Cardamom Buns

For the dough:
60g softened salted butter
375ml warm whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
14g instant dry yeast
105g sugar
600g bread flour
1 tsp salt

For the filling:
113g softened salted butter 
110g brown or white sugar 
4 tsp ground cardamom (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp salt

Method
Start with the dough. Mix your dry ingredients together. Slowly trickle the warm milk in and begin to incorporate. A shaggy dough should start to form. Add the butter in piece by piece and continue to incorporate. Knead the dough for around 15-20 minutes. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook or knead by hand until the dough is smooth, uniform and no longer sticky. Place the dough ball in a lightly grease bowl, cover and let rise undisturbed for about an hour, hour and a half...The dough should double in size. 

To make the filling, just mix everything together to create a spreadable butter. 

Prepare and flour a large surface (we used a large wooden board). Turn your dough onto this surface and gently begin to roll it out into a flat rectangle. It should deflate on its own. Using a spatula, spread the cardamom butter filling onto one half of the rectangle. I recommend spreading it length wise.

Once the filling has been spread evenly, fold the rectangle in half. You will then use a sharp knife to cut long strips. Each strip will make one bun. See how to shape the buns here. 

Place your prepared buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and let rise for around 30 minutes or until puffy. 

You can then brush each bun with an egg wash and sprinkle with a mix of sugar and ground cardamom.

Bake at 400°F or 205°C for around 20 minutes. You can eat warm or let them come to room temperature. The filling will have set into the dough to create a bread soaked in caramelized cardamom goodness. Eat the crispies left on the pan too!