Tahini Buns with Cardamom

 
 

More than ever, people are in their kitchens baking. Maybe because it’s something to do or perhaps because there is an undeniable satisfaction of laborious tasks that result in a snack. We're going to show you how to make cinnamon rolls with tahini! These tahini buns with cardamom are a worthy addition to your baking arsenal. We adapted our standard cinnamon rolls to be a bit smaller and more snackable and outrageously adorable. We thought: if we add tahini, will they be sweet enough? Should we add different spices? Does it need something bright, like orange zest? What goes on top, if not cream cheese frosting? A month or so later, we were able to finalize the recipe and film this video. The result is a cast iron pan full of 16 delightful little buns. They're not too sweet. The tahini isn't overpowering but instead adds an unrivaled nutty flavor that is equal parts savory, surprising and refreshing. The sesame seeds and caramelized, brown sugar bottoms add texture. The key to such a light and silky cinnamon roll dough is using cornstarch, tapioca or arrowroot powder—whichever you like and can find right now! While this recipe is the result of a daydream, we 100% did not invent the concept of adding tahini to pastries. We can thank bakers in the Middle East for that. — Dak and Ju

 

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1/2 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees

  • 1 ½ tsp instant yeast

  • 2 eggs, room temperature

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

  • ⅓ cup tapioca powder, arrowroot or cornstarch

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into 8 chunks

Filling:

  • 1.5 cups packed brown sugar

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/2 cup tahini

  • 1/4 tsp allspice

  • 1/4 tsp cardamom

  • 1/4 tsp orange zest

  • 2 T butter + 1 T to grease your cast iron

Glaze:

  • 1/2 tsp tahini

  • 2 Tbsp + more to taste powdered sugar

  • 1 T orange juice

 

Instructions

For the Dough:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees—once the oven reaches 200, turn it off. You are going to use the warmed oven to help the dough rise throughout this recipe.

  2. Whisk warmed milk and yeast in a measuring cup until yeast dissolves. Be sure that the milk is not so warm that you kill the yeast: it should be like warm bathwater. Whisk in the eggs.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix flour, tapioca flour (arrowroot or cornstarch if using), granulated sugar, and salt until combined. 

  4. With the mixer running on low, add milk mixture in a steady stream until dough comes together, about 1 minute.

  5. Add softened chunks of butter one at a time until incorporated. The dough will really come together at this point, pulling away from the sides easily.

  6. Continue to mix the dough for about 10 minutes longer. At the end of this time, the dough will not stick to the sides, be in one ball and look more smooth.

  7. Turn dough out onto a clean surface with a light dusting of flour and knead the dough until it forms a smooth, rough ball. Transfer dough to a bowl that has been lightly buttered, cover the top with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in the warm oven (Don’t forget: oven should be turned off at this point!) until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.

For the filling:

  1. While the dough is rising, make the filling. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, orange zest, cardamom and allspice in a bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan or a bowl in the oven, melt 2 T of the butter and whisk in the tahini- set aside. With the other 1 Tbsp of butter, throughly grease a 10-inch cast iron or baking dish.

  2. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the oven and turn out onto your lightly floured work surface. Roll dough out into an 18-inch rectangle. Pour the tahini-butter all over the rectangle and brush in out, ensuring the mixture is spread out evenly over the whole rectangle.

  3. With the cinnamon-sugar mixture, sprinkle the majority all over the dough rectangle- be sure to sprinkle all the way to the edges! Save about 1/3 - 1/2 cup and sprinkle over the buttered cast iron.

  4. Starting at one edge of the rectangle, begin to roll the edge into a tight log. Continue to roll the dough until you are left with one long roll. Pinch each end to ensure the the filling doesn’t fall out and so the roll stays put.

  5. Cut the long roll in half and then cut each half into 8 pieces for a total of 16 small rolls. If it helps you to cut the buns similarly, you can use a serious of scores before you make the cuts. Score the long roll in half, then each half into fourths, then each of those fourths in half.

  6. Transfer each of the 16 pieces into your prepared cast iron, lightly pressing down on the top of each piece to gently flatten. Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rise again in the warm oven until about doubled in size, about 1 hour. *At this point, rolls can be placed in the refrigerator to be baked off in the morning. If this is the route you are taking, be sure to remove the buns from the fridge about an hour before you plan on baking them to allow for them to come to room temperature and complete their second rise.

To Finish the Rolls:

  1. Once the rolls have doubled in size it’s time to bake them. Remove them from the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (If you are bringing them back up to room temperature from a slower rise in the fridge overnight, make sure they have come up to temp and double in size, about 1 hour).

  2. Once preheated, place pan of rolls in the oven uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are a light golden brown. Remember to check them frequently when you are nearing the 20 minute mark. Feel free to pull them out early if you feel like they are done and don’t forget that they will continue to cook even after you’ve taken them out of the oven. It’s better to ere on the side of underdone than overdone!

  3. While the buns are baking, make your tahini glaze. In a small bowl, combine orange juice, tahini and powdered sugar, whisking to combine. Taste and adjust to your flavor preferences.

  4. Once the buns are done baking, remove from oven and allow to lightly cool. Glaze each bun liberally and top with crunchy sugar (like turbinado)and sesame seeds if desired. Cut apart and serve. (We like to serve half and freeze half for a surprise treat later on in the week!)

    Makes 16, small buns