Cardamom Cinnamon Buns
Nordic-style knotted buns: buttery, spiced and not too sweet
- Makes
- 16 buns
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Some skill
These are the Nordic kind: a soft, cardamom-scented dough rolled around a cinnamon butter filling, sliced and baked until golden, then finished with pearl sugar rather than icing. They are less sweet than the American style and best eaten warm with coffee.
Ingredients
Dough
- 300 gwhole milk (1¼ cups)
- 75 gunsalted butter (5 tbsp)
- 550 gall-purpose flour (4½ cups)plus extra for rolling
- 75 gsugar (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
- 7 ginstant yeast (2¼ tsp (1 sachet))
- 6 gfine sea salt (1 tsp)
- 4 gground cardamom (2 tsp)freshly ground from about 20 pods is best
- 1large egg (about 50 g)
Filling
- 120 gunsalted butter, very soft (8½ tbsp)
- 90 glight brown sugar (scant ½ cup)
- 12 gground cinnamon (1½ tbsp)
- 1 pinchfine sea salt
To finish
- 1large egg (about 50 g), beatenfor brushing
- 30 gpearl sugar (2 tbsp)or coarsely crushed sugar cubes
- Diet
- Vegetarian
- Allergens
- gluten, egg, milk
- Origin
- Sweden / Norway
Method
- Warm the milk and 75 g butter in a small pan until the butter melts, then cool to lukewarm (about 37°C, 99°F).
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cardamom. Add the milk mixture and egg and mix into a soft dough. Knead by hand on the counter for 8–10 minutes, or 6 minutes with a stand mixer and dough hook on medium-low, until smooth and elastic and just slightly tacky.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Beat the filling ingredients to a smooth, spreadable paste. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
- On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough into a 40 × 50 cm (16 × 20 in) rectangle with a long side toward you. Spread the filling evenly to the edges.
- Fold the bottom third up and the top third down over it, like a letter, to make a 3-layer strip about 13 × 50 cm (5 × 20 in). Roll gently to firm it, then cut crosswise into 16 strips about 3 cm wide.
- To knot each bun, cut each strip lengthwise into two legs, leaving 2 cm joined at the top. Twist the legs around each other, then coil the twist around two fingers and tuck the end underneath. (For simpler buns, roll the rectangle up tightly from a long side and slice into 16 rounds instead.) Space on the trays.
- Cover and let rise 30–40 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile heat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 10–12 minutes, until deep golden. Cool on the tray 5 minutes, then on a rack.
Why it works
Cardamom is the signature of Nordic sweet doughs and its floral, citrusy aroma is fat-soluble, so warming it in a buttery dough spreads it evenly. Folding the dough over the filling before cutting creates layers that stay distinct, and a hot, short bake browns the sugar-rich surface before the crumb dries out.
Common mistakes
- Melted filling. Use very soft, not melted, butter, or the filling runs out and burns on the tray.
- Over-flouring the counter, which makes dry, tough buns. Use just enough to stop sticking.
- Baking too long. Pull them when deep golden; they keep cooking a little on the hot tray.
Variations
- Cardamom buns
- Replace the cinnamon with 6 g (1 tbsp) ground cardamom in the filling for the full Swedish kardemummabullar flavor.
- Iced American-style
- Roll up and slice, bake close together in a 23 × 33 cm pan at 190°C (375°F) for 22–25 minutes, and spread with 150 g cream cheese beaten with 60 g powdered sugar and 30 g soft butter.
Make ahead and storage
Shape, cover and refrigerate overnight; next morning leave them at room temperature for 30–45 minutes until puffy, then bake, adding 1–2 minutes. Baked buns freeze for 2 months; warm from frozen at 160°C (320°F) for 8 minutes.
Notes
Hydration about 64% counting milk and egg liquid. Fan oven: 200°C (390°F); you can then bake both trays at once, swapping halfway. Pearl sugar is sold in Nordic and German shops and online.
