Noduri cu cardamom

The dough needs 60-90 minutes for the first rise and should look noticeably doubled in size, not just slightly puffed. Press a floured finger about a centimeter into the dough: if the dent fills back in slowly and only partly, it is ready. A cold kitchen slows the yeast down considerably, so go by the look and feel of the dough rather than the clock.

The recipe uses cardamom twice - 1-1½ tsp in the dough and 1 tsp in the butter filling - so its flavour carries the whole bake. Ground cardamom loses its aroma quickly, so if your jar smells faint, crush the seeds from green pods in a mortar instead. If you only have older ground cardamom, stay at the upper end of the range for the dough.

The 120 ml lukewarm milk can be swapped for oat or soy milk without changing the method, as it mainly hydrates the dough and activates the yeast. For the butter, use a firm plant-based block rather than a soft spread, since the filling needs to stay spreadable but not runny. The egg in the dough adds richness and can be left out if you add a splash more milk, and the egg-yolk brushing can be replaced with plain milk for a lighter colour.

Yes - shape the knots, place them on the lined tray, cover them well and refrigerate them overnight instead of giving the second 20-minute rise at room temperature. In the morning, take the tray out and let it come to room temperature until the knots look visibly puffed, then brush with the egg yolk and milk and bake. You can also prepare only the dough the night before and shape it the next day after it warms up.

Leaking usually means the butter filling was too soft or spread too thickly toward the edges, so it melts out as soon as the knots hit the oven heat. Keep the mixture spreadable but not liquid, leave a narrow clean border along the edges before folding, and tuck the end firmly underneath each knot. Cutting the strips with a sharp knife and not overstretching the strands also keeps the layers from tearing open.