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Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar)
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Swedish kardemummabullar are soft, rich yeasted buns with an aromatic butter, sugar and cardamom filling. This recipe does require a bit of time commitment and willingness to roll, measure, cut and shape the buns. We think it’s worth it. Despite being rich with butter, milk and an egg yolk, the dough is remarkably easy to handle. It’s essential to use cardamom seeds that you have ground yourself. Preground cardamom doesn’t come close to having the same flavor, aroma or visual appeal. Be sure to purchase decorticated cardamom seeds—seeds that have been removed from the thick, fibrous pods—and grind them in a mortar with a pestle or pulse them in an electric spice grinder to a mix of powder and tiny flecks. For the dough’s first rise (the bulk fermentation), we use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish as the container. This allows the dough to cool more quickly once it’s in the refrigerator. It also makes the dough easy to roll into a rectangle for filling because it takes on the shape of the baking dish. If you wish to make the buns over the course of two days, the ideal stopping point is after putting the dough in the refrigerator; it can remain there for up to 24 hours before rolling, filling, shaping and baking. Leftover baked buns, if you have any, will keep for up to three days in an airtight container; they reheat well in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Makes 16
buns
Tip
Don’t overheat the milk, and be sure the butter has cooled after melting. The 20-minute kneading time in the mixer warms the dough, so making sure the milk and butter are not too hot will prevent the dough from overheating, which can adversely affect the yeast.
6 hours
1 hour active
390 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
103 grams (¾ cup) bread flour
80 grams (6 tablespoons) white sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground (see headnote)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to 100°F
113 grams (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, separated, white refrigerated in an airtight container and reserved for brushing
170 grams (12 tablespoons) salted butter, room temperature
163 grams (¾ cup) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds, ground
27 grams (2 tablespoons) white sugar
For the dough
-
390
grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
-
103
grams (¾ cup) bread flour
-
80
grams (6 tablespoons) white sugar
-
1
tablespoon instant yeast
-
1
teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground (see headnote)
-
¾
teaspoon table salt
-
1¼
cups whole milk, warmed to 100°F
-
113
grams (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted and cooled
-
1
large egg, separated, white refrigerated in an airtight container and reserved for brushing
For the filling
-
170
grams (12 tablespoons) salted butter, room temperature
-
163
grams (¾ cup) packed light brown sugar
-
2
teaspoons cardamom seeds, ground
-
27
grams (2 tablespoons) white sugar
Directions
-
01To make the dough, in a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix both flours, the sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt on low until combined, about 30 seconds. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the milk and butter. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, followed by the egg yolk. Mix on low until the ingredients form a rough, sticky dough, 2 to 3 minutes.
-
02Increase to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, about 20 minutes. The dough should be supple and soft to the touch; it also will feel warm.
-
03Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Scrape the dough into the baking dish and press it with your hands to flatten it into an even layer that is as thin as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until just shy of doubled in size, about 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
-
04When you are ready to fill, shape and bake the buns, make the filling. In a medium bowl, mash together butter, brown sugar and cardamom until well combined; set aside. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with kitchen parchment.
-
05Lightly flour the counter and turn the chilled dough out onto it with a short end nearest you; try to maintain the rectangular shape. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle of even thickness, occasionally flipping the dough to ensure it is not sticking. Spread the filling in an even layer on the dough, all the way to the edges. Fold the top third of the dough down over itself, then fold the bottom third up. Rotate the dough so a short side is nearest you and roll the dough once again into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle of even thickness.
-
06Rotate the rectangle so a long side is parallel with the counter’s edge. Using a metal bench scraper or pizza wheel, trim the short sides to create straight lines; discard the scraps. Cut the dough crosswise into 16 even strips.
-
07Pick up one strip by the ends and gently stretch it to about 16 inches by gently “bouncing” it against the counter while very gently pulling on the ends.
-
08Twist the ends of the strip in opposing directions while gently stretching it to create a loose spiral about 16 inches long.
-
09Holding it in place between your thumb and your index, middle and ring fingers, wrap the strip around your fingers.
