On Friday, I am going to Sweden with my whole stinkin family. That’s only 4 DAYS. I don’t think there is anything that I have been quite this excited for in my whole entire life. I’ve already packed and repacked, not to mention spent a million hours thinking about long underwear and what hats to bring. One of the things I am looking forward to most: cardamom buns. So many cardamom buns that I might turn into a cardamom bun.
In Sweden, coffee breaks aren’t just for the surge of caffeine. They are an institution. An institution called fika. Fika is all about spending time with friends, enjoying a coffee, and, most importantly, a treat. Cardamom and cinnamon buns are fika staples, and two of my favorite pastries. You can make these with a cinnamon filling if you’re not into cardamom or if you just don’t want to purchase a whole dang jar of it, but as I am about to embark on a journey to find the best kardemummabullar in Stockholm, I thought I should try my hand at making them. You know, to see what I’m truly up against.
kardemummabullar
ever-so-slightly adapted from johanna kindvall
dough:
2 ⅛ cups milk
4 ½ tsp (2 packets) active dry yeast
⅔ cup brown sugar
6 cups flour
2 tsp ground
½ tsp salt
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
one egg, lightly whipped with a teaspoon of water
pearl sugar or sliced almonds
- Heat the milk to about 100°F and stir the yeast into the milk until it is dissolved.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, with the dough hook attachment. Add in the milk and yeast. Add in the butter, chunk by chunk. Once the dough has come together in a ball (it will still be sticky and stretchy), turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes. It should be smooth and elastic.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and roll the dough around the bowl a couple of times to coat. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour, or until doubled.
- Mix the filling ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Divide the dough into two halves and roll each half into a rectangle, about 14 inches by 20 inches. Spread half of the filling on each half of the dough with a spatula.
- Fold the rectangles in thirds, like a letter, and cut into narrow strips (the long way). Twist each strip a couple of times and tie into a knot by wrapping the strip around your fingers and pulling the end through the middle (see note for more).
- Place on a lined baking sheet and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Brush each bun with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or almonds.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
notes:
One of my favorite things about these buns is how they are shaped. They look super fancy and will impress all of your fika friends. It took a couple of tries before I totally got the hang of the twisty roll thing going on, but it’s really quite easy (and even the less-than-perfect ones turn out beautiful and delicious). Once you have your folded dough, cut strips about 1-inch wide. Grabbing each end of a strip, twist the dough so it looks like a cheese straw. Then, wrap the twisted dough around your hand about 3 times, going across the tops of your fingers on the last go-round, and tuck the end into the center from the bottom. And if you feel like keeping it simple, you can take your rectangle, spread the filling and roll the rectangle (from the long edge) into a log, and slice 1 ½ inch pieces. Place the pieces, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheets.
Make sure you give your yeast plenty of time to work (also, make sure it’s room temperature, not straight out of the fridge). While these buns don’t poof up like a big gooey cinnamon roll, shaping the buns before they’re ready will result in a denser, doughier bun. A good way to tell whether or not the dough is ready is to stick two fingers into the center of your dough ball. If the imprints disappear right away, let it keep rising!
