Cardamom buns are a warm, delicious treat, almost like a comfort food. The dish is full of texture - the soft pastry is buttery, the filling has the signature warmth of the spice. Normally, fresh, coarsely ground seeds of cardamom, removed from their shells, are used. But you can also use store brought ground cardamom or whole pods. The spice will be slightly gentler, but the overall taste of a fresh dough and the spice is going to be intact. So follow this quick dessert recipe to make it yourself.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 600 gm white bread flour
- 110 gm caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 14 gm instant dried yeast
- 375 ml milk, warmed to 37°C/98°F
- 60 gm unsalted butter, softened
For the cardamom sugar filling:
- 100 gm unsalted butter, softened
- 110 gm granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
For the topping:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom seeds
Directions:
- First, make the dough. For this, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the sugar, salt, and yeast and mix well. Then, slowly start pouring in the milk, a little bit at a time. Mix until there are no lumps and it comes together as a dough. Then add the butter, one spoon at a time, and keep mixing thoroughly. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated, then add the next spoonful of butter, and so on. Keep kneading the dough till it's soft and smooth and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. It will be a bit sticky because of the butter. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it sit for about 2 hours. The dough will double in size during this time.
- In the meantime, make the cardamom sugar filling. Beat together butter, sugar, cardamom and fine salt until fully mixed. Set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and gently punch to deflate it. Roll out the dough into a rectangle.
- Spread the cardamom filling on the stretched-out dough. Fold one-third of the dough towards the center, then overlap with the one-third on the other side. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out, smoothing out any air bubbles that might form.
- Cut the dough into strips. Take one strip and gently twist it with both hands, stretching it slightly as you do. Wrap the twisted dough around three fingers and knot it. Then push the knot into the middle of the bun that forms. Repeat until all the buns are formed in this way. Set aside.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Place the buns on the pan and space them apart. Place the pan in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the buns have risen and puffed up.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.
- Brush the buns with egg wash.
- Mix the sugar and cardamom together and sprinkle over each bun.
- Bake the buns for about 20 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know they are done when the buns are light golden. Then place them on a wire rack to cool.
- Serve warm, with ice cream, whipped cream, topped with chocolate or caramel sauce, or plain.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- Use freshly ground cardamom seeds, grinding them into a fine powder, for the dough and filling. Use a slightly coarser cardamom for the sprinkling on top. Adjust the amount depending on the taste you prefer.
- There’s a difference between instant yeast and dried yeast. Make sure you know what type of yeast you’re using. Instant yeast can be added directly to the flour mixture. If you have dried yeast you need to activate it first in warm liquid.
The dough needs a warm environment to activate and rise. If you don't have access to a warm place to keep the dough, rest it in the oven with the light on, in a tray filled with boiling water, or in the oven on a low temperature.