Cardamom Buns Recipe
These cardamom buns are made with a soft yeasted dough that’s layered with butter, brown sugar, and of course, cardamom. After shaping they are topped with Swedish pearl sugar and baked in a muffin tin. A burst of cardamom flavor will fill you with warmth as you devour these sweet rolls.
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Components Used: Enriched Sweet Dough Master Recipe, Egg Wash
My cardamom buns are a variation on my classic cinnamon roll recipe. The dough starts out the same but they couldn’t taste more different. They are packed with tons of wonderful cardamom flavor.
I’m a big fan of cardamom! If you are unfamiliar, cardamom is a slightly peppery spice with a floral aroma. These buns do not include any frosting because they truly do not need it. They are soft and sticky with full or warmth.
To set these buns apart, I like to bake them in a muffin tin. It gives the buns a unique shape by lifting them up and out of the pan while baking. How gorgeous!
Swedish Cardamom buns
You may have heard of Swedish cardamom buns also known as kardemummabullar. This recipe is very similar to a traditional Swedish bun but the Swedes tend to shape their buns in a twisted braid-like shape.
As a nod to the traditional recipe, I like to top my buns with Swedish pearl sugar before baking.
How to make cardamom buns
These cardamom buns are made with the same dough as my classic cinnamon rolls with the addition of cardamom. The filling is also similar with the exception of swapping the cinnamon for cardamom.
Sweet rolls, like these cardamom buns and cinnamon rolls, are made with an enriched dough. This master recipe for enriched dough is used to make not only sweet rolls but also soft dinner rolls, donuts, loaf breads, and more.
Make the dough
Warm the milk to about 110-115°F/43-46°C. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar to the warmed milk and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until you see some bubbles and foaming.
This step is called “proofing the yeast”. It’s optional but it’s a good way to test your yeast to make sure that it’s active before using. If you do not see any bubbles or activity then either your yeast is dead or your milk is too hot.
Add all of the dough ingredients into a large mixing bowl including the milk/yeast mixture. The order in which everything is combined doesn’t make a difference. Just weigh everything in the bowl and mix with a spoon, your hands, or in a stand mixer until everything starts to come together.
The dough can then be kneaded by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Knead for 8-10 minutes by hand or 6-8 minutes with a mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Add more flour as needed while kneading the dough. When the dough is finished being kneaded it will be still be slightly sticky to the touch but should feel smooth and elastic and stand tall when rounded into a ball.
Move the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, a damp cloth, or a shower cap (my preference) to bulk ferment until doubled in size: about 1 hour for instant yeast and 2 hours for active dry yeast.
Shape the dough
After the dough has bulk fermented, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle. Spread the soft butter all over the dough leaving about ½ inch (1.2 cm) of the dough free from filling at the bottom long edge. Combine the cardamom and brown sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the butter.
Starting on the long edge that does have filling, tightly roll the dough up into a log. Pinch the clean edge to the log to seal. Use a serrated knife or bench knife to divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Now cut each quarter of the log into 3 equal pieces to get 12 rolls.
Transfer the cut rolls into a greased muffin tin and cover with plastic wrap.
If preferred, you can bake these buns on a sheet pan or in a rectangle shaped baking pan as you would with traditional cinnamon rolls. I personally like to bake these buns in a muffin tin to get a more unique shape.
If you’re up for it, try this fun shaping technique to make a twisted bun!
Let proof for about 45 minutes if using instant yeast and about 75 minutes if using active dry yeast.
Bake
After proofing, brush the buns gently with an egg wash and coarse sugar. I love using Swedish pearl sugar. Bake on 350°F/ 175°C for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
To reheat any leftovers, place a bun in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
Prep & Storage
How to Prep Ahead: Cardamom buns can easily be prepped ahead of time! After shaping and placing in a muffin tin, wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Store in your refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake.
How to store in the freezer: Freeze the unbaked shaped cardamom buns for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, move the pan to your refrigerator and let thaw overnight. About 2 hours before baking, take it out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature and rise. You can place the pan next to a heating oven to speed up the process. When the dough is doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap, brush with the egg wash and coarse sugar, and bake.
How to store in the refrigerator and make overnight cardamom buns: Refrigerate for up to 16 hours. If it sits in the fridge for too long, the filling will start to liquify and leak out.
About 2 hours before baking, take it out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature and rise. You can place the pan next to a heating oven to speed up the process. When the buns are doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap, brush with the egg wash and coarse sugar, and bake.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like to try these other delicious sweet roll recipes.
Cardamom Buns
These cardamom buns are made with a soft yeasted dough that's layered with butter, brown sugar, and of course, cardamom. After shaping they are topped with Swedish pearl sugar and baked in a muffin tin.
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 240 grams (1 cup, 240 milliliters) milk, dairy or non-dairy will work fine
- 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons, 1 package) active dry or instant yeast
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 480-600 grams (4-5 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 85 grams (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
FOR THE FILLING
- 56 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 grams (1 cup) brown sugar, I prefer dark brown
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
FOR THE TOPPING
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Swedish pearl sugar or coarse turbinado sugar
Instructions
Make the Rolls
- Warm the milk (227 grams / 1 cup) to about 110-115°F/43-46°C. Add the yeast (7 grams/ 2 ¼ teaspoons), and ½ teaspoon of sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until you see some bubbles and foaming.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour (480 grams/ 4 cups), the rest of the sugar (50 grams/ ¼ cup), salt (1 ½ teaspoons), ground cardamom (2 teaspoons), butter (85 grams/ 6 tablespoons), eggs (2 large), and the yeast/milk mixture. Use clean hands to mix together until a sticky dough forms.
