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1
Combine the flour, yeast, caster sugar, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. Add the warmed milk and beaten eggs, then work to a shaggy dough. Add the softened butter piece by piece, kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls cleanly from the bowl. The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test — a small piece stretched between the fingers holds a thin, translucent membrane without tearing.
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2
Cover the dough and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume. The surface should dome and the dough feel airy and slack when pressed with a finger, the indent springing back slowly rather than snapping back at once.
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3
Beat together the room-temperature butter, caster sugar, cinnamon and cardamom for the filling until combined into a smooth, spreadable paste. This is where the dish lives or dies: the filling must hold a spreadable consistency — firm enough to remain as a distinct layer in the rolled dough, loose enough to spread without tearing the surface. If it tears or seeps, the layered contrast between dough and fill is lost and cannot be recovered after baking.
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4
Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a rectangle approximately 40 cm × 30 cm. Spread the filling evenly across the entire surface to the edges. Roll the dough tightly along the long edge into a firm cylinder — loose rolling will cause the buns to unravel during proofing and baking. The roll should feel taut and even under the hands.
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5
Cut the cylinder into twelve equal strips, each approximately 3 cm wide. To coil: hold a strip at each end, twist it twice in opposite directions to form a loose spiral, then wind it around two fingers, tuck the loose end underneath, and set on a lined baking tray. Work with deft, quick movements — tentative handling produces loose, irregular coils that bake unevenly.
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6
Space the coiled buns well apart on the lined tray. Leave to proof until visibly puffed and jiggly when the tray is gently shaken — the buns should wobble as a mass rather than sitting rigid. Under-proofed buns will bake dense and bread-like; correctly proofed buns will yield an open, light crumb.
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7
Heat the oven to 220 °C. Brush each bun with beaten egg wash, then scatter pearl sugar over immediately so it adheres before the wash dries. Bake for 10–12 minutes at high heat until the buns are a deep, even golden brown with a slight crust on the exterior. The interior should remain soft. Remove from the oven when the colour is uniform and the buns smell of toasted butter and cinnamon.