- 1 1/4 cups warm water (105°F.)
- 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- two 1/4-ounce packages active dry yeast (about 4 1/2 teaspoons total)
- 3 large eggs beaten lightly
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
- 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cardamom seeds, ground in a mortar with a pestle, or in an electric spice/coffee grinder
- an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons water
- In a large bowl combine water, butter, and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in eggs, salt and dry milk until combined. With a wooden spoon stir in 5 sups flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir mixture until a dough is formed.
- On a floured surface, knead dough about 10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining 1 cup flour to make dough smooth and elastic. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and on floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll into a 15- by 20-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough and sprinkle with granulated sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.
- With a long side facing you, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion and cut crosswise into approximately 1 1/2-inch-thick slices with a cut side down. Working with 1 slice at a time gently twist opposite ends of slice around twice to form a figure eight. Crimp ends together. Arrange rolls, a swirled side up, on a buttered baking sheet about 2 inches apart and let rise in a warm place until increased 1 1/2 times in bulk, about 1 hour.
- While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350F.
- Brush tops of rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake rolls in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, about 25 minutes.