Cardamom and orange sticky buns

Method

1. Break open the cardamom pods and crush the small seeds within using a pestle and mortar (you can use ½ tsp ground cardamom instead, but make sure it’s relatively fresh). Add these to the milk with the zest of the orange in a small saucepan, then gently heat until lukewarm.
2. Toss together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Pour in the milk mixture and 110ml water. Bring together to a dough, then knead on a low-medium speed for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the butter and continue kneading for another 5 minutes. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Knock back – knead – the dough gently for a minute, then divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball and put on the tray, making sure there is at least 2cm space between each ball. Cover and leave to prove again for 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size. Meanwhile heat the oven to 190ºC fan/gas 7. Bake the buns for 15 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the glaze, measure out 40ml orange juice and put it in a small saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a vigorous simmer, then cook for 5 minutes until it thickens into a light syrup (it thickens more as it cools, so don’t let it get too sticky). Brush the glaze liberally over the buns.
5. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar with the liquid glucose and 2 tbsp water until you have a thick yet runny icing (add 1 tsp water at a time if you need more to get the correct consistency, but it needs to be thick enough to not run off the top of the buns). Mix in a few drops of different food colouring into each bowl. Use the icing to decorate the top of the buns, using a toothpick to swirl everything together reflecting the colours of the inclusive pride flag.