Richard Hart’s recipe for Scandinavian cardamom buns | The sweet spot

4 hours ago 1

In Scandinavia, people are crazy about cardamom buns. They’re usually much drier than I’d like, and after much testing I’ve found that the secret to making a much moister bun is underproofing the dough. Normally, baking something that’s underproofed is nothing but disappointing, but in this instance it’s the way to go. A slightly underproofed centre lets the dough hold on to that sticky, gooey texture you want in a cardamom (or cinnamon) bun.

Cardamom buns

Prep 10 min
Prove 3 hr
Chill Overnight
Cook 1 hr 50 min
Makes 12

125g rye flour
125g warm water (28C/84F)

For the starter
60g hot water (40C/104F)
60g wholewheat flour
24g 12-hour wheat or rye starter – see method

For the dough
204g plain flour
204g bread flour
55g sugar
41g milk powder
143g warm water (30C/86F)
65g eggs
122g freshly fed starter (see above)
8g salt
4g instant dry yeast
102g butter
51g neutral oil

For the cardamom sugar
252g sugar
16g ground cardamom
3g salt

For the cardamom schmear
200g softened butter
100g cardamom sugar (above)

For the cardamom syrup
71g cardamom sugar (above)
29g water

To finish
60g softened butter, for greasing
A pinch of ground cardamom, to garnish

In a clean jar or plastic container, combine 50g of the rye flour and 50g of the water and mix well by hand to form a dough. It will be quite sticky. Use a dough scraper to scrape any excess from your fingers and back into the mixture. Take its temperature: if it’s below 25C, set the container in a larger container of warm water to bring it up a few degrees. The water should completely surround the starter container to insulate it. Put a lid on the container. As long as you’re keeping the starter warm enough, you can leave it alone for 24 hours.

Check on your starter: To be honest, it probably won’t look all that different. It may have separated a bit, with some liquid at the top, and if that’s the case, just mix the liquid back in. Put your clean fingers into the mixture and stir it around a bit, to add some oxygen. Take its temperature and warm the container in warm water as necessary. Cover the container and let it sit again for 24 hours.

By now, you should be seeing some noticeable bubbling and expansion in the mixture. Add 25g of the flour and 25g of the water and mix it in by hand. Scrape the excess off your fingers and add it to the mixture.

The next day, check for bubbling and expansion, which should be evident by day four. Discard half the mixture and mix in the remaining 50g flour and 50g water. If there is no evidence of fermentation in your mixture, and if you see red or orange streaks of mould or other visible growths, chuck it out, buy some fresh flour, and start over.

By day five, you should have a nicely fermented starter, with real, clear signs of active life. You are now ready to use this starter to make bread. From here, you will maintain a daily feeding schedule by discarding about 90% of it and refreshing it with flour and water, equal parts by weight. For a rye starter, you can do this once a day. For wheat, I recommend feeding it twice a day

In a medium bowl, use your hands to mix the water, flour, and 12-hour starter for a minute or so, then take the mix’s temperature: it should be 30-35C (86-95F). If it isn’t, put the bowl into a larger bowl of warm or cold water, depending on which direction you need it to go. Scrape the excess mixture off your fingers back into the bowl, then rinse your hands in the bowl of warm water. Now, use a plastic scraper to push the starter mix together, getting everything off the insides of the bowl and into one cohesive body, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave the freshly fed starter in a warm, draught-free place. Set a timer for 45 minutes.

Once the starter is ready, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine both the flours with the sugar, milk powder, water, eggs and starter, and mix on medium speed to combine. The mixture will look wet at this point. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Add the salt and yeast, and mix the dough thoroughly on medium for about 10 minutes, until completely smooth and very strong.

Add half the butter and mix again until fully incorporated. Add the remaining butter and mix again until that, too, is incorporated. Add the half the oil, allow it to be completely absorbed, then add the rest. Ideally, the dough shouldn’t be too warm (not higher than 82F/ 28C).

Transfer the dough to an oiled container that’s large enough to hold double its size and leave to ferment at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour, until bubbly and slightly increased in volume. Cover with a tea towel and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 12 hours.

Make the cardamom sugar: In a bowl, combine the sugar, cardamom and salt, and mix well, cover and set aside.

The next day, make the cardamom schmear. In a small bowl, combine the butter and 100g cardamom sugar, and mix until the sugar is well incorporated. Keep this mixture at room temperature so that it will spread easily across the dough.

Use a pastry brush to brush the insides of a 12-hole muffin tin with the softened butter. Turn the chilled dough out on to a work surface and roll out into a 55cm × 25cm rectangle that’s about 5mm thick. Using a palette knife, small spatula or butter knife, spread the schmear in an even layer over the dough, working quickly so the dough doesn’t warm up, then sprinkle evenly with 100g of the cardamom sugar.

With one short side of the dough facing you, fold it in half by bringing the top edge down to meet the bottom edge. Roll it out again, this time to a 40cm × 25cm rectangle about 2cm-thick and horizontally oriented.

Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 long strips. Hold each end of one strip in your hands, twist in opposite directions, then roll on to itself into a snail shape. Tuck the loose ends underneath to keep the strip from unraveling while baking, then put each one in the prepared muffin tin. Proof in a warm place for an hour, until they have expanded to one and a half times their original size. If you poke your finger into the dough, it should leave an impression but still spring back slightly. The dough is underproofed at this point, which will result in a moister bun.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining 71g cardamom sugar and the water. Bring to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.

Heat the oven to 185C(365F)/gas 4½. Bake the buns for 10-12 minutes, until deep golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 98C(208F). While they’re still warm, invert the buns on to a rack, brush with cardamom syrup and garnish with ground cardamom. Serve warm.