Apple butter buns with honey marzipan glaze

Ingredients:

Buns

• 1 cup (236 ml) almond or cow's milk, warm (about 104°F)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 tbsp. (50 gr.) + 1 tsp. Sahara
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• A pinch of ground cardamom
• 4.5 cups (585 g) premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 2 large eggs
• 0.5 cups (100 g) odorless vegetable oil + extra for greasing the bowl
• 1/4 cup (84 g) honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 3/4 cup apple butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 170 g almond paste, coarsely grated or finely chopped
• 1 large egg

Glaze

• 1.5 cups blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Zest of half a lemon
• 6 tablespoons almond milk
• Toasted almond flakes, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Buns:
   
   Combine the milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a bowl. Let stand until foam forms on the surface, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the cinnamon, salt, cardamom, and 3.5 cups of flour. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Fold the yeast mixture and oil mixture into the flour mixture, then knead either on a work surface or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook, adding up to 1 cup of additional flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 15 minutes by hand or 7–10 minutes with a mixer.
2. Place in a greased bowl, cover with cling film and let rise until doubled in size, 1.5–2 hours.
3. Spray a 22x32cm baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
4. Filling:
   
   Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and roll it out, dusting it with flour if necessary to prevent sticking, into a 45 x 30 cm (18 x 12 in) rectangle. Brush it with apple butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and almond paste. Roll it tightly, starting from the long edge (to form a 45 cm (18 in) long roll), and pinch the edges to seal. Cut into 12 rolls and arrange them in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Or, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, then immediately preheat the oven.
5. When ready to bake, remove the buns from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 1–2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Beat the egg with a little water in a cup. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan and brush the buns with the egg mixture. Bake until lightly browned and the internal temperature reaches 185°F (88°C), 35–40 minutes.
7. Glaze:
   
   Meanwhile, pulse the blanched almonds in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until creamy, 5–10 minutes. Add the honey, almond extract, salt, and lemon zest and continue pulse (the mixture may clump at this point), pouring in the milk. Process until creamy. When the buns come out of the oven, drizzle with the glaze, sprinkle with sliced ​​almonds, and serve. The glaze can be made the day before and stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator..