How To Make Sourdough Cardamom Buns
These sourdough cardamom buns are a must-try. A sweet, sticky, and delicious Swedish treat, glazed with a mouth-watering brown sugar and cardamom glaze.
Sourdough Cardamom Buns
There are four parts to this recipe: sweet levain, main dough, cardamom filling, and the brown sugar glaze. Make sure to scroll down for the complete recipe and ingredient list.
Sweet Levain
The sweet levain is made from an active sourdough starter, whole milk, flour and a little bit of sugar. It should be young when you add it to the main dough (not too sour).
- Active sourdough starter – 100% hydration, white
- Whole milk – cold
- All-purpose or bread flour
- Sugar
Mix active sourdough starter, milk, flour, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl/jar. Cover and rise in a warm spot, ideally at around 78°F/26°C for 4 hours or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.
Main Dough
What you’ll need:
This dough is an absolute joy to work with, soft, elastic, and buttery. It’s vital to knead the dough long enough to fully develop the gluten network. That, along with proper fermentation, is the key to a soft, tasty, and light bun. Whenever I make enriched doughs that require long kneading times, I always make sure to use cold liquid (in this case, milk). This is to make sure the dough doesn’t overheat during kneading.
Window Pane Test
The Window Pane test is one of the best ways to tell if you have kneaded your dough long enough. Hold a corner of your dough with both hands and slowly stretch it out. If you can stretch the dough until it’s thin and nearly translucent (without tearing), it’s ready to go! If the dough tears apart rather quickly, it needs to be kneaded longer.
Cardamom Filling
The filling is made from unsalted butter, brown sugar, and ground cardamom. I used dark brown sugar because that’s the easiest to find in my country, but feel free to use light brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand! We want the butter to be at room temperature so that it’s easy to mix. The filling can be made ahead by a few hours as long as you leave it at room temperature until you’re ready to shape the buns.
Brown Sugar Glaze
The brown sugar and cardamom glaze are what tops it all off. It adds a pleasant amount of extra sweetness to the bun. We want to make the glaze while the cardamom buns are in the oven, and brush a generous amount of glaze onto each bun immediately after they’ve come out of the oven.
How to shape Cardamom Buns
You can shape these buns in many different ways, so definitely be creative if you want to!
Here’s how I like to do it:
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 19x12in/50x30cm rectangle and evenly spread out the cardamom filling using an offset spatula.
- Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it down to cover 2/3 of the dough, then grab the other side and fold it over the top. Go over the dough a couple of times with your rolling pin to even out the sides.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 strips, roughly 1,5-2 inches each.
- Split each strip into three, leaving one side joined.
- Braid the strips to create a three-stranded plait.
- Grab the end of the plait and roll it up to create a bun. Place in a greased muffin tin.
Here are some tools I recommend you have on hand to make this sourdough cardamom buns recipe a success:
- Digital Scale is essential for exact measurements.
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to easily knead your dough.
- Brød & Taylor Proofer Box manages the temperature during proof (now in stock!).
- Muffin Tin to proof and bake the buns in.
How To Make Sourdough Cardamom Buns
Equipment
- Digital scale
- Stand mixer
- Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
Sweet Levain
- 45 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration, white
- 45 g whole milk cold
- 45 g all-purpose or bread flour
- 10 g sugar
Main Dough
- 550 g bread flour 11-13% protein
- 90 g sugar
- 10 g salt
- 2 g ground cardamom (1 tsp)
- 250 g whole milk cold
- 2 eggs small-medium sized
- 145 g sweet levain
- 110 g unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
Cardamom Filling
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 90 g brown sugar
- 2,5 g ground cardamom (1,5 tsp)
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 50 g brown sugar
- 50 g water
- 1 g ground cardamom (0,5 tsp)
Instructions
Sweet Levain
- Start by mixing active sourdough starter, milk, flour, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and rise in a warm spot for 4 hours or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.
Main Dough
- Start by gathering all the ingredients. Add them all, except the butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Cover, and autolyse/rest for 30 minutes.
- Start your mixer again and knead on medium speed for 5-10 minutes.
