I love Swedish baked goods, and I'm utterly obsessed with the idea of Fika. Fika is the Swedish term for a coffee break, but it's soooooo much more than that. Its the act of relaxing and connecting with others in the afternoon over coffee and snacks. Imagine every day taking an extended coffee break to say "Hey" to your friends or coworkers over delicious baked goods. Dreamlife, right?
Cardamom knots are standard Fika fare, and they are perfect as they are, but I decided they would also be amazing with a lil-Kentucky spin on them. I added bourbon (of course) and some cocoa powder, and the result was totally amazing cardamom buns with a mellow chocolatey kick.
The knots look sophisticated and complicated, but they are actually really easy to make. Once you have rolled out your dough and have added and covered the filling, you cut it into ¾ inch lines and simply wrap each piece around two of your fingers twice to create a roll then loop the remaining length around the top twice, tucking the end underneath. Bam! You're done and have some fancy rolls ready for Fika!
Cardamom Knots with Bourbon and Chocolate
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 1x
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 21 grams of active dry yeast (3 packets)
- 2 cups of lukewarm milk (105 degrees is ideal)
- 1 egg
- 7 cups of bread flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup soft butter
For the filling:
- ⅞ cup (200g) soft butter
- 1 ¼ sugar
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 3 tsp bourbon
- 4 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 egg beaten for wash
Instructions
For the buns:
- In a bowl attached to a stand mixer with the hook attachment, pour the yeast into the warm milk and let it dissolve for about 5 minutes. Stir to fully incorporate the yeast.
- Add the egg, flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt and mix until a dough forms around the hook. Add the butter and let is mix into the dough. Remove form the bowl and knead well on a well-floured surface. Put the dough in a blow and cover with a dish towel and let rise until it's doubled in size (1-2 hours).
For the filling:
- Combine all the ingredients except the egg in a mixing bowl attached to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until combined.
For the assembly:
- Split the dough in half and put on a well-floured surface. Roll out into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle, spread the filling mixture over the half of the dough lengthwise. Fold the plain dough over the filled dough, then cut lengthwise in ¾ inch lines.
- Wrap each piece around two of your fingers twice to create a roll then loop the remaining length around the top twice, tucking the end underneath.
- Set the knots on a baking sheet covered in parchment and let rest for 30 minutes. They will grow quite a bit resting and in the oven, so leave enough space between each knot. Once risen, brush the beaten egg over the buns.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Katerina says
These look absolutely amazing! Bookmarking this recipe now. Thanks so much for sharing!
pate giltner says
Thanks so much!!!