Recipe from Fabrique bakery
Adapted by Charlotte Druckman
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling and 3 hours’ resting
- Rating
- 4(1,980)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you’re not sure what green-podded cardamom tastes like, there’s no better way to find out than by tasting a Swedish kardemummabulle, a sweet bun perfumed with the southern Indian spice. The best place to try it would be at Fabrique, a Stockholm bakery that has opened a location in New York. Here, the knotted pastry is at its buttery finest, imbued with the piney warmth of the spice. The second-best place to try it would be at home, in your own kitchen, where, with a few adjustments, you can replicate the original. Yours will use less potent forms of cardamom — the store-bought ground version and the whole pods, instead of the fresh, coarsely ground seeds painstakingly removed from their shells — and may look slightly less put-together than those shaped by the professionals. And, unlike cinnamon rolls, these cardamom buns won’t rise as tall or be as fluffy — but they will taste so good that no one will care. —Charlotte Druckman
Featured in: How to Make the Cardamom Bun That Took New York
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Ingredients
Yield:16 to 18 buns
- 1¼cups/300 milliliters whole milk
- 2¼teaspoons active dry yeast (from one ¼-ounce packet)
- 4cups/510 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼cup plus 3 tablespoons/90 grams granulated sugar
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick), softened
- 2tablespoons ground cardamom (see Note)
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/250 grams unsalted butter (2¼ sticks), slightly softened
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1large egg
- 20green cardamom pods
- 3tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Dough
For the Filling
To Finish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (17 servings)
360 calories; 17 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 187 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, bring the milk to 105 to 110 degrees. Remove it from the heat and pour it into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, give it a quick whisk and let it rest a few minutes to dissolve and activate. If the yeast looks like it’s clumping, whisk it gently.
Step
2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, butter, cardamom, salt and the yeasted milk. Mix on the lowest setting until just combined and beginning to form a dough, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue on low to knead dough, about 2 minutes. It should go from shaggy and coarse to smooth and shiny. Working inside the bowl, give the dough a couple more kneads by hand to bring it together. You can also knead the dough entirely by hand on a work surface. (It’ll take 8 minutes or so.)
Step
3
Line a 9-by-13-inch quarter sheet pan with parchment paper and dump the kneaded dough out onto it. Using your hands, pat and shape the dough into a large rectangular block. Make 4 or 5 shallow, ¼-inch-deep slashes in the dough with a knife. Cover the baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
Step
4
Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, cardamom and salt on low speed just to form a granular paste. (It should resemble marzipan.) Don’t overbeat it: You don’t want it to be too soft or get fluffy. You can also do this by hand in a bowl, combining the ingredients with a spatula or bench scraper.
Step
5
Line two 13-by-18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Step
6
Remove the dough from the refrigerator — it will have risen, but don’t be surprised if the rise isn’t significant — and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it’s not so stiff that you can’t roll it out. Place the dough on a thick silicone mat or a very lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out to a roughly 15-by-18-inch rectangle a little more than ⅛-inch thick, with the shorter side facing you. As you roll it in both directions, pause occasionally between rolls to relax the dough by patting it, lifting it and pulling it to straighten out any ripples.
Step
7
Dot the surface of the dough with mounds of the filling. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the filling all over the surface of the dough.
Step
8
With the short side of the dough facing you, fold the top third of the dough down over the middle third of the dough, then fold the bottom third up to cover the remaining dough.
Step
9
Go over the dough with the rolling pin a couple of times, vertically, to flatten the edges, and stretch it a few more inches before cutting and shaping. You want a 12-by-16-inch rectangle (the longer side will be facing you). If any filling oozes out, use your offset spatula to remove it so your workstation doesn’t get sticky.
Step
10
Using the straight edge of a ruler and a pastry cutter (or very gently using a small, sharp knife), trim any uneven edges. Cut the dough vertically into 16 1-by-12-inch-long strips. Starting from the end, gently wrap one strip around the tips of your index, middle and fourth finger (or just the index and middle if you’ve got strong hands), like a bandage, two or three times, letting the dough overlap and working cautiously so it doesn’t tear. Place your thumb on top of the wrapped dough, on the side closer to your wrist, to secure the shape, then loop the remaining end of the strand over and through the center of the bun, tucking it under at the base of the bun. You should have a rounded bun made out of bandage-like strips. The knotted part will be unexposed, hidden at the bottom.
Step
11
Place each bun on the prepared baking sheets as you go, patting it down for a flatter shape. Space the buns evenly (you can eyeball it). Leave them to proof at room temperature, uncovered, for about 1 hour. They should expand and soften.
Step
12
Meanwhile, heat oven to 450 degrees.
