150g dried dates
100g water
600g oat milk
1 tsp sea salt
36g cornflour
150g muscovado sugar
30g coconut oil (deodorised)
Also needed:
7 cardamom pods
30g caster (superfine) sugar
500g Vrioche dough
Plain (all-purpose) flour for dusting
Date filling:
Pulse the dates and water in a high-powered blender until the dates are chopped and still somewhat chunky. Transfer them to a bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes. The water will rehydrate the dates slightly and thicken them up.
Butterscotch sauce:
Mix the oat milk, sea salt, cornflour and sugar together in a large saucepan, then bring to a rolling boil. Add the coconut oil and whisk until melted and well-mixed through. Leave to cool. Set aside to brush over the cooled buns.
To assemble and bake:
Carefully peel the grassy pod away from the cardamoms, then put the seeds into a spice grinder, pestle and mortar or a high-powered blender, add the sugar in and grind to a powder. Mix them into the dough.
Prepare the vrioche dough following the instructions on pages 51–52 and leave it to bulk ferment, or double in size in the bowl.
Lightly flour the work surface, then turn out the dough and sprinkle lightly with flour to help you roll it out easily. Press the air out of the dough and roughly into shape, then roll the dough into a rectangle, about 20 x 50 cm (8 x 20 in) long.
Spread the date paste over half of the dough, then fold the dough in to shorten the rectangle. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 40 minutes.
Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside. Lightly dust a work surface with flour, then place the dough on top. Cut the dough into 2.5 cm (1 in) strips, then clear the work surface and twist a dough strip from either side and tie into a knot.
Arrange six knots onto each lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between them. Lightly brush with water to keep them moist and supple while they are proving, then cover with cling film (plastic wrap) to prevent the dough drying out. Leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes–1 hour until doubled in size and jiggly. After about 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 190°C fan (375°F/gas 5).
Bake for 13–15 minutes until golden all over the top. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the butterscotch sauce.
Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Photo Credits: Photography by Matt Russell.
