Print

Cardamom Buns

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Soft and deliciously fragrant Cardamom Buns which will fill your home with the aroma of a Danish bakery! Recipe with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

For the Dough

For the Cardamom-Sugar Filling

For the Topping

Instructions

You will need approx. 3 hours to make the Swedish Cinnamon Buns

To Make the Dough

  1. Measure the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
  2. Lightly mix the ingredients together using the dough hook.
  3. Slowly pour in the warm milk, and continue mixing until everything comes together into a rough dough.
  4. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once the butter has been fully incorporated into the dough, add the next tablespoon of butter.
  5. Once all of the butter has been added, continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. The dough is ready when it is soft and smooth, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat sticky from the butter.

First Proofing Period

  1. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl.
  2. Place the dough inside the bowl.
  3. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel, plastic wrap, or a reusable bowl cover.
  4. Leave the dough somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size (see Kitchen Notes below).

For the Cardamom-Sugar Filling

  1. Just before the dough has finished the first proofing period, make the filling by beating together the ingredients.

To Roll out the Dough

  1. Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it.
  2. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape measuring approximately 40 x 30 cm/16 x 12 inches.
  3. Use a small palette knife to evenly spread the cardamom-sugar filling all over the dough. 
  4. Fold over one-third of the dough towards the centre, and overlap with the other third of the dough.
  5. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough and smooth out any air bubbles. Aim to have a rectangle shape measuring approximately 30 x 15 cm/12 x 6 inches.
  6. Cut the dough into strips measuring 2 cm/0.75 inches wide. How many strips you cut will depend on how wide you have rolled your dough, but you should get about 12-15 strips. 

To Shape the Cardamom Buns

  1. Take one strip of dough and twist it gently with both hands, slightly stretching the dough as you do so.
  2. For right-handers: start wrapping the twisted dough around three of your fingers in your left hand.
  3. Finish the knot by tucking the end of the dough into the centre of the bun on top. Please see diagram in blog post.

Second Proofing Period

  1. Line a large baking pan with baking paper.
  2. Arrange the shaped buns on the lined baking pan. Space the buns apart generously.
  3. Place the pan somewhere warm for about 30 minutes, or until the buns have risen and puffed up slightly.
  4. During this time, preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan) with a metal baking tray on the middle shelf.

Bake the Cardamom Buns

  1. Gently brush each bun with some egg wash.
  2. Mix together the sugar and freshly ground cardamom.
  3. Sprinkle each bun with some of the cardamom-sugar.
  4. Place the pan of buns on the preheated baking tray.
  5. Bake the buns for about 20 minutes, or until the buns are lightly golden. Check the buns at about 10 minutes, and if they are browning too quickly, cover them with a loose sheet of foil for the rest of the baking time.
  6. The buns are cooked if an internal thermometer reads 85°C/185°F.
  7. Gently remove the buns to a wire rack, and leave them to cool completely.

Kitchen Notes

WHAT TYPE OF CARDAMOM TO USE
* For the best (and most authentic) results, use freshly-ground cardamom seeds (also called decorticated cardamom seeds). Simply grind them to a fine powder to use in the dough and filling. Use a more coarse grind for sprinkling on top of the wreath.
* Alternatively, use the same quantity of regular ground cardamom, or add more to taste.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS
To make the Cardamom Buns the night before:
* Make the dough as per the recipe until it has doubled in size. Without deflating the dough, place it in the fridge to continue proving overnight. The next day, proceed with the rest of the recipe.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOUR
* For Swiss readers: I use Zopfmehl (or farine pour tresse) when making bread and enriched dough.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* With dried yeast, you will need to activate it first (usually in some warm liquid).
* If you are using fresh yeast, you will need about 1 block (40 g fresh yeast = 14 g instant dried yeast). Crumble the fresh yeast into the warm milk, and stir to dissolve the yeast.

PROOFING THE DOUGH
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have an oven with a setting to proof dough, or a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
* In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
* In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf.
* In the oven or a steamer oven at a low temperature of about 25-40°C (77-104°F).

OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.