Step
13
Finish the buns: In a small bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon water until well combined and frothy.
Step
14
Grind the cardamom pods in a spice grinder, making sure you break down the tough outer husks. Transfer the ground spice to a small bowl and whisk it together with the sugar.
Step
15
Lightly brush each bun with the egg wash, and generously sprinkle the tops of the buns with the cardamom sugar, using about ½ teaspoon per bun.
Step
16
Bake for 8 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees, rotate trays completely (180 degrees and top to bottom, bottom to top) and continue baking for an additional 12 minutes. The surface of the buns should be golden brown. (Some butter may seep out of the buns and pool — that’s normal — but if you’re worried that it will burn on the trays, cover the buns with parchment paper toward the end of baking, once they’ve reached the desired color.)
Step
17
Let the buns cool for 10 minutes before eating, so the spiced, sweet buttery goo that pools around their edges can harden into crispy candylike edges, or let them cool entirely.
Tip
- If you wish to use cardamom pods and grind them yourself for a more intense flavor, use 30 whole pods per finely ground tablespoon. (For a less potent flavor that still uses freshly ground whole pods, use 20 pods per finely ground tablespoon.)You can also use decorticated cardamom seeds (those extracted from the husks). They're available at specialty stores and online (or you can remove the seeds from fresh cardamom pods yourself). Coarsely grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder: You’ll want to use 1 tablespoon whole seeds each for the dough and the filling, but if you're at all cardamom-shy, start with 2 teaspoons whole seeds each.
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
M Davis
Let the dough rest after you mix the flour with the wet ingredients to give the flour time to absorb the fluid. About three minutes will do. Also, use microwave to warm the milk (no need to dirty up another saucepan.) I always use a thermometer to test the temp. Anything over 120 F will kill the yeast. Buns are finished baking when internal temp is 200F. Anything over 212F will be very dry. (212F creates steam and all moisture escapes)
Grete
If you're like me, and you have a hard time picturing the shaping process, take a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0g8hyUGcvk
Lilian
I always grind my cardamom with a small mortar and pestle. I have been cooking with cardamom most of my life and have never bought the spice already ground. I make a Finnish variety of cardamom buns every Christmas. The recipe calls for much less cardamom. Commercially ground cardamom is so much duller in flavor that more of it is needed--but I'm still having a hard time believing that this recipe calls for 4 Tbs. of the ground. I use 2 tsp for the other recipe.
Zora
Cardamom tip: you can buy the seeds (green husks removed) from Indian grocers. Then just keep them in a dedicated pepper grinder — so you can add it easily to any recipe.
Abby
If you want to taste some amazing cardamom buns and are on the West Coast, go to Sparrow Bakery, in Bend Oregon and ask for their ocean rolls. They are famous for them and are perfectly delicious.
Virago
Is there a good video online of how to do the twisting of the buns? The description is tough to parse.
Lara
Just made as written. The photo shows what appears to be a lunch-plate size bun. Cutting and wrapping 1”x12” strips of dough yields buns of about 4” diameter, so quite a bit smaller than what is pictured. This is fine, but the oven temps and time specified practically incinerate them at this size. 375/325 is much better. I also question the two minutes’ knead time and then only one hour rise total. The texture is not what it should be IMO. More kneading, longer rests/rises.
Dorogaya
The problem is not the oven. The problem is that the recipe calls for twice as much butter as you actually need. My buns were hemorrhaging butter in the oven.
Lilian
Regarding Step 14: Why grind the whole cardamom pods? For easier work, either buy "decorticated" cardamom (Frontier Foods sells it in bulk), which is the black/sometimes brown seeds already out of their green pods, or remove the pods before you grind the seeds. I just cut off a small bit of the pointy end/tip of the pod and peel it open (using the same knife) in order to take out the seeds. With a little practice, this is not time-consuming.
CD
The Fabrique buns have more cardamom than other versions; they're special. In order to replicate that intensity at home, you really do need a lot of the ground spice (trust me, I couldn't believe how much I was adding when I made them, but ultimately, they needed it). If you use just the seeds or even the whole pods (ground), you can use less, but you're still going to want a lot more than 2 tsp! I'd start with 2 tablespoons (1 tablespoon in the dough and 1 tablespoon in the filling)
Eloise
Where to start? The butter can easily be halved. There was an oven fire from the oozing filling, and the buns essentially fried in the butter that leaked out. After surviving the harrowing ordeal of being singed, and deep fried, the buns emerged with a dense and heavy crumb. An overnight rise is absolutely necessary. If you have $20 and a few hours to waste in labors of disappointment, by all means make these cardamom rolls!
