In a small saucepan, over medium heat, scald the milk by bringing the milk to a gentle simmer. Pour milk into the bowl of the standmixer and allow to cool until warm to the touch (about 110°F). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar, and set aside until the surface of the mixture is foamy, 5-10 minutes.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the flour and milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, 2-3 minutes. Immediately transfer the paste into a small bowl, scraping the sides of the saucepan with a flexible spatula; let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes. The texture should resemble mashed potatoes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, sugar, salt, egg, tangzhong, and milk and mix on low for 2 minutes. The dough will be shaggy. Gradually add the softened butter and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and tacky, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking, pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball.

Coat a large mixing bowl with the 1 tsp oil. Add the dough to the bowl, gently turning it to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to proof for at least 8 hours or overnight. For a faster process, you can let the dough proof until nearly doubled in a warm spot, 2 to 3 hours.

In a large bowl, mix to combine sugar, cardamon, cinnamon, and salt. Lightly grease the baking dish with softened butter or spray with nonstick baking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large square or rectangle, a little less than ½” thick. Cut the dough into small squares, about 1 ½” pieces, but they don’t need to be exact.

Add a few pieces of dough to the sugar at a time and toss to coat. Place the sugared dough into the baking dish and repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Cover the dish and allow the dough to proof until doubled, about 45 minutes. Reserved any leftover spiced sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Mix to combine the melted butter with reserved spice sugar and carefully pour it over the proofed dough. Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking dish and then bake until the bread is deeply browned and puffy, 35 to 38 minutes. Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes before serving.