Kardemummabullar — cardamom knot buns for fika
A yeasted brioche dough, rolled, filled with butter and ground cardamom, twisted into a knot and sprinkled with pearl sugar. Soft, fragrant, meant to be broken and shared among colleagues.
A yeasted brioche dough, rolled, filled with butter and ground cardamom, twisted into a knot and sprinkled with pearl sugar. Soft, fragrant, meant to be broken and shared among colleagues.
You know, in our labs at Lund, the coffee break isn't wasted time — it's where ideas catch, a bit like trying to grab an electron: you need the right moment. I roll the dough, crush the cardamom at the last moment to keep all its perfume, and twist each bun into a knot. We set them in the middle of the table, and we help ourselves while talking. Don't be too shy with the pearl sugar: it's what crunches under the tooth and makes even the most serious doctoral students smile.
- •Wheat flour — a large mixing bowl (dough base)
- •Milk — a large bowl, lukewarm (kneading liquid)
- •Fresh yeast — one cube (leavening)
- •Butter — a good knob (softness and filling)
- •Ground cardamom — generously (signature flavor)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Pearl sugar — a handful (top crunch)
Kardemummabullar — cardamom knot buns for fika
A yeasted brioche dough, rolled, filled with butter and ground cardamom, twisted into a knot and sprinkled with pearl sugar. Soft, fragrant, meant to be broken and shared among colleagues.
Why this dish? Anne L'Huillier has worked for decades at Lund University. Fika is not just a break: it's a Swedish institution where researchers and doctoral students pause together over coffee and a fragrant bun. Many attosecond physics ideas have surely been exchanged with a hand on one of these buns.
You know, in our labs at Lund, the coffee break isn't wasted time — it's where ideas catch, a bit like trying to grab an electron: you need the right moment. I roll the dough, crush the cardamom at the last moment to keep all its perfume, and twist each bun into a knot. We set them in the middle of the table, and we help ourselves while talking. Don't be too shy with the pearl sugar: it's what crunches under the tooth and makes even the most serious doctoral students smile.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — a large mixing bowl (dough base)
- Milk — a large bowl, lukewarm (kneading liquid)
- Fresh yeast — one cube (leavening)
- Butter — a good knob (softness and filling)
- Ground cardamom — generously (signature flavor)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Pearl sugar — a handful (top crunch)
Ingredients
- Bread flour (T45) — 500 g (dough base)
- Lukewarm milk — 250 ml (liquid)
- Fresh yeast — 25 g (or 7 g active dry) (leavening)
- Soft butter — 75 g dough + 75 g filling (softness and filling)
- Sugar — 75 g dough + 50 g filling (sweetness)
- Ground cardamom — 2 tsp (dough) + 2 tsp (filling) (signature flavor)
- Egg — 1 (for wash) (golden color)
- Pearl sugar — 2 tbsp (crunch)
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk. Mix flour, sugar, cardamom and salt, add milk then soft butter. Knead 10 min until a smooth, elastic dough.
- Let rise 40 min under a cloth, until doubled.
- Roll out into a rectangle. Spread with soft butter mixed with sugar and cardamom. Fold in three.
- Cut strips, twist and tie into knots. Place on a baking sheet, let rise 30 min.
- Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake at 220 °C for 8 to 10 min until nicely colored.
- Let cool slightly and serve with black coffee.
How it was made : Cardamom arrived in Scandinavia via medieval trade routes; Swedes have become among the world's largest consumers. The tradition of fika and its twisted buns (kardemummabulle) became codified in the 20th century, popularized by family pastry collections.
The contemporary twist : For an "attosecond" touch, serve them just warm and timed: cardamom crushed at the last second releases a fleeting fragrance, like an ultra-short light pulse.
Sources : Sju sorters kakor (classic Swedish pastry collection) · Nordic Bakery Cookbook, Miisa Mink
Anne L'Huillier · Charactorium