Ingredients

• 1 tbsp chai tea
• 100g/3½oz chopped dates
• 60g/2¼oz unsalted butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 135ml/4½fl oz full-fat milk
• preferably organic
• 60g/2¼oz soft dark brown sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• beaten
• 15g/½oz fast-action dried yeast
• 450g/1lb strong white flour
• pinch salt
• 50g/1¾oz stem ginger in syrup
• chopped
• plus 2-3 tbsp syrup from the stem ginger for the glaze
• 1 tbsp green cardamom pods
• seeds only
• 3 black cardamom pods
• seeds only
• pinch black peppercorns
• 1 whole star anise pods
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• 50g/1¾oz jaggery (or palm sugar)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

Directions

• For the dates
• in a small saucepan bring 150ml/5fl oz of water to the boil. Add the tea and boil for a minute. Strain the tea into a bowl and add the chopped dates. Set aside for ten minutes and then drain the dates using a sieve.
• Grease and line a 20cm/8in
• round
• loose-bottomed spring-form cake tin.
• For the dough
• melt the butter in a small pan and warm the milk in a separate pan.
• In a bowl
• combine the warm milk
• butter
• sugar and eggs. Stir in the yeast until thoroughly mixed. Set aside for five minutes.
• Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fixed with a dough hook. Add the yeast mixture
• drained dates and chopped stem ginger and mix to a soft
• smooth and shiny dough.
• For the spice blend
• while the dough is mixing
• crush the green and black cardamom seeds with the black pepper and star anise in a small pestle and mortar. Transfer to a small bowl and combine with the butter
• jaggery (or palm sugar)
• cinnamon
• ginger and vanilla paste to make a spreadable spiced butter. Set aside.
• When the dough is ready
• roll it quite thin and at least 60cm/23½in long. With your fingers or the back of a spoon
• spread the spiced butter all over the top of the dough. Roll up
• quite tightly
• from the long side
• like a Swiss roll.
• Cut into 3 x 20cm/8in long pieces and arrange them vertically on the counter. Plait the pieces in a simple three-braid plait. Carefully lift the plait and arrange it in a circle around the inside of the prepared cake tin. There may be a little gap in the centre but this will fill in as the bread proves. Cover the top of the tin with cling film and place in a warm place to prove for one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/fan oven 160C/350F/Gas 4.
• Place the tin in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes
• or until golden-brown. While it is still hot
• brush the top generously with the ginger syrup. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before sliding a butter knife around the edge of the tin to release it.
• Remove the baking paper and leave on a cooling rack until completely cool.