This is an original recipe that values softness and longevity above all else. It is vaguely based upon recipes by (in no particular order): Dan Lepard, Magnus Nilsson, Felicity Cloake, Trine Hahnemann, Richard Bertinet.
The primary departure from most other recipes is the use of a tangzhong which allows a relatively high hydration, and very soft, dough. Additionally, the butter is added to the dough after gluten is developed, like in a brioche, rather than in melted form at the outset. A very small portion of rye flour is included both for flavour and for its crumb-softening and anti-staling properties due to the presence of pentosans. A proportion of UK plain flour (around 8% protein) is used as well as bread flour to drop the gluten content slightly in order to make the buns a little less chewy, whilst maintaining the gluten strength necessary for a light and open crumb.
Infused milk
- 370g milk (ideally whole, semi-skimmed is OK)
- Seeds from 25 cardamom pods, ground
Tangzhong
- 25g strong white flour
- 125g of the infused milk
Dough
- 325g strong white flour
- 125g plain flour
- 25g dark rye flour
- 50g golden caster sugar
- Large pinch of salt
- 5g instant yeast
- 230g of the infused milk
- 1 large egg (~60g)
- 90g very soft unsalted butter
Filling
- 130g very soft unsalted butter
- 65g dark muscovado
- 35g golden caster sugar
- 10g/4tsp ground cassia (aka sweet cinnamon)
Finish
- 1 egg
- 1tsp milk
- Pinch of salt
- Demerara or pearl sugar to sprinkle on top
- Heat the milk and ground cardamom in a small saucepan over a low heat until the milk is scalded (83°C). Cover, leave until fairly cool, then decant into a jug.
- Wipe out the saucepan. Add the flour and infused milk for the tangzhong, and whisk continually over a medium-high heat until it has thickened into a starchy paste - this will happen quite suddenly. Leave to cool until warm (about body temperature).
- Mix all of the dry ingredients for the dough in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the egg, and beat it lightly. Add the tangzhong and the infused milk: the recipe accounts for 15g of the milk evaporating during the infusion heating, but you may have more or less; if it's more than 5g either way then make up the difference / hold some milk back. Make sure that all of the ground cardamom makes it into the dough (do not strain).
- Mix the dough until well-combined - it will be very sticky. Cover with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes. Knead for 10 minutes until the gluten is well developed (it will be very sticky at first, but persevere), then leave for 5-10 minutes more to allow the gluten to relax a little.
- Work in half of the softened butter until the dough is completely smooth, then work in the other half.
- Leave for 40-50 minutes in an oiled container in a warm place until about doubled in size - be careful not to overproof it.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: cream the butter, the sugars and the cinnamon together until soft and homogeneous, and leave it somewhere warm - it should be as soft as it can possibly be without leaking.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and punch down the dough thoroughly. Flour the top, then roll/stretch it out to a large rectangle about 5mm thick and a little over 1.5 times as wide as it is high. Throw flour underneath regularly to stop it sticking.
- Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of dough. This is quite tricky as the dough is very soft - it's easiest if you use a flexible dough scraper or a palette knife.
- Fold the leftmost third of the dough across the centre, then fold the right third over this to form a sandwich of three layers. Rotate it so the (new) long axis is along the bench and very lightly roll it to make it an even thickness and shape.
- Slice off the ragged ends of the dough, then slice the remainder into even strips 2.5cm wide (about 18 of them). It's easy to do this with a ruler and a pizza wheel.
- Tie each strip into a knot - this video is a very good demonstration. Place the knots either on paper-lined baking trays or into the holes of a non-stick muffin tin.
- Spritz the buns with water and proof them for about 40-50 minutes, covered (but not in contact with anything) or otherwise prevented from drying out
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220 non-fan) and prepare the egg wash: beat together the egg, milk and salt, leave for 15 minutes or so, then strain out the chalazae so that the wash is smooth.
- When the buns are proofed, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes if on baking trays, 10-15 minutes if in a muffin tin. Leave to cool a bit, but make sure to eat at least one warm.