In a small saucepan, add half of the zest and cook with dates, rum, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat. Being to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is absorbed by the dates and the dates soften to form a thick paste, about 12 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes or so. Remove the mixture from the heat, then add the brown sugar, butter, and vanilla and mix until combined. Allow to cool to room temperature. If making the filling ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together all the ingredients except the butter together over medium low speed until a crumbly dough forms. Switch to the dough hook attachment, and at low speed, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Continue mixing at low speed until a smooth dough forms around the hook, about 6 minutes. If you’re kneading by hand, it will take about twice as long. Transfer the dough to a large lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 1 hour or until doubled in size. If you’re making the dough ahead of time, you can do an overnight rise instead by just covering the bowl with plastic wrap or beeswrap, and then placing it in the refrigerator overnight. Then continue with the recipe in the morning.

Lightly grease a standard muffin pan and set it aside. After the dough rests, roll it out into a roughly 14 x 18 inch rectangle on a *very* lightly floured surface, then use a rubber spatula to spread half of the filling across the rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border *without* filing around the edge.

Lay a ruler along the long (18-inch) side of it and make small cuts at every 1.5 inches down the side. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 strips along those 1.5 inch cuts. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling at one end of the strip, then gently roll the strip up, starting with the filling end, and roll at a very slight angle so that the center is the highest point of the bun. (Do not roll at a sharp angle, otherwise when you proof and bake the buns the tops will be too tall and they will fall over to the side instead of remaining nice and pointed upright).

When you reach the end of the strip, press the empty part against the side gently to stick it in place. Place the bun pointed-side up in the muffin pan and repeat until all of the buns are in the pan. Lightly cover the pan with a greased sheet of plastic wrap and allow to proof for 30 minutes, or until the buns look a little puffy. Towards the end of the proofing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the buns in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they turn golden.

While they’re baking, you can prepare the syrup. Bring all the ingredients to a boil except the orange juice. Lower to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes, then remove the pot from heat, stir in the orange juice, and set aside. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing the buns from the pan and placing them in a casserole pan. Pour the prepared syrup over the buns and allow them to sit soaking in the syrup for 2 hours. I you want to make sure they’re coated in the syrup, you can use pastry brush to dip into the reservoir of syrup in the casserole dish and brush it over the surfaces of the buns. Remove them from the casserole pan and serve.