Kanelbullar

Step 1: Warm 1 cup whole milk and 2 ⅝ oz unsalted butter in a small pan over a low heat just until the butter melts. Let it cool until it feels barely warm on your wrist, about 99°F; hotter milk will kill the yeast.

Step 2: In a large bowl mix ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar, 10 green cardamom pods, ½ tsp salt and most of the 16 oz strong white bread flour. Pour in the warm milk and work it into a soft dough, adding the rest of the flour a spoonful at a time only if it is too sticky to handle.

Step 3: Knead for 8–10 minutes by hand (5 minutes with a dough hook) until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky and springs back slowly when pressed. Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled.

Step 4: Meanwhile beat 3 ½ oz unsalted butter, 2 ⅞ oz light brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon into a smooth, spreadable paste.

Step 5: Knock back the dough and roll it on a lightly floured worktop into a rectangle about 30 × 50 cm. Spread the cinnamon butter right to the edges in a thin, even layer.

Step 6: Fold the dough in three like a letter along the long side so you have a strip about 10 × 50 cm. Roll it lightly to press the layers together, then cut it across into 16 strips about 3 cm wide.

Step 7: To knot each bun, cut each strip lengthways into two legs, leaving the top 1 cm joined. Twist the legs around each other, then wind the twisted rope around two fingers and tuck the end through the middle. Set them on two lined baking trays.

Step 8: Cover loosely and leave to rise for 30–40 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip leaves a dent that fills back slowly. Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan).

Step 9: Brush the buns with 1 egg and scatter generously with 3 tbsp pearl sugar (pärlsocker). The commonest mistake is under-proving at this stage: tight, dense buns that tear open in the oven are a sign they needed another 10 minutes.

Step 10: Bake one tray at a time for 9–12 minutes, until deep golden and the kitchen smells of toasted cinnamon. Cool on a rack under a clean tea towel so the crust stays soft. They freeze well; warm them briefly in a low oven.