Orange Cardamom Knots

They’re flaky and fluffy, filled with a fragrant orange-cardamom sugar, and twisted to perfection. The best part is the brush of orange-cardamom glaze as soon as the buns come out of the oven, which gives them an extra layer of flavor and their gleaming appearance.

They’re a little bit of work, but SO worth it!

Ingredients

Dough

• 2-3/4 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg

Filling

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
• 4 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Glaze

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2-3/4 cups flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and milk together until just warm to the touch. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk. Slowly add the egg to the milk mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Using the dough hook attachment, slowly allow the ingredients to fold together. A shaggy dough should form and be starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Gradually add in some flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Continue to knead for about 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. When the dough is smooth and is no longer sticky, turn dough out onto a floured surface and form into a ball.
5. Place ball into an oiled bowl, stretch some plastic wrap over the top of the bowl, and place in a warm location for about an hour or until doubled in size.
6. Make the filling: Combine sugar and orange zest into a small bowl. Rub together with your fingers to release the oils in the zest. Use a form to stir in the cardamom.
7. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
8. Shape the buns: Return dough to floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll dough into an 18×12-inch rectangle. Brush dough with butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Mentally divide the dough into thirds, like an unfolded letter. Place half the sugar mixture in the middle third of the dough—it’ll be a 12×6-inch section surrounded by two buttered sections of the same size.

9. Carefully grab one short side of the dough and fold it over the center, so that the dimensions are now 12×12-inches. Brush the top of the folded section with more butter and scatter on the remaining sugar mixture. Fold the other short side over the top so that the dimensions are 12×6-inches. Tap edges “closed” with your rolling pin.

10. Cover pans loosely with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for another 25-30 minutes. Place oven racks in the center positions. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake buns for 10 minutes. Rotate pans top-to-bottom and front-to-back. Bake another 7-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

11. While buns are baking, make the glaze. Combine orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in cardamom and butter.
12. Use a pastry brush to brush warm buns with glaze. Buns are eaten the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or so.