Swedish Cardamom Buns have to be among the best I know. Cinnamon buns are amazing but Swedish cardamom buns are more than amazing! If you’ve never tried it, I guarantee you’ve found a new favorite. Cardamom bun is a soft and fluffy sweet bun with a slightly crispy surface, filled with an aromatic and buttery cardamom filling. And for me, a Fika without a cardamom bun is no Fika, it’s as simple as that!
*This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Cardamom
- Freshly ground cardamom gives the dough a wonderful aroma and flavour. I prefer to use freshly ground cardamom seeds. It’s a little bit of work to separate the seeds from the pods, but ohhh… It’s so worth it. Of course you can use pre-ground cardamom. But home-ground cardamom gives a much stronger flavor than pre-ground.
- Start by separating the seeds from the pods. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods by placing the pods in the mortar and pounding lightly with the pestle. Press gently and the pod should open and release the seeds. Remove the husk from the seeds and then start grinding the seeds with the pestle and mortar.
- If you don’t have a mortar and pestle*, use a wine bottle on a hard surface to crush the pods and then the seeds until ground.
- You can also use a pepper mill to grind the seeds.
How to make Swedish Cardamom buns
Pre-dough
The recipe is meant for the dough to rise overnight in the refrigerator. You can even make the dough in the morning and let the buns cool for a few hours in the refrigerator. But it also works well if you want to bake the buns straight away. Just remember that the buns always need to rise at room temperature before they are baked.
- Dissolve the yeast in water for the dough, then mix with the first part flour and sugar.
- Use a standing mixer with a dough hook and let the dough come together on low speed for about 5 minutes. Turn off the stand mixer and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.
Dough
- Then add the rest of the flour, sugar, cardamom, eggs and salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes, then add the butter (room temperature) in batches so that it is well incorporated into the dough.
- Increase the speed and knead the dough smoothly, about 10 minutes. The dough should become elastic and strong gluten threads should form, pick up part of the dough and shape it into a ball. Pull it apart to check the gluten threads. If it is not elastic enough, knead it some more.
- Remove from the bowl and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and place on a floured baking sheet and leave to cool completely in the refrigerator 30 – 60 minutes.
Sugar syrup
- Add water and sugar to a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. You will use this syrup to brush the buns right after they come out of the oven.
The filling
- Stir all the ingredients for the filling together with a spatula.
- Divide the dough in half. Then roll one part out into a large rectangle measuring 30×60 cm ( 11 x 23 in).
- Spread the filling over the entire rectangle and then fold them in half along the long side. Then roll again slightly so that you get an even rectangle without air bubbles.
- Cut 1 cm (0.40 in) wide strips. Take a strip and wrap it around your index and middle finger in much the same way you roll yarn. Take another strip of dough and continue to roll it into a small ball. Finish by folding the edge of the strip under the bun and place the bun on parchment lined baking sheet.
Allow the buns to rise
- Let the buns rise in the refrigerator over the day/night depending on the time of day you made the dough.
- If the buns are to be frozen and baked at a later time, you can place the trays in the freezer immediately. Then take them out and let them thaw and then rise until doubled in size (about 3 hours).
- Place the buns well apart as they will rise to almost double their size. Rise the buns until doubled in size in a draft-free place, for example in a switched off oven (28° C) (82.4° F) with a small bowl of hot water at the bottom of the oven. You’ll know they’ve risen enough if the dough “bounces back” when you lightly press with your finger.
- Lightly beat an egg with salt and water and brush on the buns. Top with cardamom mixed with raw sugar.
- Bake the buns in the middle of the oven at 220° C (428° F) for about 8-12 minutes, brush with sugar syrup immediately when they come out of the oven.
How to store the Swedish Cardamom buns
These cardamom buns are definitely best fresh. If you don’t eat them all at once or on the same day, just put them in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer.
Every time you want some, just take the amount you want out of the freezer and heat them up.