Tom F
Assuming one is willing to remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle (which is what I always do when I use cardamom), how much would one need? Surely not the four tablespoons called for in the recipe. Also, grinding up the husks strikes me as a terrible idea.
delayedecho
These are very good. I made a small batch of 8 mini buns by quartering the recipe. I used only half of the butter amount recommended for the filling so that the filling doesn't seep out everywhere and I think that works well. I also brushed the top of the baked buns with honey and sprinkled some chopped up pepitas / pumpkin seeds (very autumnal) on top for extra crunch and a pop of color.
BD
My suggestion, for a better mouthfeel, in keeping with traditional Swedish recipes— Omit the egg wash. Instead, make a more concentrated simple syrup glaze (1:1, but let it simmer 5 min). Immediately after taking the buns from the oven, generously brush the glaze onto the buns before sprinkling with the cardamom sugar. This will lend a beautiful chewiness and slight crisp, and reheats wonderfully in a toaster oven.
M Davis
Oh, many mediterranean markets sell cardamon in bulk so you can buy as little or as much as you want. It also tends to be fresher. Adding pistachios is yummy too.
Megan
I used fresh cardamom so halved all the measurements and otherwise followed the recipe exactly. So delicious!
Mark
This recipe is perfection! Love the caramel that is made from the run off butter and sugar. I make this as a star shaped pull apart makes it much easier than individual ones and looks great. For me this recipe is perfection just as is. Don’t get hung up on the suggested shape make what easiest for you.
M. Young
This is one of the best pastries I have made if done right. Here are some tips I learned by making this three times: do not bake at 450 degree temperature. It torched my first batch and made it inedible. Bake at 400 degree for the first 7 minutes and lower to 375. Also, I used 1 & 1/2 cups of milk instead of 1&1/4 and viola, the texture of the dough was much better and the buns expanded more.
Ellie
The end result was so delicious and looked gorgeous, but i bakes in 2 batches - the first at the given temperatures, which incinerated the buns and burned the sugar. I cooked the second batch at 190c for 12 mins and 175c for a further 5 (as someone recommended in the notes). The second batch were perfect- minimal leaking butter and no burn. I also did an overnight cold proof on the dough and left them to rise for 2 hours when formed. Will make again, but this recipe needs amending!
A Maxham
Baker beware! This is far too complicated and despite reducing the butter to 1.75 cups (used only 3/4 of that amt), there was still too much butter. Call me naive, but I would have thought this recipe would have been revised given all the prior feedback.
kathleen B.
I have the butter and they were miserably sweet and saturated with butter and sugar. Stick to Norwegian or Swedish bread recipe for doing this. This doesn’t work.
emily
I found these a little tricky..the dough is definitely a little different than your standard yeast dough. Timing the second rise, I felt unsure of what to expect or how long to let them go. An hour did not feel sufficient, but the sugar started weeping so I put them in earlier than maybe I should have. Second sheet fared better with a little extra time to rise. I think I was also too aggressive stretching/twisting. Less was more.
Ali SH
Just another person agreeing with the decision to halve the butter! For those who want to prep this the day before baking, I ended up going through the process all the way through shaping the buns, placed on trays covered in plastic wrap in the freezer for the rest of the day and switched them to the fridge to thaw overnight. Let them sit out for an hour and proofed on the [off] stove while the oven preheated. Then eggwash, sprinkle w/ cardamom, and bake (~ a couple extra min). Delicious!!
if we prep the nigh before
Roll buns, cover with plastic and then the next morning let them puff in an oven with a boiling bowl of water for 30 before baking.
Suzanne
In an effort to make the texture similar to Lucia rolls, used bread flour and kneaded in a stand mixer until it passed the windowpane test. 1/2 cardamom and 1/2 cinnamon in the filling. In YouTube videos for shaping, I noticed that the professional bakeries put down a thin layer of soft butter and then sprinkled on a dry filling - going to try this next time, although using 1/2 the butter as recommended by others worked fine. And yes, there will be a next time. Maybe next week!
JB
Bake until browned
Mike Burton
Do you put both sheets in the oven at the same time? Or one sheet, turn the temp down, turn it back up, other sheet, down again?
Juliana
Delicious buns, though I agree with other commenters that the amount of butter really should be halved. The buns still come out of the oven with a beautiful sugar crisp on the bottom—if I had used the given amount, they would be swimming in butter and likely inedible. Also agree with others that the 375/325 temp adjustment is a good idea, and a simple syrup coating after baking is preferable to an egg wash, but with those tweaks, a good recipe. Found the shaping instructions easy to follow.
Dee
I have frozen them successfully and reheated individually for 30 seconds…
Quite authentic
As someone who has made many visits to the Fabrique bakery locations in London, I can confirm this recipe is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Lovely and very forgiving!
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