Cardamom Twists

METHOD

• 1
  First, prepare the starter by mixing 100 ml of lukewarm milk, crumbled yeast, and 50 g of plain flour. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. After this time, it will be visible how the yeast has started to work and the mixture has doubled in volume.
• 2
  Pour 150 ml of milk, the starter, 300 g of plain flour, whole wheat flour, and egg, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and knead on the first speed for 5 minutes. Cut the butter into pieces and gradually add them to the dough, one by one. Once combined with the dough, increase to the second speed and knead for another 5 - 10 minutes. The dough is kneaded when it pulls away from the bowl and is not sticky to the touch. Form the dough into a ball, place it back in the bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.
• 3
  For the filling, mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a bowl. The mixture should be easy to spread but not liquid.
• 4
  Then, transfer the dough from the bowl to a floured surface and roll it out to a size of 60 x 30 cm. Spread the entire surface of the dough with the prepared filling. Fold the dough into two-thirds, and then fold the last third over the resulting two layers (for example, like folding puff pastry). Using a knife or a pastry wheel, cut the dough into 2 cm wide strips, 20 cm long. Twist each strip of dough into a spiral by rotating the ends of the dough on the surface in opposite directions. Then, shape it into a twist or a snail, always tucking the end under the twist so that the dough does not unravel during rising. Place the twists on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. For this recipe, we will use 2 baking sheets. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.
• 5
  Meanwhile, turn on the oven to convection mode and set it to 170 °C.
• 6
  Once the twists have risen, brush them with beaten egg and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Halfway through, you can rotate the baking sheets (depending on your oven, whether this step is necessary).