- If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Dust flour over the top of the dough and knead the dough by hand for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If kneading with a stand mixer, fit the mixer with a dough hook and knead at medium speed for 6-8 minutes. Add more flour as needed while kneading the dough. When the dough is finished being kneaded it will still be slightly sticky to the touch, but feels smooth and elastic and should stand tall when rounded into a ball.
- Move the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, a damp cloth, or a shower cap (my preference) to bulk ferment until doubled in size, about 1 hour for instant yeast and 2 hours for active dry yeast.
- After bulk fermentation, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and roll it out into a rectangle about 18 x 12-inches (46 x 30 cm) in size.
- Spread the soft butter (56 grams/ ¼ cup) all over the dough leaving about ½-inch of the dough free from filling at the bottom long edge. Mix the ground cardamom (1 tablespoon) and brown sugar (200 grams/ 1 cup) together and then evenly distribute on top of the butter.
- Starting on the long edge that does have filling, tightly roll the dough up into a log. Pinch the clean edge to the log to seal.
- Use a serrated knife to divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Now cut each quarter of the log into 3 equal pieces to get 12 rolls.
- Transfer the cut rolls into a greased muffin tin and cover with plastic wrap. Proof the rolls for about 45 minutes if using instant yeast and about 75 minutes if using active dry yeast.
- Position an oven rack to the center position. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Combine the egg (1 whole) and the water (1 tablespoon) together and whisk vigorously until well combined and very smooth. Brush gently over the rolls and sprinkle Swedish pearl sugar or coarse turbinado sugar over the top of each roll.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.
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23 Comments on “Cardamom Buns Recipe”
Sounds and looks delcious! Your pictures are great 🙂
that looks totally amazing – so incredibly pretty. You photos really are incredible.
Great recipe, with a nice twist! Thanks!
this is GORGEOUS! beautiful! I wish i could eat the picture! 😀
Mmm, looks awesome! I’ve heard a lot of good things about that book.
Cardamom is one of my all-time favorite spices. I can’t wait to try this bread!
Also, I’ve read a similar book involving letting the starter hang out in the fridge, called Tartine Bread. I think you might really like it. In the meantime I’ll check this book out of the library to read.
Have 2 books on Artisan Bread by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg, but I still like using my mixer, my bread machine and my hands, but I will give your Cardamom pecan swirl bread a try tomorrow and will let you know how it is. I have just finished picking pecans here so I have alot and need to start using. Thanks for the link!!
Hope you enjoy it! I agree. Sometimes I like using my hands as well, although I don’t have a bread maker, but sometimes I just don’t want to get flour everywhere and my hands all sticky. It’s a nice backup on a busy day.
Fresh pecans! I’m jealous… Enjoy!
This bread looks delicious and I bet tastes wonderful with a hot soothing drink for breakfast – thanks!!!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Nutella Baking Week
What is that amazing looking spread/jammy “thing” on your AWESOME bread?
It is apple butter!
Oh, wow. That combination…just, wow. 🙂
wow!this looks so sophisticated!!!i am gonna make this at the earliest!!
I had a friend who made wonderful cardamon bread. She was going to teach me “one day”. We never got around to that “one day” and now she is gone. I will have to try this. I love pecans so this combo should be amazing.
I wondered if that was apple butter you had smeared on it in the photo. I just received a homemade batch from a client as a thank you. How perfect!
Hi , can i use normal salt instead of kosher? and also, brown sugar is a brown cane sugar I think? I have a packet of muscavado sugar and brown sugar (thats’ sticky and smelly)
which 1 can i use?
You can use table salt if preferred. I just like the somewhat coarse texture of kosher salt. You can use either sugar that you prefer the flavor. The sugar in this recipe does nothing more than flavor the bread so whichever you prefer.
that looks sooooo good!!
I love the sound of this, and it looks delicious!
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domesticaStefano Disegni è ateo e viene da una famiglia di origini ebraiche che si è convertita al cattolicesimo (ci ho messo un po'a sbrogliare il bandolo della matassa, poi ho trovato unni#9;i&terv3sta in cui lui stesso spiega la sua storia familiare) ed il cognome era originariamente Di Segni.In pratica confermi quello che ho detto io, non è ebreo.
I have just recently found your site, and this particular post has been out here for a while, but maybe just maybe you still answer questions about it??? I have a friend who likes cardamom and would like to make this bread for him, but I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what
“place in a buttered loaf pan folded end side down” means, when I would have just folded the ends to the middle? Seems like now I would have two folded ends…one on each end. Does this mean fold the ends to the middle and then place it in the pan with that “middle” point on the bottom? Maybe I can just shape it like a babka?
Made this bread for the first time today. I am new to bread making…thanks to a pandemic and stay-at-home orders. Al the other breads I’ve made are also filled and rolled, except they are kneaded at least a little bit. So this was definitely different. My yeast is fairly new, and apparently quite active, as my dough was pushing the lid off the bowl at 1.5 hours!! When I went to roll it, it was like trying to roll marshmallow fluff! and kept sticking to me and the counter I kept trying to put more flour underneath it, even though I had floured my counter top before I turned it out. I thought for sure it would be a mess inside. BUT, it turned out beautifully!! I had read in other recipes to cook bread to ~ 190 degrees, and I went with that. But when I checked the temp, there was some dough stuck to the thermometer, so I did another 10 minutes…perfect! This is so yummy served warm with some butter on it!
Thanks Tracy, I’m so glad you liked it! Sometimes it can be such a mess but turns out beautifully! Always keep with it!