips, measuring about 3.5 x 11cm each. Cut each strip down the centre, leaving it attached at the top. Twist each strip away from the centre two or three times, then tie the dough in a knot and tuck the ends underneath the bun. Put each on the tray when done.
• Cover both trays with a sheet of lightly oiled cling film and leave somewhere warm to rise for 30 mins - 1 hr, or until almost doubled in size. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Uncover the buns and brush all over with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the pearl sugar. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown – swap the trays halfway through if they’re browning unevenly.
• Tip the remaining cardamom sugar into a pan and add 50ml water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool, swirling to dissolve the sugar. Brush the syrup over the buns two or three times as they cool, leave them to soak for 20 mins before eating. Will keep for 2 days in a sealed container, or freeze for 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and reheat for 5 mins in the oven before eating.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, bring the milk to 105 to 110 degrees. Remove it from the heat and pour it into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, give it a quick whisk and let it rest a few minutes to dissolve and activate. If the yeast looks like it’s clumping, whisk it gently.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, butter, cardamom, salt and the yeasted milk. Mix on the lowest setting until just combined and beginning to form a dough, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue on low to knead dough, about 2 minutes. It should go from shaggy and coarse to smooth and shiny. Working inside the bowl, give the dough a couple more kneads by hand to bring it together. You can also knead the dough entirely by hand on a work surface. (It’ll take 8 minutes or so.)
• Line a 9-by-13-inch quarter sheet pan with parchment paper and dump the kneaded dough out onto it. Using your hands, pat and shape the dough into a large rectangular block. Make 4 or 5 shallow, 1/4-inch-deep slashes in the dough with a knife. Cover the baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
• Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, cardamom and salt on low speed just to form a granular paste. (It should resemble marzipan.) Don’t overbeat it: You don’t want it to be too soft or get fluffy. You can also do this by hand in a bowl, combining the ingredients with a spatula or bench scraper.
• Line two 13-by-18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator — it will have risen, but don’t be surprised if the rise isn’t significant — and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it’s not so stiff that you can’t roll it out. Place the dough on a thick silicone mat or a very lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out to a roughly 15-by-18-inch rectangle a little more than 1/8-inch thick, with the shorter side facing you. As you roll it in both directions, pause occasionally between rolls to relax the dough by patting it, lifting it and pulling it to straighten out any ripples.
• Dot the surface of the dough with mounds of the filling. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the filling all over the surface of the dough.
• With the short side of the dough facing you, fold the top third of the dough down over the middle third of the dough, then fold the bottom third up to cover the remaining dough.
• Go over the dough with the rolling pin a couple of times, vertically, to flatten the edges, and stretch it a few more inches before cutting and shaping. You want a 12-by-16-inch rectangle (the longer side will be facing you). If any filling oozes out, use your offset spatula to remove it so your workstation doesn’t get sticky.
• Using the straight edge of a ruler and a pastry cutter (or very gently using a small, sharp knife), trim any uneven edges. Cut the dough vertically into 16 1-by-12-inch-long strips. Starting from the end, gently wrap one strip around the tips of your index, middle and fourth finger (or just the index and middle if you’ve got strong hands), like a bandage, two or three times, letting the dough overlap and working cautiously so it doesn’t tear. Place your thumb on top of the wrapped dough, on the side closer to your wrist, to secure the shape, then loop the remaining end of the strand over and through the center of the bun, tucking it under at the base of the bun. You should have a rounded bun made out of bandage-like strips. The knotted part will be unexposed, hidden at the bottom.
• Place each bun on the prepared baking sheets as you go, patting it down for a flatter shape. Space the buns evenly (you can eyeball it). Leave them to proof at room temperature, uncovered, for about 1 hour. They should expand and soften.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Finish the buns: In a small bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon water until well combined and frothy.
• Grind the cardamom pods in a spice grinder, making sure you break down the tough outer husks. Transfer the ground spice to a small bowl and whisk it together with the sugar.
• Lightly brush each bun with the egg wash, and generously sprinkle the tops of the buns with the cardamom sugar, using about 1/2 teaspoon per bun.
• Bake for 8 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees, rotate trays completely (180 degrees and top to bottom, bottom to top) and continue baking for an additional 12 minutes. The surface of the buns should be golden brown. (Some butter may seep out of the buns and pool — that’s normal — but if you’re worried that it will burn on the trays, cover the buns with parchment paper toward the end of baking, once they’ve reached the desired color.)
• Let the buns cool for 10 minutes before eating, so the spiced, sweet buttery goo that pools around their edges can harden into crispy candylike edges, or let them cool entirely.