- After 5-10 minutes: slowly add in the softened butter, one cube at a time.
- When all the butter is added, continue kneading at medium speed for 15-25 minutes until your dough passes the window-pane test.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl and proof in a warm spot, ideally at around 78°F/26°C, for two hours.
- After two hours, transfer the dough to the fridge to cold-proof for a minimum of six hours.
Cardamom Filling
- Add softened butter, brown sugar, and cardamom to a bowl. Mix with a fork until you have a spreadable paste. Leave at room temperature until you're ready to shape the buns.
Shape
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. You might want to leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes if it's really cold and difficult to roll out.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 19x12in/50x30cm rectangle.
- Evenly spread out the cardamom filling using an offset spatula.
- Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it down to cover 2/3 of the dough, then grab the other side and fold it over the top (see pictures above for reference).
- Go over the dough a couple of times with a rolling pin to even out the sides.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 strips, roughly 1,5-2 inches each.
- Split each strip into three, leaving one side joined. Braid the strips to create a three-stranded plait. Grab the end of the plait and roll it up to create a bun—place all the shaped buns in a greased muffin tin.
- Loosely cover the muffin tin with cling film and proof at around 78°F/26°C for 9-12 hours until they've doubled in size.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 355°F/180°C and bake the cardamom buns for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, you can make the brown sugar glaze:
Brown Sugar Glaze
- While the buns are baking, you can make the glaze. Add the ingredients to a small pot and heat up over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
- When the buns are out of the oven, immediately brush over the syrup using a pastry brush. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, you might also like my Sourdough Cream Filled Doughnuts Recipe
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37 Comments
Frøydis
Looks very professional! You have done a great job with this recipe.
Information, text and pictures are really good.
Mark
So good. Do you have a yeasted recipe? How many grams of instant yeast should i substitute for the sweet levain? Thanks
Bread by Elise
Hi! I wouldn’t make this recipe with commercial yeast. The process, especially proofing times, would be completely different.
Aly
I agree with her comment about not recommending dry yeast, but if you feel really committed to trying long fermentation without sourdough (and open to the possibility of a failed experiment) then 1/4 tsp of dry yeast (you can measure it out and throw the rest of the packet in the fridge) will probably work as a replacement for the starter. I haven’t done it in years but think that’s how much I used to use when I wanted to make a 24 hour dough but didn’t have my culture available. If you try it, you will want to pay close attention to how the dough looks and feels in case it needs slightly different proofing times.
Fannie
Can’t wait to make these, as cardamom is my favorite spice. The dough is proofing on my counter and it already smells delicious.
Could I bake them in a silicone muffin mold for easier clean-up?
Thank you for the recipe !
Bread by Elise
Hi Fannie! I think a metal muffin tin is the best option here, as I’m not sure how evenly the buns will bake in silicone molds.
Sterre Hulsebosch
Hi there! My beautiful buns are proofing overnight at the moment. And I was wondering if you can freeze these? And if so, should I freeze them after proofing or after baking?
Bread by Elise
Hi Sterre! You can freeze the buns after baking.
Janetta
These are the best and everyone’s favorite!
I was just wondering if I can cold proof overnight so closer to 11 hours versus the 6 hours?
Bread by Elise
That should be fine. Happy baking!
Avi
Came out excellent. I really enjoyed the kick of cardamom with the sweet buttery taste.
Katie
The 2hrs is up, but it doesn’t really look like my dough has risen much.. hoping you will see this quickly to advise. Should I put it in the fridge now anyway or wait for a certain poof percentage? Thank You! Can’t wait to try these.. love me some Cardamom!
Bread by Elise
Hi Katie! Don’t worry if your dough hasn’t risen much after the initial 2 hours. The purpose of this stage is for a brief rest rather than significant rising. You can go ahead and put the dough in the fridge now. Happy baking!
Maja
Really excited to try out this recipe! Looks amazing!
In (the rare) case that all buns are not eaten, how will you recommend they are reheated after being frozen down? And is it better to freeze them down raw after the second proofing?
Bread by Elise
Hi! I’d recommend freezing them after you’ve baked them. Allow the buns to thaw completely before reheating them for a couple of minutes at 390F/200C.
