Dana's Spiced Bun in a Million

STEP 1: GRIND THE CARDAMOM

Split all 36 pods for the dough and filling. Discard the husks and grind the black seeds to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Keep the two portions separate: 20 pods' worth for the dough (about 2 tsp ground) and 16 pods' worth for the filling (about 1½ tsp ground). Pre-ground cardamom loses most of its volatile oil within weeks, which is the commonest reason a cardamom bake tastes of nothing.

STEP 2: MAKE THE DOUGH

Combine the flour, caster sugar, salt, yeast and the dough's ground cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer, keeping the salt and yeast apart until the flour sits between them. Stir in the orange zest. Add the warm milk and the egg, mix on low for 2 minutes to a shaggy dough, then knead on medium-low for 6 minutes.

STEP 3: KNEAD IN THE BUTTER

Add the soft butter a few cubes at a time, waiting for each addition to disappear before adding the next. Knead for a further 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, glossy and stretches to a translucent windowpane without tearing.

STEP 4: FIRST PROVE

Cover the bowl and prove at room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled in size.

STEP 5: MAKE THE FILLING

Beat the very soft butter with the light brown soft sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the ground pistachios, the filling's ground cardamom, the orange zest and the salt. The paste should be spreadable but not runny; if it has warmed, chill it for 10 minutes before using.

STEP 6: ROLL AND FILL

Knock back the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle of 30 x 40 cm. Measure it rather than judging by eye, because a rectangle rolled by eye is a wedge and a wedge produces buns of different sizes. Spread the filling to the edges in an even layer, working from the centre outwards and leaving a clean 2 cm strip along one long edge. Check the spread across the whole sheet: any bank of filling becomes a fat bun and a thin one. Roll up from the long filled edge into a tight log and seal the clean strip underneath.

STEP 7: CHILL THE LOG

Wrap the log and chill for 30 minutes. This is the single highest-value step in the recipe. A cold log cuts cleanly, holds a circular cross-section and does not squash into an oval under the blade.

STEP 8: MARK AND CUT TWELVE EQUAL SLICES

Trim both ends square. Measure the log and mark twelve equal positions before cutting anything. Cut with a length of unwaxed dental floss slid under the log and crossed over the top, or with a very sharp serrated knife using long strokes and no downward pressure. Weigh the slices: they should sit within about 5 g of one another. Reshape any outlier by unrolling half a turn and rerolling.

STEP 9: SHAPE AND SECOND PROVE

Set the buns cut side up in a lined 23 x 33 cm tin, spaced evenly in a 3 x 4 grid. The tin walls constrain spread and push the buns upwards rather than outwards. Cover and prove for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffed and just touching. Heat the oven to 180C fan / 200C conventional / 400F.

STEP 10: BAKE

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the tin once at the halfway point, until deep golden and reading 92C in the centre of a middle bun.

STEP 11: MAKE THE CARDAMOM SYRUP

While the buns bake, simmer the caster sugar, water and lightly crushed cardamom pods in a small saucepan for 3 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and infuse for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve and stir in the orange juice, and the rose water if you are using it.

STEP 12: GLAZE AND FINISH

Brush the syrup generously over the buns the moment they leave the oven, while they are hot enough to drink it in. This is the third delivery of cardamom, after the dough and the filling. Scatter with the chopped pistachios and the rose petals, then cool in the tin for 15 minutes before separating.