Classic Swedish cardamom buns, also known as kardemummabullar, are soft, buttery, fragrant, and topped with crunchy sugar pearls. They are easier to make than they look and make a wonderful weekend baking project. Enjoy them warm with tea, coffee, or your favourite cosy drink.
Swedish cardamom buns are the kind of bake that instantly makes a kitchen feel warm and inviting. The dough is soft and enriched with butter, the filling is sweet and aromatic, and the finished buns have a beautiful golden colour with a delicate shine from cardamom syrup.
If you have never shaped buns like this before, do not worry. The process is simpler than it may appear, and the dough is lovely to work with once it has risen. These buns are ideal for a relaxed weekend bake, especially when you want something special to share with family or friends.
Swedish Cardamom Buns
There is something deeply comforting about freshly baked Swedish cardamom buns. They are rich without being heavy, sweet without being overwhelming, and full of warm spice. Cardamom gives these buns their distinctive flavour: floral, citrusy, slightly peppery, and beautifully fragrant.
These buns are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, and they are made for sharing. The soft dough is filled with cardamom butter, twisted into knots, sprinkled with sugar pearls, and baked until golden brown. While still warm, they are brushed with a simple cardamom sugar syrup so they stay soft, glossy, and delicious.
What Makes This Recipe So Good?
- These Swedish cardamom buns are much easier to make than they look.
- The dough is soft, elastic, buttery, and pleasant to shape.
- Cardamom gives the buns a warm, aromatic flavour.
- They are a lovely weekend baking project.
- The buns are perfect for serving with tea or coffee.
- They can be shared for breakfast, brunch, fika, or an afternoon treat.
The dough is enriched with milk and butter, which gives the buns their tender texture. It can be made in a freestanding mixer or by hand. A mixer makes the kneading quicker, but hand-kneading works well too; it simply takes a little more time and patience.
Cardamom Buns: The Ingredients
The dough is made with cardamom-infused milk, butter, strong white bread flour, golden caster sugar, dried fast-action yeast, cinnamon, and salt. The filling is a simple cardamom butter made from softened butter, sugar, and freshly crushed cardamom seeds.
Whole cardamom pods are used in two ways. Some are cracked and warmed with the milk to flavour the dough, while the remaining seeds are crushed and mixed into the sugar for the filling and syrup. Using freshly crushed cardamom gives the buns a more vivid aroma than pre-ground cardamom.
Sugar pearls are sprinkled over the buns before baking. They add a traditional look and a pleasant crunch. If you cannot find sugar pearls, use white sugar cubes instead. Gently crush the cubes with a rolling pin or pestle until they break into small pieces, then sprinkle them over the egg-washed buns.
How to Prepare the Dough
You do not need a freestanding mixer to make Swedish cardamom buns, although it does make kneading easier. To begin, gather and measure all of the ingredients. Place the flour, part of the golden caster sugar, dried yeast, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer, then stir until everything is evenly combined.
Crack open 10 cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar, then place them in a small saucepan with the milk. Warm the milk gently until it is steaming, but do not let it boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add 50 g of cubed butter. Leave the mixture to cool until lukewarm, swirling the pan occasionally to help the butter melt.
Once the milk mixture has cooled, strain it through a sieve and discard the cardamom pods. Pour the infused milk and melted butter into the flour mixture. Knead with a dough hook on medium-high speed until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. This usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes in a mixer. If kneading by hand, work the dough until it is stretchy and no longer overly sticky.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl lightly drizzled with olive oil. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave it to rise until doubled in size. You can also prove the dough in the fridge overnight if you prefer to split the recipe over two days.
Shaping the Buns
Shaping these cardamom buns is easier than it looks. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle measuring roughly 40 x 50 cm, with the long edge facing you. Spread the cardamom butter evenly over the surface, then fold the top half of the dough down towards the bottom.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to divide the folded dough into about 16 equal strips. Cut each strip down the middle, leaving it attached at the top. Twist the two strands together, then tie them into a loose knot and tuck the ends underneath. The buns do not need to look identical; their slightly rustic shape is part of their charm.
Arrange the shaped cardamom buns on lined baking trays, leaving room between them so they can expand. Cover loosely and leave them somewhere warm for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar pearls, and bake until golden brown. If one tray browns faster than the other, swap the trays halfway through baking.
While the buns are still warm, brush them with the cardamom sugar syrup a couple of times, letting the syrup soak into the dough. This gives the buns a glossy finish and helps keep them soft. Serve warm or at room temperature.
These Swedish cardamom buns are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store well for a short time and can be frozen. Reheat them briefly before serving to bring back their soft texture and warm cardamom aroma.
đź“– Recipe
Swedish Cardamom Buns
Equipment
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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 tablespoons sugar pearls or 4 to 5 white sugar cubes
Instructions
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Crack open 10 cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar. Add them to a small saucepan with the milk and warm over medium heat until steaming, but do not boil. Remove from the heat and add 50 g of the butter. Set aside until lukewarm, swirling the pan occasionally to help the butter melt.
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Add the flour, 75 g of golden caster sugar, yeast, cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl or the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Mix well. Strain the cooled milk mixture through a sieve and discard the cardamom pods. Add the milk and butter mixture to the flour mixture. Knead with a dough hook on medium-high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. If kneading by hand, continue until the dough is soft, stretchy, and no longer sticks heavily to your hands.
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Transfer the dough to a large clean bowl lightly drizzled with olive oil. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, prove the dough in the fridge overnight.
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Crack open the remaining cardamom pods, discard the pods, and crush the seeds into a powder. Mix the crushed cardamom with the remaining 150 g of golden caster sugar. In a bowl, combine the remaining softened butter with all but 2 tablespoons of the cardamom sugar.
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Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Punch down the dough to remove excess air, then roll it into a rectangle roughly 40 x 50 cm, with the long edge facing you. Spread the cardamom butter over the dough, then fold the top half down towards the bottom. Cut the dough into about 16 strips. Slice each strip down the middle, leaving it attached at the top. Twist and tie each strip into a knot, tucking the ends underneath. Place the buns on the prepared trays.
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Cover the trays loosely with cling film and leave the buns somewhere warm for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 190 C or 170 C fan. Brush the buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar pearls. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Place the reserved 2 tablespoons of cardamom sugar in a small saucepan with 50 ml of water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Brush the warm buns with the syrup a couple of times, allowing them to absorb it as they cool.
This recipe was developed and tested using metric grams. For the most accurate results, use digital kitchen scales.
Notes
Baked buns can be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes before serving.
If you do not have sugar pearls, crush white sugar cubes into small pieces and sprinkle them over the buns before baking.
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This recipe was adapted from BBC Good Food.