Cardamom Buns

For nearly a decade, cardamom buns have been a beloved treat in Denmark—but it wasn’t always this way. Before their rise in popularity, cinnamon buns held the spotlight. When I published The Scandinavian Cookbook in 2008, my cinnamon bun recipe was among the most requested. At the time, cardamom buns were something we enjoyed mainly when visiting Sweden. I didn’t even consider including them in the book, as I believed cinnamon was the clear favorite.

In Scandinavian baking, cardamom has long been a cherished spice, especially in soft, brioche-like yeasted doughs. We tend to add it to nearly all of them. For us, the scent of cardamom evokes memories of home baking, hygge, children’s birthday parties—it's the aroma that signals something comforting and joyful is about to happen.

‘Trine Hahnemann, Substack

Makes 12-15

INGREDIENTS

For the buns:

30g fresh yeast or 10 g dry east

200ml lukewarm whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

500g plain wheat flour plus more to dust

100g granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cardamom (from whole)

1 tsp fine salt

100g softened butter

For the filling

200g softened salted butter

150g granulated sugar

2 tbsp ground cardamom (from whole)

½ tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

Start by crushing the cardamon in mortal until medium ground, then discard the green shell.

For the buns, crumble the yeast into the milk and stir to dissolve, then add the egg. Now mix in the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Mix the butter into the dough, then knead well on a floured surface. Put the dough into a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Make the filling by mixing together the butter, sugar and cardamom. Roll the out to make a 60 x 40cm rectangle.  Spread the cardamom mixture lengthways over half of the rectangle. Fold the plain side over the filled, then cut lengthways into 2cm strips.

Roll the strip of dough twice round 2 fingers, leave 10 centimetres, pull the dough from the fingers and fold the last strip of dough over across, then secure with the end, and place the bun with end facing down. Place on baking trays lined with baking parchment. 

Cover with tea towels and leave to rise again, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Brush with egg-wash. 

Bake the cardamom buns for 25–30 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.