Microwave: Full heat for about 20- 30 seconds,
Preheated Oven: 4-5 minutes at 175°C (347°F)
Airfryer: 2-3 min at 180°C (356°F).
If you liked Swedish Cardamom bun, you may also like:
Swedish Kanelbullar – Cinnamon buns
Swedish Cardamom Bun
Cardamom bun is a soft and fluffy sweet bun with a slightly crispy surface, filled with an aromatic and buttery cardamom filling.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with dough hook
- 1 small sauce pan
- 1 Rollin pin
Ingredients
Pre-dough
- 40 g Yeast (1.4oz) , fresh
- 500 g Water (17.6 oz)
- 500 g Flour (17.6 oz) , all-purpose or special
- 25 g Sugar (0.9 oz)
Dough
- 600 g Flour (21 oz) , all-purpose or special
- 175 g Sugar (6.1 oz) granulated
- 20 g Cardamom seeds (0.7 oz) ,freshly ground
- 10 g Salt (0.3 oz)
- 1 Egg ,(50 g)
- 200 g Butter (7 oz) room-temperature
Filling
- 250 g Butter (8.8 oz) soft, room temperature
- 90 g Sugar (3.1 oz) , granulated
- 90 g Dark brown sugar ( 3.1 oz) , lightly packed
- 20 g Cardamom freshly (0.7 oz) ground
- 10 g Flour (0.3 oz) , all-purpose
To brush the bun
- 1 Egg
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 tsp Water
Topping
- 3 tbsp Raw sugar
- 1 tbsp Cardamom
Sugar-syrup
- 100 g Water (3.5 oz)
- 100 g Sugar (3.5 oz)
Instructions
Pre-dough
- Dissolve the yeast in water for the dough, then mix with the first part flour and sugar.
- Use a standing mixer with a dough hook and let the dough come together on low speed for about 5 minutes. Turn off the stand mixer and let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.
Dough
- Now add the rest of the flour, sugar, cardamom, eggs and salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes, then add the butter (room temperature) in batches so that it is well incorporated into the dough.
- Increase the speed and knead the dough smoothly, about 10 minutes. The dough should become elastic and strong gluten threads should form, pick up part of the dough and shape it into a ball. Pull it apart to check the gluten threads. If it is not elastic enough, knead it some more.
- Remove from the bowl and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.
- Roll out the dough and place on a floured baking sheet and leave to cool completely in the refrigerator 30 – 60 minutes.
Sugar syrup
- Add water and sugar to a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. You will use this syrup to brush the buns right after they come out of the oven.
The filling
- Stir all the ingredients for the filling together with a spatula.
- Divide the dough in half. Then roll one part out into a large rectangle measuring 30×60 cm ( 11 x 23 in).
- Spread the filling over the entire rectangle and then fold them in half along the long side. Then roll again slightly so that you get an even rectangle without air bubbles.
- Cut 1 cm (0.40 in) wide strips. Take a strip and wrap it around your index and middle finger in much the same way you roll yarn. Take another strip of dough and continue to roll it into a small ball. Finish by folding the edge of the strip under the bun and place the bun on parchment lined baking sheet.
Allow the buns to rise
- Let the buns rise in the refrigerator over the day/night depending on the time of day you made the dough.
- If the buns are to be frozen and baked at a later time, you can place the trays in the freezer immediately. Then take them out and let them thaw and then rise until doubled in size
- Place the buns well apart as they will rise to almost double their size. Rise the buns until doubled in size in a draft-free place, for example in a switched off oven (28° C) (82.4° F) with a small bowl of hot water at the bottom of the oven. You’ll know they’ve risen enough if the dough “bounces back” when you lightly press with your finger.
- Preheat the oven 220° C (428° F)
- Lightly beat an egg with salt and water and brush on the buns. Top with cardamom mixed with raw sugar.
- Bake the buns in the middle of the oven at 220° C for about 8-12 minutes, brush with sugar syrup immediately when they come out of the oven.
Enjoy!
