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Cardamom twists


Makes: 12
timePrep time: 35 mins
timeTotal time:
Cardamom twists
Recipe photograph by Maja Smend
Cardamom is a popular spice in a wide range of Nordic sweet treats. These buns, made from yeasted dough twisted with a cardamom-spiced butter, are a mid-morning staple in Sweden

Makes: 12
timePrep time: 35 mins
timeTotal time:

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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
279Kcal
Fat
11gr
Saturates
7gr
Carbs
42gr
Sugars
13gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.3gr

Sarah Akhurst

Sarah Akhurst

Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst

Sarah Akhurst

Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes

Ingredients

For the buns
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 275ml whole milk
  • 75g salted butter
  • 450g strong white bread flour
  • 70g light brown sugar
  • 1 x 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
For the filling
  • 70g soft butter
  • 70g dark brown sugar
  • 10 cardamom pods
For the glaze
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 10g granulated sugar

Step by step

Get ahead
You can make the pastry and pistachio filling the day before. Continue from step 4 when you’re ready to bake. The dough will also freeze for up to one month.
  1. Split the cardamom pods for the buns and discard the shells. Crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar. Put the milk in a saucepan with the cardamom and heat over a medium heat until it just starts to steam. Remove from the heat and add the salted butter. Leave until the butter has melted and the milk is lukewarm.
  2. Put the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl and add the warm milk mixture. Bring together into a dough and knead for 5 minutes, until you have a soft pliable dough. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to prove in a warm place for around 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  3. For the filling, mix the butter and sugar together. Crush the cardamom pods, discarding the shells. Crush the seeds finely and stir through the butter.
  4. When the dough has risen, transfer to a floured surface and roll out a rectangle, approximately 30cm x 40cm, and spread the surface all over with the soft cardamom butter. Fold the bottom short edge up to the middle, then fold the top edge down over the folded dough. Cut into 12 strips, each 2-2.5cm wide.
  5. Take one strip and start winding it round your finger to form a twist, then tuck the end of the dough underneath the twist. Place the buns on a lined baking tray, leaving room for them to rise, and cover with a tea towel or clingfilm. Prove in a warm place for a further 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Bake the buns for 12-15 minutes, until risen and golden. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Put the caster sugar in a pan with 50ml water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Simmer until it turns syrupy. Crush the cardamom pods, discarding the shells. Crush the seeds finely and mix with the granulated sugar. As soon as the buns are removed from the oven, brush with the syrup and sprinkle with the cardamom sugar.

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