Anise and Orange Buns

Ever since I came across the beautiful cardamom buns from Fabrique bakery in the 2018 Bake From Scratch magazine: The British Issue, I was set on recreating them one day. These buns are originally from Sweden and are called Kardemummabullar (translated to cardamom buns); they are similar to cinnamon buns in the way that they have a butter based filling and have many layers.

While the original is incredibly delicious, I thought it would be more fun to add a little Mexican twist to it and add orange zest and anise seed instead of cardamom. So here you go, I hope you enjoy these Anise and Orange Buns as much as I did! They are so fun to make as well!

The full process video is on my instagram if you want to follow along.

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Ingredients

Anise Dough:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup warm milk (105F)

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 5 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp ground anise

• zest of one orange

• 1 tsp salt

Anise Filling:

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tbsp anise

• zest of one orange

Egg Wash

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp milk

Topping

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp ground anise

Anise Dough Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a stand up mixing bowl and mix using dough hook until it forms a dough and knead for about 10 minutes.

2. Take dough out and knead by hand for a one minute. Place dough on a parchment lined tray and pat it down to make a rectangle, about 1 inch thick.

3. Score the dough with three lines using a sharp knife, cover with another sheet of parchment and a damp towel and place in fridge for 2 hrs.

Cardamom Filling:

1. Combine all ingredients in a stand up mixing bowl and mix using the paddle attachment just until combined. You don't want to cream the butter.

Forming:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. Remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temp for a few minutes.

3. Roll the dough out into a 15x18-inch rectangle; should be 1/8" thick.

4. Spread filling onto the rolled dough using an off-set spatula.

5. Mark 6" sections on the 18" side with the back of a knife. This will create three sections. Fold the left side of the dough to the middle and then the right side over the left side.

6. Roll out the dough once again to form another 15x18-inch rectangle.

7. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, divide the dough into 1x18-inch strips.

8. To give the buns the this unique shape, staring from the end, stretch the strand a little bit avoiding any rips, wrap the strand around your index and middle finger twice. Once you are back at the beginning, twist the strand and switch directions to wrap the remaining dough width wise making sure the end of the strand is hidden at the base of the bun. Place on lined tray and repeat with the rest of the strands.

9. Proof buns for 1 hour.

10. Heat oven to 450F

11. Brush proofed buns with an egg wash.

12. Bake for 8 minutes at 450F, then lower the temp to 375F and bake for a remaining 12 minutes or until golden brown.

13. Sprinkle a little anise sugar once it comes out of the oven and let cool.

14. Serve and enjoy!!