These sticky confections are more like Chelsea buns with a spiced twist rather than the complicated knot shapes we are used to seeing. Serve warm as a weekend breakfast treat

Prep time: 1 hour (plus rising) | Bake time 20min | Makes 12

Ingredients

For the buns:

200ml milk
1tbsp cardamom pods, bashed
300g strong white flour
50g unsalted butter
7g dried fast action yeast
1 tsp salt

For the filling:
75g unsalted butter, softened
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
For the glaze
50g caster sugar
50ml water
1tbsp cardamom pods, bashed

Method

• Place the milk and cardamom pods into a small pan, heat until the milk starts to bubble. Take off the heat to cool and infuse. Discard the cardamom pods.
• In a large bowl rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the yeast, salt and cooled milk and mix to form a dough. Knead for 5 mins, or until it feels soft but not sticky. Return to the bowl, cover, and leave to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.
• Make the filling by mixing together the ingredients. When the dough has risen, roll it into a rectangle (around 20x30cm) and spread over the filling. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the dough into a sausage shape. Cut into 12 equal discs and place onto a lined baking tray, leaving a good gap between each one. Cover and leave to rise for about an hour, or until puffed up and almost touching. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
• When the buns have risen, bake them for 20min, or until lightly golden. Whilst the buns are in make the syrup. Place the sugar, water and pods into a pan and cook on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble the mixture for a minute. Take off the heat. When the buns have come out of the oven brush over the syrup. Leave to cool completely on the baking tray