Traditional Swedish Cardamom Buns

Directions

1. Make the dough: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and sugar until it reaches 97ºF/36ºC (or body temperature if you don’t have a kitchen thermometer). If it gets too warm, let it cool down before proceeding, as adding hot milk to yeast can kill it.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm milk. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Let it sit until small bubbles appear on the surface, indicating the yeast has been activated, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the egg, butter, flour, cardamom, and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium or medium-high and knead the dough until smooth and tacky, 10 to 15 minutes. (Depending on the power of your mixer, you may need to knead longer.) If the dough still looks rough or breaks easily when stretched, continue kneading.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (To speed it up or if your kitchen is cold, let the doughproof in the oven–turned OFF–but with the light on).
5. Meanwhile, prepare the butter filling and cardamom sugar. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cardamom for the filling.
6. Shape the buns: On a clean surface, roll the dough into a 12x24-inch rectangle (with the short side facing you). Spread the butter filling evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with a generous amount of cardamom sugar, reserving some for garnishing the buns.
7. Fold the top edge of the dough over about two-thirds of the dough, then fold the edge closest to you over the top, like an envelope (this is a bit tricky—think of folding a letter). Roll the dough out again into a 12x14-inch rectangle to help the layers adhere and to thin it out.
8. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough lengthwise into 14 (1-inch wide) strips. Take one strip and, using your thumb and middle finger, twist it once around your pointer and middle fingers. Twist the strand around once more, but this time stop where your thumb is and fold it over between the two fingers, tucking the end of the strip underneath. (Refer to the video for a visual guide.)
9. Place each twisted bun on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing them at least 4 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until puffed and stay mostly dented when gently poked, another 30 to 45 minutes (they won't necessarily double in size).
10. Bake: Preheat the oven to 400ºF/204ºC with a rack in the center position. Brush the buns with egg wash. Bake until golden brown and they reach an internal temperature of at least 190ºF/87ºC on a kitchen thermometer, about 12 minutes.
11. While the buns are baking, prepare the simple syrup by mixing ¼ cup warm water with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
12. Once the buns are out of the oven, immediately brush them with the syrup and sprinkle with the remaining cardamom sugar. Let cool slightly before serving.