-
10Fully wrap the strip around your index, middle and ring fingers without untwisting the spiral.
-
11Tuck the end under and up into the center while sliding out your fingers to create a turban-shaped knot. Pinch the center of the bottom of the bun to seal so the coil does not unwind during baking. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets.
-
12Shape the remaining dough strips in the same way, arranging 8 buns on each baking sheet, placing them in 2 outer rows of 3 and an inner row of 2, for staggered spacing. Drape a kitchen towel over each baking sheet or cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until the buns are nearly doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1½ hours (timing depends on the temperature of the dough as well as the ambient temperature in the room).
-
13While the buns are rising, heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water.
-
14When the buns are nearly doubled in size, lightly brush each on the first baking sheet with egg white, then sprinkle with half of the white sugar. Bake until the buns are deep golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes; it is normal for some filling to seep out and caramelize on the baking sheet. Meanwhile, brush the remaining buns with egg white and sprinkle with the remaining white sugar.
-
15When the buns are done, cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Bake the buns on the second baking sheet in the same manner. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
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Reviews
December 24, 2022
Delicious
These were such a lovely decadent flavor. The first time I had Cardamom rolls was a tiny town in Oregon. Every time I’ve gone back there to visit my aunt I have to get one, Until now! It’s almost dangerous that I can make my own . I honestly feel like they could use a little more cardamom! But absolutely love these
December 14, 2022
Unique and delicious
Watch the video so you don’t skip steps. Freshly ground cardamom permeates the soft buns for unique flavor. Less cloyingly sweet than cinnamon buns. I made first batch and had to do another for the crowd. I placed the second batch on one tray, nearly touching to prevent overspreading. Worth the effort.
October 21, 2022
Yum!
These are delicious but it is only two of us here. Has anyone successfully frozen them? Can they bake frozen or thaw first? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
September 23, 2022
Fun to make, beautiful and delicious!
Baked these for the first time today. I only had unsalted butter and forgot to add extra salt to the dough. They would have been better with a little more salt. Nonetheless, they were yummy and beautiful, they were fun to make, and the house smells wonderful! I suggest NOT using a GoldTouch baking sheet for these. The ones baked on the GoldTouch sheet were over-browned on the bottom, whereas the ones baked on a plain metal (Vollrath) sheet were fine. I might add slivered almonds to the filling the next time I bake them.
August 18, 2022
Amazing, Crunchy, Delicious
These rolls are absolutely amazing. I ground my spice fresh for this, and the final product turned out incredibly delicious, beyond expectation. I have never had sweet rolls that tasted this good. Everyone loved them and they did not last long. I will make them again, but not too often because they are too good, bad for the waistline.
These are incredible. The first time I followed the directions exactly. The second time I made sure to continue kneading the dough until it passed the "windowpane test" which took another few minutes beyond the 20 recommended. The texture was so much better the second time around: stretchy and chewy interiors. The second time around I used half pre-ground cardamom, and half cinnamon in the filling. It was so tasty but the cardamom fragrance was absolutely nowhere near when I ground the seeds myself. Still well worth making though. The best part is always the bottom of these buns. Some sugar from the filling turns into a thin, buttery, caramel crust.
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Your First Issue
I am not a baker. But my daughter used to make cardamom bread during Christmas, and when I saw this recipe, I figured I would give it a try. I made these buns following the recipe exactly. I even went as far as getting cardamom in the green pods, removing the seeds, and grinding them in a mortal and pestle.
Let's just say that these were so incredibly tasty that it's been suggested that I don't need to wait until next Christmas to make more. They are just the right balance of sweet and a little savory. I made them the day before Christmas. and a quick microwave, maybe 10 seconds, made them so delicious on Christmas morning. As I mentioned, I am not a baker and so cannot offer up any advice or changes to the recipe, as everyone, including me, was thrilled with the result.
The only thing I would change, is that I need to take more time with the mortar and pestle to grind the seeds finer. A couple of the buns had seeds that were a little too large and needed to be remove. But I will say that freshly ground cardamom is so good!