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cardamom buns

original recipe

ingredients

For the Tangzhong:

5 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons whole milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Dough:

6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter cooled
½ cup whole milk slightly warm
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds removed from the outer pod if necessary and crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
All of the tangzhong cooled

For the Filling:

8 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds removed from the outer pod if necessary and crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder

For the Syrup and Cardamom Sugar:

3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds removed from the outer pod if necessary and crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder

instructions

Make the tangzhong: Combine water, milk and flour in a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Make the dough: While the tangzhong is cooling, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients for the dough. Combine yeast, cardamom, salt, sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk briefly by hand to combine.
Attach the dough hook to the mixer. Add melted and cooled butter, slightly warm milk, egg and the cooled tangzhong (it can be slightly warm to the touch) to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium low until fully combined.
Increase mixer speed to medium and knead mixture for 4-5 minutes or until dough is slightly tacky but not sticky and clears the side of the bowl. It’s okay if it’s sticking to the bottom of the bowl slightly. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take longer, more like 8-10 minutes.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until it is 1 ½ or 2 times its original size (about 1 ½ to 2 hours). The time will largely depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
In the meantime, make the filling. Combine butter, flour, salt, brown sugar and cardamom in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mix ingredients together until a smooth, spreadable paste forms.
Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean countertop. Roll out with a rolling pin until it is in the shape of a rectangle that is about 16 by 20 inches in size. The dough should be smooth enough that you do not need to add flour during the rolling process. If yours is sticking the rolling pin, however, sprinkle a little flour over the dough as necessary to prevent this from happening.
Using an off-set spatula, spread filling in a thin even layer over the bottom half of the dough.
Fold the top half of the dough rectangle down over the lower half. Roll the folded dough a few times to help everything flatten and adhere. Cut the dough into 12 evenly-sized strips that are about 8 inches in length. A pizza wheel works great for this!
Working with one strip of dough at a time, use your pizza wheel or a sharp knife to make a slit up the center of the dough strip until there is just about ¾ of an inch at the top. The strip of dough will look like a tall pair of pants. Leaving the dough strip on the countertop, twist each “leg” a few times using the thumb and forefinger of each hand.
Loosely wrap one of the twisted legs up and around the top of the pants, followed by the other leg, securing the bottom of the last leg by coming up and through the center of the bun.
Place the shaped bun on a prepared baking sheet. Once you have six buns shaped and placed on one of the baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Continue with remaining buns, shaping and placing them on the second baking sheet before covering with plastic wrap. Let covered buns rise for an additional 45 minutes.
Starting with the batch of buns you shaped first, bake one pan of buns at a time for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the baking sheet half way through the baking time. Remove the buns from the oven and cover with a clean tea towel while they cool. This traps the excess moisture in and helps keep the buns soft. Repeat with the second baking sheet.
Heat 3 tablespoons of light corn syrup and 1 tablepoon of water in the microwave or on the stove until bubbling. Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cardamom in a small bowl. Brush the syrup over the buns and sprinkle each bun with cardamom sugar. Serve immediately!

notes

To substitute active dry yeast for instant: While this recipe calls for instant (or rapid rise) yeast, you can certainly substitute active dry yeast for the instant by proofing it in the warm milk for about 10 minutes prior to adding it to the dough. The amounts stay the same.

To make ahead: Either let the dough rise at room temperature until about double in size and then transfer the dough to a 9x13 baking dish and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to shape the buns and proceed with the recipe (up to 24 hours). OR, shape the buns as directed the night before baking and wrap with plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them the following morning. Be sure to give them 45 minutes or so to warm at room temperature before popping them into the oven.

To store: These buns are at their very best just after baking, but should you have leftovers, store them on the countertop in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Freeze for longer storage (see below for instructions).

To freeze: Once the buns have cooled completely, pop them in a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container and tightly seal. They will keep for about 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, just set the bun or buns on an ovenproof plate and place in 250 degree oven until warmed through.