Swedish Cardamom Buns
Pastries filled with cardamom or cinnamon are often served as part of fika, a Scandinavian ritual, which is similar to afternoon tea. Traditionally, a range of buns are served that you share with your neighbors, people you work with or friends (imaginary or otherwise).
Ingredients
For the fika bun dough
- Scant 1 cup warm whole milk (as warm as a relaxing bath)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
- 18 ounces white bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 0.35 ounces fine sea salt
- 1 ounce superfine (caster) sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom (optional, if making the cinnamon butter variation)
- 9 tablespoons (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
For the cinnamon butter
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup caster sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the cardamom and orange butter
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground cardamom
- Zest of 1 orange, preferably organic
For the Nutella butter
- One (12-ounce) jar of store-bought or homemade Nutella
- 1 tablespoon tahini (optional), or to taste
For the milky way glaze
- Scant 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
For the coffee glaze
- Scant 1/2 cup black coffee
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
For the orange glaze
- Scant 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon orange marmalade (thin-cut is best)
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped hazelnuts (optional)
Instructions
Make the fika bun dough
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and instant dry yeast.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and ground cardamom, if using. (The ground cardamom is optional for the cinnamon butter buns, but it gives them a subtle Scandi flavor.) Make a small well in the flour, pour in the milk mixture and stir together until it forms a rough dough.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and either knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 5 to 10 minutes, gradually working the cubes of butter into the dough as you knead until it is smooth.
- Pop the dough back into the bowl, place a damp tea towel or shower cap over the rim and leave to prove until the dough has almost doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate the dough (still covered) for anywhere between 4 hours and overnight. It will still proof, just more slowly, and the dough will be much easier to handle.
- Tip your puffy dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a 12- by 8-inch (30- by 20-cm) rectangle that is roughly 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Transfer the dough to a rimmed baking sheet and put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes. (Chilling firms up the dough, which makes it easier to spread over the butter filling during the next stage.) Meanwhile, prepare your chosen butter filling.
Make the butter filling
- If making cinnamon butter, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until fully combined into a smooth paste.If making cardamom and orange butter, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until fully combined into a smooth paste.If making Nutella butter, use a jar of Nutella for the butter filling (this is plenty but I promise you’ll end up adding a bit more which is why you just need the jar on standby). If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add some tahini – this adds a really nice extra nuttiness. Simply drizzle the tahini over the top of the Nutella when spreading it over the dough.
- Once the dough is chilled and the butter filling is ready, lay the dough rectangle on the work surface with a longer side facing you. Spread your butter filling across the bottom two-thirds of the dough, fold the naked one-third towards you into the middle over the top of the buttered third and then fold the buttered third nearest to you over the folded layers, as if you were folding a letter. You now have a long triple-decker sandwich of layers of dough and butter filling, which will give your buns their signature lamination.
- Again, roll out the dough into a 12- by 8-inch (30-by 20-cm) rectangle with a longer side facing you. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 15 equal strips, each roughly 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide, so that your dough looks like a picket fence.
- Take one strip of dough and, while twisting the dough strip, coil it up from one end so that it looks like a snail’s shell. Stretch the last 3/4 inch (2 cm) of the strip, wrap it over the top of the coil and then tuck it underneath - your snail now looks like it is checking its undercarriage. Repeat for all the dough strips.
- Place the coiled buns on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them 3/4 inch (2 cm) apart. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm to prove for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the buns until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
Prepare the glaze
- If making milky way glaze, warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir until it has all dissolved.If making the coffee glaze, warm the coffee in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir until it has all dissolved.If making the orange glaze, warm the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the marmalade and stir together until you’re left with a mouth-watering syrup. After glazing the buns, scatter over a few chopped hazelnuts, if you want.
Glaze the fika buns
- Let the buns cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then brush with your chosen glaze.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bun | Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 274mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g