Cardamom easily makes it to my top 3 favorite flavor profiles; it’s bright, peppery and perfume-y, and it is the star of this show. If you love the spice as much as I do, you’ll love my version of Swedish Kardemummabullar. They are worth the work + wait 🙂
Ingredients
for the dough:
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to about 100F
- 1 packet instant yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
- 3 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1 tsp whole cardamom, ground*
for the filling:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1.5 tsp whole cardamom, ground*
for the syrup:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
for the topping:
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp whole cardamom seeds, ground*
Directions:
for the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whish the warm milk and yeast. If using active dry yeast, give it a few minutes to activate.
- Add in remaining ingredients – flour, brown sugar, salt, butter and cardamom.
- Mix with the dough hook for 10-15 seconds, then stop and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. This will give the flour time to hydrate.
- After 5 minutes, continue mixing on medium speed for 2-4 minutes, until the dough comes together and is elastic. Don’t overmix!
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it proof for 30-60 minutes in a warm spot until it puffs up. I like to place it in the oven with the light on.
for the filling:
1. While the dough proofs, make the filling. Combine the softened butter, brown sugar and cardamom until it’s evenly incorporated. Set aside.
shaping:
- Once the dough is puffy and nearly doubled in size, place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a rectangle that’s about 13×21 inches in size (doesn’t have to be exact).
- Spread the filling evenly over the entire rectangle.
- With the dough’s long side being at the top and bottom, fold over the right side of the dough to the middle of the rectangle, then fold over the left side on top. Looking at the photos above will help visualize this.
- Lightly go over the dough with a rolling pin a few times to seal the edges and stretch the dough.
- Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the rectangle into strands that are about 2cm in width. You should get between 15-18 strands.
- With each strand, shape it into a knot by wrapping it around your index and middle fingers twice before tucking the end into the center. For reference, view the video below.
- Place each bun onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets and cover with a tea towel. Allow the buns to proof for 45 minutes.
- While the buns proof, preheat the oven to 425F to give it enough time to really heat up.
for the syrup + topping:
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey and vanilla.
- Bring it to simmer until the honey fully dissolves.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cardamom. Set aside.
baking:
- Once the buns are proved, lower the oven temperature to 400F.
- Bake the buns for 12-14 minutes until they’re a deep golden brown.
- As soon as they’re out of the oven, pour 1 tablespoon of the syrup over each bun . They should sizzle!
- Sprinkle a pinch of the cardamom sugar over each bun.
- Allow the buns to cool fully before enjoying with a latte.
Notes:
– Measure out the required amount of whole cardamom seeds, then grind them up into a course powder. You can use a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or my method of choice: place into a Ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin 🙂 You don’t want to buy pre-ground cardamom; the flavor won’t be nearly as potent or high quality!
2 Responses
They look fantastic and fun to make. Haven’t used cardamom as a main flavor before but willing to give it a try!
I hope you do!