Cardamon and Blood Orange Buns
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Cuisine
Swedish
Servings
12
These Swedish-style knots are one of my favourite things to bake. The whole kitchen fills with the most wonderful warm cardamom scent, and there's something so peaceful about shaping the dough into little knots, knowing how soft and pillowy they'll be once they're baked.
The blood orange is a quiet addition — it doesn't steal the show, it just adds a gentle zing that brightens the cardamom beautifully. If blood oranges aren't around, regular oranges are just as lovely.
What I love most is that they're genuinely simple. The dough comes together easily, and if you want a little trick — make them the evening before, leave them shaped and ready, then bake them first thing in the morning. Warm cardamom buns for breakfast, straight from the oven, with very little effort. It's the kind of surprise that makes an ordinary morning feel special.
Why you'll love making these Cardamom and Blood Orange Buns
They're far simpler than they look — just a basic enriched dough with generous cardamom and a little orange zest.
The knots don't need to be perfect. That's part of their charm.
Make them the night before and bake fresh in the morning for the most delicious breakfast with almost no effort.
Soft, pillowy, and warmly spiced — they'll be your new star bake that everyone will talk about.
Ingredients
-
500g strong white bread flour
-
75g caster sugar
-
2 tsp ground cardamom (from freshly crushed pods, if possible)
-
7g fast action yeast
-
A pinch salt
-
1 blood orange, zest of
-
250ml whole milk, warmed
-
1 large egg
-
75g softened butter
-
For the filling:
-
75g unsalted butter, softened
-
75g light brown sugar
-
1 blood orange, zest of
-
1 tsp ground cardamom
-
Blood orange syrup:
- 1 blood orange, juice of
-
60g caster sugar
-
Pearl sugar
-
Blood orange juice and icing sugar glaze (optional)
Directions
Add the flour, sugar, cardamom, yeast, salt and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer frittered with a dough hook. Add the milk and egg and mix on a low speed until a rough dough forms.
Increase the speed and mix for 5 minutes. Add the butter a little at a time, fully incorporating before the next addition, and then continue to mix for 10-12 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic - do a window pane test by stretching the dough and see if it stretches breaks. Cover and leave to rise for 1-1.5 hours, until puffy and visibly risen.
Mix the filling ingredients together, butter, sugar, blood orange zest and cardamom, until smooth and spreadable.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle out to roughly 35cm x 45 cm. Spread the filling over the longer half and then fold the dough in half over itself lengthways. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut 8 long ribbons from the dough. Twist them and then wrap them around your fingers to create knots. Place them on a tray and refrigerate overnight or prove for 45 minutes before baking. If baking in the morning, remove from the oven and bring to room temperature - around 1-1.5 hours.
Preheat your oven to 180c fan / 180c /400f / Gas 6. Place the buns on a baking tray ensuring space between them to allow for rising during baking. Sprinkle with pearl sugar (optional - available to purchase online) and bake for 18 - 22 minutes when they should be lightly browned.
Mix icing sugar with blood orange juice to thick consistency and then drizzle over the buns. Serve with extra blood orange slices on the side to really enhance the flavour.
Recipe Note
The dough needs a proper knead — about ten minutes in a stand mixer until it's really smooth and elastic. Don't be tempted to skip this, it's what gives the buns their soft, pillowy texture.
If you're making them the night before, shape the knots, place them on the baking tray, cover tightly with cling film and pop them in the fridge. In the morning, take them out while the oven preheats — they'll finish proving in that time and be ready to bake.
Cardamom is best freshly ground from the pods. The pre-ground stuff loses its flavour quickly and you won't get that beautiful warmth.
For the orange, use the zest only — juice will make the dough too wet. A fine microplane gives the best result.
These are best eaten the day they're baked, ideally still slightly warm. If you have leftovers, a quick ten seconds in the microwave brings them back to life.