Ingredients

• 250ml Warm Milk (36-40C)
• 2 Eggs, at room temperature
• 90g Butter, melted
• 600g Bread Flour
• 125g Caster Sugar
• 1 TSP Salt
• 2½ TSP Instant Yeast
• ----------------------------------------
• 250g softened butter
• 2 TBSP ground cardamom
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 30ml milk
• Pearl sugar, for decorating

Directions

• 1. Bloom the yeast - gently warm your milk in the microwave (think baby bathwater warm, not hot coffee warm) then whisk your yeast in and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it has foamed. If it doesn't foam then throw your yeast out - it has expired and will not leaven your dough.
• While you wait, grease a bowl or container to place your dough in while proofing.
• 2.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add your flour, sugar and salt. Mix this with your fingertips until well combined.
• 3. Add in the milk / yeast mixture, fit the bowl and dough hook and begin to form the dough on low speed for about 30 seconds. You may have to stop the mixer and push the flour down from the sides to incorporate it.
• While the dough is still shaggy and undeveloped, add your beaten eggs and melted butter, streaming them in from the side of the bowl. Mix the dough until it is relatively smooth but still slightly sticky. Once again, you may have to scrape down the sides depending on your mixer.
• 5. Place the dough in your greased bowl or container and let rise in a warm spot for one hour or until doubled in size. The dough should be puffy, smooth and soft.
• 6.
• Evenly flour a large section of benchtop or a table, place your dough in the centre and with floured hands gently form it into a rectangle with the long side facing you. While continuing to lightly flour the dough as needed, roll it into a 30cm x 40cm rectangle. It should be
• roughly 5mm thick once rolled.
• 7.
• Line a large sheet pan with baking paper) and set it aside. You can also use a silicone baking mat.
• 8.
• Place your second lot of caster sugar and ground cardamom in a bowl, then mix with a whisk or your hand until well blended and crumbly.
• 9.
• Once your butter is soft enough to easily spread, use an offset spatula or your fingers to spread it evenly over half the surface of your rectangle. Avoid using your fingertips, instead, hold your hand flat and gently smooth it over the surface.
• 10. Evenly sprinkle the sugar mixture over the buttered side of dough being careful to not have huge clumps or bald patches.
• 11. Beginning with the side closest to you, fold the rectangle away from you and in half so it creates a dough 'sandwich'.
• 12. Gently marking the dough, divide the dough sandwich into strips 1.5cm wide. them with a sharp knife or metal bench scraper. Try not to drag the knife or bench scraper, this will pull the dough apart.
• 13. Pick up a ribbon and twist it a few times. Hold the end between your index and middle finger, then roll the bun around your fingers several times - imagine you are making a ball of yarn. You can stretch the dough a little to make sure the ball is tight. Once you have 5cm or the inside after left remove the from your fingers and tuck the
• pulling it around the ball once. Place them on your prepared baking tray.
• 14. Gently cover the buns with plastic wrap for 35 minutes until doubled in size.
• 15. Make the egg wash using the egg and 30ml of milk, whisking very well in a large (for the amount) bowl for a couple of minutes. Sparingly brush the buns with egg wash and sprinkle on a little pearl sugar.
• 16. Bake at 190C for 15-20 minutes until brown on the top and only slightly yielding to the touch. Set aside to cool and eat when just slightly warm.

Photos