There’s something undeniably comforting about the aroma of freshly baked cardamom bullar—Swedish cardamom buns that balance warmth, sweetness, and spice in every soft twist. Unlike their cinnamon-forward cousins, these buns let cardamom shine, filling the kitchen with a fragrance that feels both familiar and intriguingly different.

Ingredients (for 10 bullars):

Dough

500 g all-purpose flour
50 g sugar
10 g dried yeast
80 g melted butter
200 g milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon whole black cardamom seeds* (roughly crushed with a mortal)

Filling

100 g melted butter
50 g light brown sugar
50 g white sugar
1 teaspoon of grounded cardamom (you kan also use whole seeds crushed)
good pinch of salt

Finishing touch (optional)

60 g white sugar
60 g water

*You can find these in a local spice shop, like an Indian or Turkish grocery. I used packaged black cardamom seeds, but you can also buy green pods and remove the seeds yourself

Extra materials: Food processor (e.g Kenwood) with dough hook, scale, brush, dough roller

Directions:

Preparation Method:

Make the dough:
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the melted butter, milk, and egg. Sprinkle in the roughly crushed black cardamom seeds. Knead the dough for about 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Prepare the filling:
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, light brown sugar, white sugar, ground cardamom, and a pinch of salt. Mix until you have a smooth paste. Set aside so it can set a bit (if the filling is too loose while shaping, it is going to be very sticky)
Shape the bullars:
After the dough has risen, gently punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle, about 3–4 mm thick. Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface.
Fold the dough like a letter: fold the top third down toward the center, then fold the bottom third up over it, creating a long layered strip. Lightly roll it again to smooth it out.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into strips about 2 cm wide (9-10 strips). Take one strip, stretch it slightly, then twist it several times until it forms a tight spiral. Wrap the twisted strip around two fingers to form a loop, then pull the end over and tuck it underneath to create a neat knot.
Second rise:
Place the shaped bullars on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover lightly and let them rise for another 30–40 minutes.
Bake:
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Bake the bullars for 12–15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Optional sugar syrup:
Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Brush the warm syrup over the bullars right after they come out of the oven for a shiny finish.