Makes 6
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 80g unsalted butter
- 2 2/3 cup ‘00’ flour
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 7g sachet instant dried yeast
- 1 egg, at room temperature, plus 1 extra egg to brush
- 1 tbsp raw sugar
- ¼ cup date syrup (or maple syrup)
For the filling:
- ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 12 (approximately 250g) fresh Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 70g unsalted butter, chopped and softened
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160° fan forced). Place the milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir until just warm. Add the butter, take off the heat and stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine the flour, sugar and yeast in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add milk mixture and knead on low speed until combined. Add egg and knead until combined.
- Increase speed to high and knead for 3-4 minutes or until the dough comes together in a ball. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes to rest. Turn out dough, knead for 1 minute, return to the bowl, cover with clean, damp tea towel and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- For the filling, combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until combined.
- Roll the dough out to 35 x 35cm square. Spread the filling over two-thirds of the dough, then fold the bottom third up and the top third down (like folding a letter) to enclose the filling completely. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge, roll the dough into a 25 x 40cm rectangle. Cut dough into 6 x 3cm wide vertical strips and twist into ropes. Roll each strip into a spiral and place in the holes of a lightly greased 6-hole (3/4 cup capacity) Texas muffin tin. Cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes, or until risen.
- Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve drizzled with date syrup.
Smart Tips:
- The slow proof of this dough creates a light and fluffy texture because it gives the yeast more time to process the sugar.
- If you don’t have a Texas muffin tin, you can make 12 free-form buns.