Kanelbullar (Swedish Cinnamon Cardamom Buns) - with sourdough option
Course: Baked Buns
Cuisine: Swedish
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 15 minutesminutes
Proof the dough twice:: 2 hourshours
Total Time: 2 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings: 12buns
Calories: 420kcal
Author: Marvellina
Ultra soft and buttery buns scented with cardamom and filled with cinnamon sugar filling with their beautiful twisted shape and dotted with pearl sugar. They are dreamy and delicious! These kanelbullar can also be baked using sourdough sweet stiff starter.
If you use sourdough, prepare the sweet stiff levain the night before. Mix all ingredients for sweet stiff starter. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap or a lid. It takes about 7-10 hours to triple
Prepare the dough:
I use approximately 5-6 cardamom pods. I use a pestle to crack the shells and then get all the seeds out and coarsely grind them with the pestle. You can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder to do so. It gives a really good and more intense cardamom aroma. Alternatively, you can always use store-bought ground cardamom too for convenience
If you use active dry yeast, dissolve active dry yeast in the milk in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy. If you use instant yeast, you can skip this step
Add all of the sweet stiff starter if you are doing sourdough version, sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. Add the flour. Use the dough hook to stir the mixture a bit so the flour won't fly around when you start the mixer. Knead on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes and then increase to speed 2 and knead for 3 minutes and then speed 4 for another 3 minutes or until it forms a dough that clears the side of the bowl, but not smooth yet
Add the softened butter in 3 batches. Once all the butter is in, increase speed to to 4 and knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is elastic, smooth, and satiny.
First proofing:
Lightly oil the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until double in volume. if it's colder, it may take longer to proof the dough
For sourdough version, bulk ferment for 2 hours. The dough may not reach double in volume and that's okay. It doesn't have to double
See my post above on how to make ahead if you want to bake the next day
Prepare the filling:
Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and set aside
Shaping:
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knock out all the gas, round it up into a dough ball, cover with a cling wrap to prevent them from drying. Rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten
Roll the dough out into a roughly 14 x 18-inch rectangle with the same thickness throughout if possible
Spread the filling evenly on the surface using an offset spatula. Fold the dough in half on the long side
Use a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife to cut into 10-12 strips. Take one strip and twist it several times and then coil it on the side and tuck the tail to the bottom.
Arrange the shaped dough on a large baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Allow about 2 inches between the dough
Final proofing:
Cover the doughs and put in a warm place. This may take 40 minutes to 1 hour or longer for it to be puffy and almost double in size. For sourdough version, allow about 2-3 hours for the dough to be puffy. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven, 15 minutes before the end of final proofing. Lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C if you have a convection oven
Baking:
Mix egg with the milk and brush the dough well on all sides. Sprinkle with pearl sugar and chopped almonds if you want (I didn't do the almond). Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake the loaves for 15 minutes, or until nicely golden brown
Cool down:
Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack, cover with a clean kitchen towel for a soft crust. They can be served warm or at room temperature