The Norwegian Bakery: Cardamom Buns

Cardamom Raisin Rolls in a Norwegian Bakery

More Examples of Norwegian Baking

My Version, a Norwegian Bread baked in Bulgaria by a Minnesotan

Taking my first bite of a Norwegian raisin bun on an Oslo park bench, the last taste I expected was cardamom. I'm not sure why, since the spice figures heavily in the only Norwegian bread I've ever made - Holiday Julekage. But that surprising undercurrent of flavor tasted of Christmas to me, and I found I enjoyed a bit of Christmas on an August night. It made me feel at home. 

When I got back to Bulgaria, I decided to try baking the buns myself. So, just in case you'd like to try them too, here is the recipe which I adapted from the Cooking Books Blog.

Ingredients:

4.2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Pkg Active Dry Yeast

1.5 Cups Milk

1 Cup Raisins (you could also use candied fruit, chocolate, chopped up marzipan, apricots...)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Cardamom (you might up this to 2 tsp, especially if your cardamom isn't too fresh)

1 egg white, beaten, to glaze over the rolls before baking

1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar and cardamom with a whisk.

2. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat on the stove, then add the milk for a minute or two until it is warm to your finger (but not hot). 

3. Stir the milk and butter into the dry ingredients and mix.

4. Turn dough out onto a floured counter and knead for about 2 minutes, kneading in the raisins along the way. 

5. Put dough into a greased bowl, spin, turn over, then cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (I turn the oven on to 350 degrees for a minute, then off, and then put it in there, a trick I learned from my mom). It will probably take the dough between 30 and 60 minutes to double.

(Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit / 200 degrees celsius)

6. Punch the dough down once or twice and knead a couple of times, then cut into sixteen pieces. 

7. Form each piece into a bun by rubbing it into the palm of one hand with the other. You should push hard at first and then ease up, forming a nice rounded ball. 

8. Place the buns on two cookie sheets that you butter or spray or line with parchment paper.

9. Split an egg, keeping only the egg white in a small bowl. Beat it for about a minute with a fork until it looks frothy. Use a basting brush to brush egg white on the top of each roll. This will make it look golden and shiny when it is baked. 

10. Bake for 10-15 minutes, ideally rotating the baking sheets and switching the top and bottom halfway. 

Enjoy!