Cardamom Morning Buns for People Who Snooze
This is a make-ahead pastry for real life, not for people who pop out of bed at 5:00am with perfect hair. Mix the dough at night, chill it, and you get better flavor and better handling. Cold dough behaves. Warm dough behaves like a toddler with glitter.
The key is butter temperature. You want it spreadable, not oily. If it looks shiny and sad, it is too warm. If it is tearing the dough, it is too cold. I tell people to think of butter as a tool: it should glide, not fight. Cardamom and orange zest do most of the heavy lifting on aroma, so do not be shy.
Proof until puffy and light, not just bigger. The buns should wobble when you nudge the pan, like they are politely excited. Underproofed buns bake up tight; overproofed buns slump. You are looking for that middle moment where the dough feels airy but still has some backbone.
Bake until the edges are deep golden and the caramel is bubbling. Then hit them with syrup while hot so it soaks in. If the tops look glossy and the layers pull apart with a little resistance, you did it. If not, call it rustic and serve it warm anyway. That is what we do.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g all-purpose flour
- 220g whole milk, warm
- 2 large eggs
- 100g sugar, divided
- 8g instant yeast
- 10g fine sea salt
- 115g unsalted butter, room temp (dough)
- 115g unsalted butter, room temp (filling)
- 15g ground cardamom
- 1 orange, zested
Instructions
- Dough: Mix flour, milk, eggs, 60g sugar, yeast, and salt until combined. Knead in 115g butter until smooth. Cover and chill overnight.
- Filling: Beat remaining 115g butter with 40g sugar, cardamom, and orange zest until spreadable.
- Roll chilled dough to 12x18-inch rectangle. Spread filling evenly. Roll up from long side; chill 10 minutes if soft.
- Slice into 12 pieces using dental floss. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Proof at room temp until puffy, 60–90 minutes.
- Bake at 375°F for 22–25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Brush with simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) while hot. Cool slightly, then serve warm.