Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar)

Cardamom buns or kardemummabullar were my all time favourite thing to bake with my mormor, when I was a child. I so enjoyed kneading and shaping the dough, the process of proving and then baking. To ultimately the aroma when removing them from the oven and then devouring, absolute heaven.

These tempting, sweet, enriched, yeasted buns are flavoured with cardamom, filled with a sweet cinnamon butter and then delicately sprinkled with sugar nibs. They’re light as a feather and mouthwateringly delicious.

Why not set aside a little time at the weekend to bake these enticing treats.  The process is very simple and can be split over two days, if you like freshly baked buns in the morning.

Please use freshly ground cardamom for this recipe! I cannot stress this enough, to get the best flavour, this is so important. The seeds are available to buy online, just grind what you need when you bake.

A few important points to remember:

• Have all your ingredients ready and weighed out before you start.
• Use butter at room temperature.
• Heat the milk to 38C.
• If you can’t find sugar nibs just combine granulated sugar with cardamon and sprinkle on the buns after egg washing.  (They are commonly sold this way in bakeries in Sweden)

These fluffy buns are best eaten on the day they’re baked but can be frozen for up to 2 months , thawed and warmed through in the oven before serving with a freshly brewed coffee.

You can find a video on shaping the buns here.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Swedish Cardamom Buns (Kardemummabullar)

Makes 12-14 buns

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Resting time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Cuisine: Scandinavian

Servings: 14 buns

Ingredients

• 30 g fresh bakers yeast or 10g fast action dried yeast
• 260 ml whole milk
• 575 g strong white bread flour I use organic
• 5 g freshly ground Cardamom or to taste
• a good pinch sea salt
• 110 g butter cut into small dice & room temperature
• 65 g caster sugar
• 1 Large egg 55g, at room temperature

Cinnamon Butter

• 70 g caster sugar
• 150 g butter room temperature
• 1 Tbls ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp plain flour

Topping

• beaten egg for glazing
• Sugar Nibs

Instructions

• Place the flour, cardamom, sugar and salt in a free standing mixer. Heat the milk in a saucepan to 38C, remove from the heat and add the fresh yeast and stir. If you’re using fast action pour it over the flour. Pour the milk mixture over the flour and turn the mixer on medium-low. Now add the egg and blend for a minute or so. Once the egg is incorporated add the butter and continue to mix. Once it has blended with the dough increase the speed to medium-high and work the dough for another 5-6 minutes or until it feels smooth, silky and looks shiny. Place the dough in a large clean bowl and cover, prove for 20-30 minutes.
• Mix together the butter, sugar, cinnamon and flour to make a smooth paste.
• Shaping the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into 75x40cm. Spread the cinnamon butter mixture on approximately half of the surface. Fold the dough in half, then roll again gently to make an approximate rectangle measuring 45x30cm.
• Cut the dough into roughly 2.5cm wide strips, I find a pizza wheel good for this job. Twist each strip several times, slightly stretching it as you do so. Cut another strip in half and coil it round the bun, tucking the ends underneath. Continue with the rest of the strips.
• Arrange the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if they’re too crowded, use 2 sheets), keeping as much space between them as possible. Cover and leave to prove for 35–50 minutes or until doubled in size, depending on the room temperature.
• Meanwhile, set the oven shelf to the middle position and preheat to 200C Fan.
• Brush the buns with an egg wash, sprinkle with sugar nibs, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the buns to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• The buns are best the same day they are made, but can be frozen for up to 2 months and reheated in the oven before serving.

Tips:

• Fresh yeast is my preference when baking these buns.  Many bakeries are willing to sell customers small quantities.  If you’re using dried yeast (there are several types, from easy blend, fast action & just standard dried) please read the packet instruction and quantify 30g to the dried weight.
• Prepare the buns in the late afternoon up to stage 5 and place on a tray, cover with a polythene bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.  Remove from the fridge and place a bowl of boiling water in the oven.  DO NOT TURN THE OVEN ON.  Unwrap the buns and place in the oven to prove, (takes approx 90 minutes).  When they are almost double in size, proceed from stage 6.