Classic Swedish cardamom buns topped with sugar pearls. These soft, buttery buns are easier to make than you might expect and are perfect for a weekend baking project. Enjoy with your favourite tea or coffee.
Hope your first week of December went well and you’re starting to feel festive. I’ve been busy wrapping up projects before a short Christmas break, but I couldn’t resist sharing this recipe with you.
Swedish Cardamom Buns
There are few things cozier than curling up on the sofa with a warm drink on a chilly December evening. Add a freshly baked cardamom bun and you have something even better: soft, buttery, sticky, and fragrantly spiced buns that practically melt in your mouth. Like other favourites such as chocolate-hazelnut buns and cinnamon rolls, these cardamom buns are made for sharing.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Surprisingly easy to make
- Soft, buttery texture with a tender crumb
- Aromatic warm spice from cardamom
- Great weekend baking project
- Perfect for sharing with friends and family
The dough is soft and elastic, easy to shape and adaptable to other filled or shaped bakes.
Ingredients
The dough is made with milk infused with cardamom and butter, strong white bread flour, golden caster sugar, dried yeast, cinnamon and salt. The filling is a simple cardamom butter made from softened butter, golden caster sugar and ground cardamom. The buns are finished with an egg wash and sugar pearls for a classic look and crunch.
If you can’t find sugar pearls, you can approximate them by crushing white sugar cubes into small pieces with a rolling pin or pestle.
Preparing the dough
You don’t need a freestanding mixer to make this dough—mixing by hand works well, though it will take a little longer. Start by measuring and assembling your ingredients. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a freestanding mixer) combine flour, 75 g golden caster sugar, dried yeast, ground cinnamon and salt.
Crush cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar, then add the seeds and pods to milk in a small saucepan. Warm the milk until steaming but do not boil. Remove from the heat and add 50 g cubed butter so it melts into the milk. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm, then strain to remove the pods.
Add the cardamom-infused milk and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low for a couple of minutes, then increase to medium-high until a smooth, elastic dough forms. If mixing by hand, knead until the dough is soft and springs back when pressed.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film or a towel and leave to rise until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can prove the dough in the fridge overnight.
Shaping the buns
Once the dough has doubled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle roughly 40 x 50 cm with the long edge facing you. Spread the cardamom butter evenly over the surface, then fold the top half down over the bottom.
Cut the folded dough into 16 equal strips. Cut each strip down the middle, leaving the top connected, then tie each into a knot, tucking the ends underneath. Place the shaped buns on lined baking trays, cover and leave to proof for 30–60 minutes until puffy.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Brush the buns with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar pearls and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden, rotating the trays halfway through if needed for even browning.
While the buns are still warm, brush them a couple of times with a simple sugar syrup so they soak up a glossy, sweet finish. Serve warm and enjoy.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it went—leave a comment or share a photo. You can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Swedish Cardamom Buns
20
25
2
2 45
Equipment
-
Freestanding mixer (optional)
Ingredients
- 30 whole cardamom pods
- 350 ml milk
- 200 g unsalted butter cubed
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 220 g golden caster sugar
- 7 g dried fast-action yeast
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium egg beaten
- 2 tablespoon sugar pearls or 4–5 white sugar cubes
Instructions
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Crack open 10 cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. Add the seeds and pods to milk in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until steaming; do not boil. Remove from heat and add 50 g cubed butter. Allow to cool to lukewarm, then strain to remove the pods.
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In a large bowl or mixer bowl combine flour, 75 g golden caster sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. Add the cooled cardamom milk and mix on medium-high with a dough hook until a smooth, elastic dough forms (8–10 minutes in a freestanding mixer). If mixing by hand, knead until the dough stops sticking to the bowl and becomes elastic.
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Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (a couple of hours) or prove overnight in the fridge.
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Crack the remaining cardamom pods, discard the pods and grind the seeds to a powder. Mix the ground cardamom with 150 g golden caster sugar. In a bowl, combine the remaining butter with all but 2 tablespoons of the cardamom sugar to make the cardamom butter.
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Roll the dough into a rectangle about 40 x 50 cm, spread the cardamom butter over the surface, then fold the top half down. Cut into 16 strips, slice each strip down the middle leaving the top attached, tie into knots and tuck the ends underneath. Place on lined baking trays.
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Cover and proof for 30–60 minutes until puffed. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Brush the buns with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar pearls and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
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Make the syrup by combining the remaining 2 tablespoons cardamom sugar with 50 ml water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cool slightly. Brush the warm buns a couple of times with the syrup as they cool so they absorb the glaze.
Notes: Recipes are developed and tested using metric measurements. For best accuracy use digital scales. Conversions are provided but may not have been tested.
Notes
Baked buns freeze well for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and reheat in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
If you don’t have sugar pearls, crush white sugar cubes into small pieces and use them as a topping.
If you’d like recipe updates delivered to your inbox, consider signing up for the newsletter. This recipe was adapted from BBC Good Food.