Cardamom Bun — Sweden's twisted kardemummabulle

i. Origin & history

Cardamom is native to southern India and has been traded west for millennia, and in Scandinavia it became something close to a national spice. A popular story claims that Vikings brought it home from Constantinople; it makes a good tale, but historians generally see cardamom's spread through northern Europe as a matter of later medieval and early modern trade, and of the growing fashion for spiced baking. Whatever the route, Sweden, Norway and Finland now use more cardamom in sweet baking than anywhere else in Europe — in buns, cakes, waffles and Christmas breads.

Sweet wheat buns, vetebröd, became an everyday Swedish treat in the twentieth century, once white flour, sugar and butter were affordable. The rolled, filled bun is usually said to have caught on in the 1920s, and the cinnamon bun became the iconic form; Sweden even celebrates Kanelbullens dag, Cinnamon Bun Day, on 4 October. Cardamom buns use the same dough and the same fika ritual, but with cardamom as the filling as well as in the dough.

The twisted knot shape that is now so recognisable is largely a product of the modern Stockholm bakery scene. Artisan bakeries such as Fabrique helped make the knotted kardemummabulle a signature, and international interest in Scandinavian baking from the 2000s onwards turned it into an icon that now appears in coffee shops far beyond Sweden. Many Swedes would say it has overtaken the cinnamon bun as their favourite.

The bun is central to fika — the Swedish habit of stopping for coffee and something sweet, often twice a day at work. A fresh cardamom bun and a cup of strong filter coffee is perhaps the most typical fika of all.

ii. How the knot creates layers of cardamom butter

The dough for kardemummabullar is a classic Swedish vetedeg: flour, milk, butter, sugar, yeast, salt and ground cardamom, kneaded until smooth and elastic. It is rich enough to be tender but not so rich that it loses structure. A long knead develops gluten, which lets the dough stretch thin for twisting without tearing.

The filling is soft butter beaten with sugar and plenty of freshly ground cardamom. Spread over the dough and folded in thirds like a letter, it creates three layers of dough separated by two layers of spiced butter. Cutting the folded dough into strips and twisting them exposes those layers, so each strip becomes a spiral of dough and filling. Tying the twisted strip into a knot then wraps the spiral around itself, creating many thin layers and crisp, caramelised edges where the butter and sugar leak out and bake.

Cardamom's flavour comes from volatile oils that fade quickly once the seeds are ground. Swedish bakers buy whole pods or seeds and grind them freshly, often just coarsely crushed for the filling, so pieces of seed give little bursts of flavour. Pre-ground cardamom gives a flat, dusty result.

After baking, the buns are brushed with a light sugar syrup while still hot. The syrup keeps them moist, gives them a glossy shine and makes the pearl sugar stick. Pearl sugar — pärlsocker — is compressed sugar that does not melt in the oven, so it stays as crunchy white nuggets.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 16 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 250 ml whole milk
• 75 g unsalted butter, for the dough
• 7 g instant dried yeast
• 60 g caster sugar, for the dough
• 2 tsp freshly ground cardamom, for the dough
• ½ tsp salt
• 450 g strong white bread flour
• 120 g very soft unsalted butter, for the filling
• 90 g caster or light brown sugar, for the filling
• 1 tbsp freshly crushed cardamom, for the filling
• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
• 60 ml water, for the syrup
• 60 g sugar, for the syrup
• 3 tbsp pearl sugar

Freshly ground cardamom is essential: buy green pods or decorticated seeds and crush them in a mortar. You need about 30 pods for this recipe. Strong bread flour gives a bun that holds its knotted shape; plain flour gives a softer bun that spreads more. Swedish pearl sugar (pärlsocker) is sold in Scandinavian shops and online; crushed sugar cubes are a reasonable substitute. Fresh yeast (25 g) is the Swedish standard and can replace the instant yeast. A little light brown sugar in the filling gives a deeper, caramel note.

iv. Method

1. Warm the milk and 75 g butter until the butter melts, then cool to lukewarm (about 37 °C). Stir in the yeast, sugar, cardamom and salt.
2. Add the flour gradually and knead for 8–10 minutes in a mixer, or 12–15 by hand, until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until doubled.
3. Beat the filling butter, sugar and crushed cardamom together until very soft and spreadable.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle of about 40 × 30 cm. Spread the filling evenly all over. Fold the dough in three like a letter, to give a 40 × 10 cm strip, and roll it gently to about 1 cm thick.
5. Cut across into 16 strips about 2.5 cm wide. Cut each strip lengthways into two or three, leaving the top joined. Twist the strands together, then wrap the twisted strip around two fingers and tuck the end through the middle to make a knot.
6. Place the knots on two lined trays, cover and prove for 30–45 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F), or 200 °C fan.
7. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 10–12 minutes until deep golden. Meanwhile, simmer the water and sugar for 1 minute to make a syrup.
8. Brush the hot buns with syrup, scatter generously with pearl sugar and a little more crushed cardamom, and cool on a rack under a tea towel.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Grind the cardamom yourself. Freshly crushed seeds give the bright, citrusy flavour that defines the bun; pre-ground cardamom tastes of dust.
• Make the filling very soft. Hard butter tears the dough as you spread it. Beat it until it is creamy and spreadable.
• Do not worry about perfect knots. Irregular knots bake into beautiful, craggy buns. The aim is a twisted strip wound around itself.
• Chill the folded dough if it is too soft. On a warm day, 15 minutes in the fridge makes cutting and twisting much easier.
• Bake hot and fast. A high temperature gives a golden crust and soft centre. Long, slow baking dries the buns out.
• Brush with syrup immediately. The hot buns absorb the syrup and stay moist; it also makes the pearl sugar stick.

vi. Variations

Kanelbullar use cinnamon instead of cardamom in the filling and are usually rolled into spirals. Snurror are simple spiral buns. Kardemummabullar with almond paste add a layer of grated almond paste to the filling. In Finland, korvapuusti ('slapped ears') are cinnamon-cardamom buns with a distinctive shape. The Norwegian skillingsbolle is a large cinnamon roll from Bergen.

For other Nordic buns, see the Swedish semla and Norway's custard-filled skolebrød. Other famous yeasted sweet breads include the American-German schnecken, the Jewish babka and Brazil's chocotone.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve cardamom buns with coffee or tea as part of fika, ideally on the day they are baked, when the crust is crisp and the inside soft. A glass of cold milk is the traditional choice for children.

They keep for 1–2 days in an airtight bag at room temperature. They freeze very well for up to 2 months: freeze once cool, then warm from frozen in a 160 °C oven for 6–8 minutes to refresh. Swedish households commonly keep a bag of frozen buns ready for unexpected guests.

ix. More from Scandinavian

• Semla — Swedish cream bun
• Skolebrød — Norwegian custard bun
• Smultring — Norwegian cardamom doughnuts
• Prinsesstårta — Swedish princess cake
• Schnecken — cinnamon snail rolls
• Babka — swirled yeast cake