Tash
Made this today and it was incredible!! My boyfriend told me it is the best thing I have ever baked!
Pip
Easy to follow with the ‘how to..’ section – these are absolutely delicious and lovely to look at too! Messed around with proofing times to fit with work so took a couple of days but the buns were super fluffy and perfectly sourdough-y.
Sharon
Utterly delicious and easy to make. I left them free form after making plaits. Eaten quickly
Mala
Amazing looking buns!
Quick question … can the dough be cold retarded proofed overnight n then rolled the next day?
Thanks
Bread by Elise
Absolutely! Happy baking.
Sydney
I have made this recipe several times now and it has always come out PERFECT (I have done it with cardamom as well as cinnamon – yum!). I am a beginner with sourdough and I find your instructions very clear to follow. I especially love the “Baker’s Schedule” you provided, so I don’t get confused with all the waiting periods. I look forward to trying your other recipes!
Valerie
I made those a few times , and they are delicious.
I also made a variation adding dry apricots and pistachios in the filling as well as pitachios on top . Big hit !
Thanks for all your recipes, they are great 👍
Paul Garrison
This recipe worked well, and the rolls came out beautiful and tasty. The only difference I found is my baking time was between 24 and 26 minutes.
Thank you for this. I wish there were a way to post pictures of my finished product!
Crystal Olech
Will definitely make these again. Mouth watering and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Camille
Just made these and they turned out amazing! I shortened the final proof time since it was warmer and they doubled in size fairly quickly. Definitely will make again! What’s the best way to store these?
Janneke
Amazing recipe and my buns tasted great! Love all your recipes. I did however experience leaking of butter during the bake, any tips on how to prevent this?
Anne Dovel
I have the dough started. I have never kneaded dough this long with my mixer. I’m not questioning it, but can you tell me more about the length of kneading? I guess I always thought I would overknead it!
Anne
Judith
I just absolutely love these! I’ve made them a couple times now and they are so good! I love how you pop them in the oven first thing in the morning and you’ll have fresh buns for breakfast!
I’ve tried using a silicone mold, but they don’t bake as well, are my findings.. I prefer to shape them into knots and bake them on a tray. Perfection!
Caro
I have been on a kick to make Swedish cardamom buns. So this week made three different recipes. That made me a little experienced by the time I got to your recipe.
These buns are fantastic. They taste heavenly and look beautiful. Perfect combo!
I’ll definitely be making again and perfecting my technique. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for a wonderful treat!
Claudia
After a year trying different recipes online and being disappointed of the result… I tried yours and I could not be more satisfied. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Mahsa
I made this and it was super deliciouse , soft and yummy. Smelled and tasted heavenly.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Amanda
Made these for a gathering yesterday, but with 1T cinnamon instead of cardamom in the filling, and a slightly sweet egg wash before baking instead of the glaze. Absolutely perfect recipe. Light and wonderful, with a perfect amount of sweetness. A word of caution to anyone who may try: doubling the recipe definitely put my kitchen aid mixer to the test! Making again today, but making two separate batches, and trying a chocolate filling. Can’t wait 😍
Katie Chauvot
Our new favorite!:D
Allison
Hi! Is there a way to prepare the sweet levain as an overnight 8hrs option in order to be able to mix upon waking up? Tia!
Danyelle
These were amazing! Such a simple yet complex flavourings! I will add though, don’t cold proof them for 12 hours. I had to due to when I started them and when they had to be baked, but man; they turned out massive!😅
PSL
Great recipe! I have another cardamon bun recipe that I typically use, but decided to spice things up 🙂 Definitely produces a very soft and fluffy bun. I also doubled the recipe and ended up kneading a bit by hand at the end. Didn’t get a perfect window pane, but end product was great! Buns were definitely HUGE, and I have some oven cleanup to do with spilt over buttery goodness, but no complaints from me for a bigger bun. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Thank you!
Emily Gregory
WOW! These came out perfectly. Thank you for the great instructions and delicious recipe. They disappeared so fast. The only change I made was I used butter instead of water in glaze (my delicious error) and I used more cardamom than called for.