Mini Cardamom Buns Food

MINI CARDAMOM BUNS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix sugar and cardamom until well blended. Set aside.
• Unroll dough on work surface; press to form 12x8-inch rectangle. Brush with half of the melted butter; sprinkle evenly with 4 teaspoons cardamom-sugar mixture. Starting at one short end, fold dough in half. With pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 8 (1-inch) strips.
• Twist each dough strip and circle dough around two fingers to create space to tuck one end through to form a knot. Tucking ends under and place on cookie sheet. Brush buns with remaining butter; sprinkle evenly with remaining cardamom-sugar mixture.
• Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

CARDAMOM BUNS

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.

CARAMEL APPLE CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• Prepare the dough for the buns the day before you want to bake them, if you have time - this will develop a better flavour. Warm the milk in a pan until steaming but not boiling. Add the butter and swirl the pan for 1-2 mins until the butter has melted and the milk cooled slightly. It should be just warm.
• Put the flour in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and sugar to one side of the bowl, then ½ tsp salt to the other. Whisk together, then pour in the warm buttery milk. Mix until the ingredients form a soft dough (it should be a little sticky), then tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 8-10 mins, or keep the stand mixer going for 5 mins or so. The dough will feel stretchy and soft when it's ready - you should be able to pull it apart without it breaking straightaway (this means the gluten has been developed). Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough and cover. Leave to rise at room temperature for a few hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. Or, chill overnight.
• To make the apple filling, cook the apples, butter, sugar and 1 tbsp water in a pan for 5-10 mins until soft and sticky. Add a splash more water if the pan looks dry or the sugar starts to burn. Leave to cool.
• If the dough has been chilled, take it out of the fridge 30 mins before shaping. For the cinnamon butter, mix the butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon together with a pinch of salt. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a rough rectangle, then roll out until it's about 50 x 40cm. Spread the cinnamon butter over the dough and all the way out to the edges. Spoon over the apple filling.
• Working from one of the longer sides, roll the dough up as tightly as you can into a sausage shape. Cut into 12 equal pieces. To easily do this, first cut the dough in half crosswise, then cut each half into three pieces, then halve each piece. Line a large round baking dish or cake tin (about 33cm) with baking parchment. Arrange the buns, cut-side up, in the dish or tin. Make sure the tails of the buns (where the dough opens) are tucked in towards the middle of the tin, so they don't unfurl when baked. Leave some space around each bun, as they will expand as they prove. Cover loosely and leave to rise for 30 mins-2 hrs (depending on how hot your kitchen is) until the buns are puffed up and touching at the sides. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Bake for 35-40 mins until golden. Check the buns after 25 mins - if they still look a little doughy at the centre but the edges are burning, cover with foil and continue baking. Leave to cool in the tin while you make the icing.
• Mix the soft cheese, icing sugar and cinnamon together. Spread over the buns while still slightly warm, so the icing drips into the swirls of the buns a little without melting completely. Loosen the caramel with a drop of milk, if needed, then drizzle over the icing. Leave to set for 30 mins before serving.

SWEDISH CARDAMOM ROLLS

Steps:

• Dough: Brush a large bowl with butter; set aside. Place potato in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes; drain. Pass through a ricer or mash with a fork until smooth (to yield 2/3 cup); let cool slightly.
• Heat milk until warm to the touch (110 degrees on a thermometer). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer; add yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter, granulated sugar, potato, egg, flour, and salt until a ragged dough forms. Place bowl on mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment; mix on medium-low speed, scraping sides and removing dough from hook a few times, until soft and pliable, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead into a ball. Transfer to buttered bowl (dough will be very soft) and cover with plastic wrap. (Dough can be covered and refrigerated at this point up to 2 days). Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Brush two 6-cup jumbo muffin tins with butter; set aside.
• Filling: In a bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, cardamom, orange zest, and salt. Mix until light and fluffy. Punch down dough; transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 14-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with butter mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border on far long edge. Starting at long edge closest to you, roll dough away from you into a tight jelly-roll shape. Transfer, seam-side down, to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Trim ends, then cut roll crosswise into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds with a serrated knife. Arrange, cut-sides up, in prepared tins; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove rolls from refrigerator and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove plastic and bake until browned on top and a thermometer inserted registers about 210 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in tins on a wire rack, 10 minutes.
• Glaze: Meanwhile, melt butter; stir in honey. Brush rolls generously with mixture; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Remove from tins (if buns stick, run a knife around edges), and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.