Swedish Cardamom Rolls // Kardemummabullar
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Swedish Cardamom Rolls (Kardemummabullar) are a lovely textured, slightly sweet roll that pairs perfectly with coffee. Joel and I love these rolls because they’re not overly sweet by any means, and they’re quite filling. These rolls and a great cup of coffee are a great way to bring the joys of Fika into your non-Swedish home.
My nana owned a bakery on Washington Island, Door County, WI, back in her day. One of her large mixing bowls is in the Jacobsen Museum up there. While I never experienced her bakery, I often imagine it when I’m baking. I like to think that she probably created tasty Scandinavian treats as well (she was Danish). One of my family’s favorite stops on the Island used to be the Danish Mill. They had a lovely food and bakery menu and a gift shop as well. Unfortunately, it burned down a couple years ago.
All that to say, my current life dream is to open a new bakery on the Island, preserving all of the rich history that the Island has and baking tasty treats for all of the lovely Islanders and summer tourists. These Kardemummabullar would certainly be on the menu, don’t worry. The financing is the only thing that’s stopping me, really. Who has money and wants to move to the Island with me?? Anyone? Please?
Anyways, these Swedish Cardamom Rolls though simple enough in their ingredients, do take a little bit of patience. Most breads do. Baking has become therapeutic for me. It’s a time to create something, without feeling the pressure to advertise. It is a time to reflect. I usually take a good portion of Friday to bake. I turn on some of my favorites jams and Boaz’ eats his snack while mesmerized by the stand mixer.
One thing I love about these rolls is that they’re fairly customizable. I’ve made them several times and I’ve tweaked the recipe to my liking. If you want to add some chopped or crushed nuts, add the nuts! If you’re unsure about the cardamom flavor, change the ratio (although why would you do that, cardamom is the best)!
To start out, you want to combine the warmed water, sugar, and butter in the stand mixer. You then need to activate the yeast in the warm mixture by sprinkling it on top and letting it sit for 5 minutes, until it’s foamy. As you can see by the picture, I’m not that great at sprinkling it evenly. I totally forget and dump it in. Oops. You then add all of the rest of the dough ingredients, sans the flour, and combine. Add 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time until it is all combined. If you’re using your stand mixer to knead, put on the bread hook now. Otherwise you can knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. Either way, knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding the last cup of flour as you go. It should be an elastic consistency.
Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size. We keep our house pretty chilly in the winter, so I usually put the bowl directly in front of the heating vent so the dough is getting a little bit of warmth. While the dough is rising, prep the filling by combining all of the ingredients. You can also not combine them, and layer them on separately later. It’s totally personal preference. I prefer to combine ahead of time.
Once it has risen, pound the dough out to a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Then, using a roller, roll out to about 15”x20”. Using whatever tool you prefer, spread the filling onto your rectangle. Fold one side into the middle, and then the other side over top the first fold. Using a pizza cutter, cut 12-15 slices down the pastry. I am clearly not very good at this part. It got a little wonky at the end. That’s ok! Have fun with it.
The assembly of the pastry is the trickiest bit to explain. I’ve seen many different ways of of folding/tying Swedish rolls and so my biggest piece of advice is to just have fun. Try it again and don’t stress too much. I’m still not perfectly happy with how I tied these but I’ll continue to work on it. Perfectionism is a lie.
Essentially you roll it around your two fingers holding one end, then tuck the loose end to the already rolled pastry. Don’t be afraid to tug pretty hard on the pastry. I think that’s my problem. I’m a little too timid.
Place your pastry on parchment lined baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise for about another hour. When the hour is almost up, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes, until a tasty looking golden brown!
What You'll Need // Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 + 1/4 Cups of water, warmed to 105-110 degrees
- 6 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 6 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar
- 4 + 1/2 Teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast
- 3 Large Eggs, beaten lightly
- 1 + 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/4 Cup Powdered Dry Milk
- 5-6 Cups of All Purpose Flour
For the Filling
- 8 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons of Ground Cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons of Ground Cardamom (or three tablespoons of Cardamom seeds to grind in a mortar and pestle)
For the Glaze
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon of Milk
- Sugar for Sprinkling (or you can use Pearl Sugar for a traditional and eye catching effect).
How You'll Make It // Instructions
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine the water, butter, and sugar. Blend them together!
- Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 5 minutes while it activates and becomes foamy.
- Add the eggs, salt, and dry milk and mix until it is all combined. Then begin to add the flour 1 cup at a time until you’ve added 5 cups.
- Next you knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is elastic but not sticky. You can do this by hand by lightly flouring a surface, or by using the stand mixer with the dough hook on a medium speed. Add the remaining cup of dough while kneading until you’ve reached the desired consistency.
- Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise for about 1 hour, until it has doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, make the filling by combining the butter, sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon. I do this in the stand mixer but you can do it by hand. If you prefer, you can also wait and spread the butter, sugar, and spices on without being previously combined but I find this to be slightly more tedious.
- Once dough has risen, punch it into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface and then roll it out to 15×20.
- Spread the filling as evenly as possible and fold one side into the middle and then the other side on top.
- Using a pizza slicer, slice 12-15 strips as evenly as possible.
- Using your pointer finger and your thumb, grab one end of the strip. Using the other hand, grab the other end and wrap the pastry around your two fingers until you reach the end. Tuck in the loose end to the bottom of your roll, almost like you’re tying a knot.
- Place all your finished rolls on parchment lined baking sheets and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for another hour, until doubled in size.
- Before the hour is up, preheat your oven to 350.
- Before placing in the oven, use a pastry brush to wash all the rolls with the egg and milk wash. Then sprinkle sugar or pearl sugar on and bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Recipe adapted from epicurious.
