• Gather all the ingredients.

Prepare the dough

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer, except for the flour and butter.

  Add flour and mix at low speed until there are no dry bits of flour in the dough (see Note 1). Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
• Mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Check for gluten development with the windowpane test (Note 2),
• Add butter incrementally, 1 tablespoon at a time, while mixing on speed 4. After 5 minutes of mixing turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing for another 2 minutes of speed 4. Lower the speed for one notch and mix for another 1.5 minutes. Lower the speed for another one notch and mix for another 1.5 minutes.
• The dough should be ready if the sides and the bottom of the bowl are clean and the dough has formed a cohesive shiny and smooth mass. The dough should be elastic and shiny, passing the window pane test.

  The desired dough temperature should be 25°C (77°F).

Bulk fermentation

• Transfer the dough to a clean buttered bowl. Fold the dough using the coil method to form a ball.
• Rest for one hour after which another coil fold should be done. The desired dough temperature should be 25.5°C (78°F).
• Rest for another hour after which do one more coil fold. The desired dough temperature should be 25.5°C (78°F).
• Rest the dough for another hour and a half.
• Place the dough in the fridge for cold fermentation overnight.

Prepare the filling (next day)

• Melt the butter on low heat in a small saucepan. Set aside.
• Add the melted butter and the rest of the filling ingredients to a small food processor and process until all the sugar chunks are broken down and the mixture is uniform and almost powder like. Set aside.

Making the buns (next day)

• Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush the muffin pan. Set aside.
• Dust the clean working surface with some flour. Take the dough from the fridge, scrape it from the bowl, and place top-down on the working surface. Dust it with the flour and start rolling it out, from the middle outwards, applying light pressure to form a rectangle measuring about 50cm (20in) by 40cm (16in). Remove the excess flour from the dough and the work surface using a brush.
  
• Sprinkle the filling evenly over the ⅔ area of the dough along the longer edge.
  
• Fold the clean ⅓ of the dough over the ½ of the area with the filling.
  
• Fold the remaining ⅓ of the area with the filling over the dough forming a flat log.
  
• Cut the "log" into 12 pieces plus the 2 extra pieces of the edges. Discard the edges.
• Cut each piece lengthwise into three ribbons leaving the top (½in) uncut.
  
• Make a braid, and starting from the top (the uncut part), fold the braid under itself, forming a "round" shape. Place each bun in the muffin pan. Cover the pan with the plastic foil and set it aside to prove.

  Prove the buns at around 26ºC (78ºF) for about 2.5 hours or until they are soft and light to touch.
  

Baking the rolls (next day)

• Preheat the oven to 250ºC (480ºF).
• Once the buns are proofed, make the egg wash by whisking one egg and the date syrup until there are no traces of the date syrup. Lightly brush the cinnamon buns.
• Place the buns in the preheated oven and immidiately turn the oven down to 200ºC (400ºF). Bake fo 15 minutes. Check the buns and bake for another 4 minutes or until they are golden on top. The toothpick should come out clean if inserted in the middle of the bun.
• Serve the buns after they have cooled down a bit.