Swedish Cardamom Buns

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Delicious and fragrant Swedish cardamom buns inspired by my trip to Malmo, Sweden. This dough is a dream to work with and slathered with a cardamom vanilla butter. Heaven! 

Last year I was able to tag along on a work trip with Wes to Copenhagen. We had a wonderful time, but being who I am, I could not be that close to Sweden and not go have a cinnamon bun where they originated from. I took the quick train ride over the border and immediately went to St. Jakobs Stenugnsbageri in Malmo. 

I don’t even think that I can describe the smell. It was heaven. I was chatting with the women behind the counter and she recommended that I give the cardamom bun a try. She said, “You came all this way, why don’t you try what the grown-ups eat?”. Hand to God, that’s what she said. I think that what she was getting at is that a cardamom bun is a more mature version of the cinnamon bun. Not knocking a cinnamon bun, they are delicious, but the cardamom bun blew me away. 

Have it with an iced coffee shake and you’re in for a real treat.

Ingredients //

The Dough:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 10 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

The Cardamom Filling:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp freshly ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

The Assembly:

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water
• pearl sugar
• cardamom sugar

How to Make Swedish Cardamom Buns // The Steps

Step 1: To make the dough, heat the milk until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and let cool to 100°F. Sprinkle yeast over and let sit for 5 minutes.

Step 2: While the milk is heating up, cream the butter, sugar, and cardamom in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment.

Step 3: Pour the milk and yeast mixture into the butter and add flour and salt. Mix until blended.

Step 4: Switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Step 5: Add the dough to a bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place for 1 hour. Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into two balls.

Step 6: To make the filling, whisk butter, sugar, cardamom, salt, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Set aside.

Step 7: Roll the dough out into a rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.

This is the trickiest part of this whole recipe, but truthfully, while it may not be traditional, they will taste amazing no matter what shape they are in, so just go for it and do your best.

Step 8: Fold the bottom third of the rectangle to the middle and fold the top third over that, like a brochure. Slice into inch pieces.

Step 9: Stretch a piece of dough out a bit, then tie into a knot and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Step 10: When ready to bake, whisk egg and water and brush over the buns. Sprinkle half of the buns with sugar pearls and the other half cardamom sugar.

Step 11: Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Variations //

My kids prefer cinnamon buns, so with the rest of the dough, I made them a pan of cinnamon buns. I just swapped cinnamon for cardamom and made them a glaze. You can alter these cardamom buns however you like! Add in some orange zest, cover them in the lemon glaze from my lemon Bundt cake recipe, or add some chocolate chips.

Tips for Making Swedish Cardamom Buns //

• Swedish cinnamon buns are topped with pearl sugar, not glaze. They are crunchy and add sweetness as the buns aren’t overly sweet.
• I like to make a cardamon sugar with ground cardamom, granulated sugar, and a tablespoon or two of sanding sugar. I love the extra bit of texture the sanding sugar adds.
• Do yourself a favor and buy a cheap coffee grinder just to be used for spices. It makes a WORLD of difference in the flavor. To clean it out, run some salt through it before you grind a different spice.
• Give yourself plenty of time to make these so you don’t skimp out on the proofing and rising time. This will be essential to the cardamom buns’ texture.

FAQs //

How to Store Swedish Cardamom Buns //

Twenty buns might be a lot, but you’ll be surprised how quickly they’re eaten when you leave them wrapped in plastic wrap or a domed cake stand on the counter. They’ll keep well like this for up to 3 days.

You can also bake these and freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months, then reheat in a 300° oven for 10 minutes.

Swedish Cardamom Buns

bakedbree

Delicious and fragrant Swedish cardamom buns inspired by my trip to Malmo Sweden. This dough is a dream to work with and slathered with a cardamom vanilla butter. Heaven! 

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 7 minutes mins

Course breakfast and brunch

Cuisine Swedish

Servings 20 buns

Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients

  

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The Dough:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 10 tbsp butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

The Cardamom Filling:

• 3/4 cup butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp freshly ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

The Assembly:

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water
• Pearl sugar
• Cardamom Sugar

Instructions

 

• To make the dough, add milk to a medium saucepan and cook until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from the heat and cool down to 100 degrees. 
• Sprinkle yeast over and mix to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, cream the butter, sugar, and cardamom in the bowl on an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Pour in the yeast mixture, flour, and salt and mix until blended.
• Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. 
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let proof in a warm place for 1 hour. When the dough has proofed, turn it out onto a floured surface and cut into two pieces.
• While the dough is rising, make the filling. Mix the butter, sugar, cardamom, salt, vanilla bean paste until smooth. Set aside. 
• Roll each piece into a rectangle and spread with the filling. Fold into thirds, fold the top over the middle of the filling and the bottom onto the middle. Slice into strips approximately one inch. Stretch the piece out and tie into a knot. 
• Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. 
• When ready to bake, whisk egg and water and brush over the buns. Sprinkle half of the tops generously with pearl sugar and the other half with cardamom sugar.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until buns are golden brown. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 303mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9g

Keyword cardamon buns, Swedish cardamon buns

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