Sourdough Cardamom and black lime buns

These buns mix traditional Swedish cardamom cinnamon and more modern buns seasoned with black lime. Instead of using yeast, we use a sourdough starter. To make your sourdough starter, see this link to The Perfect loaf. IF you never worked with sourdough before, this might not be the best recipe to start with, so substitute with Sandras Cardamom bun recipe but switch out the filling and the simple syrup!

You can easily cut this recipe in half and it will work, and its easier to work with, especially refrigeration space over night.

Note; This recipe is time consuming and it will take almost 24 hours, but it is so worth it!

Yields about 24 ea buns

Using the yudane, similar to the tangzhong, will bring extra tenderness and be similar to milk bread in texture.

Yudane

202 gram All purpose Flour

212 grams Boiling water

In a mixing bowl, measure the All-purpose flour and pour the hot water over the flour. Stir until you get a cohesive but rugged dough. Let the yudane sit on the counter while you mix the dough.

Dough

If you can, have the eggs, milk, and butter room tempered an hour before starting.

808 gram All purpose Flour

270 gram of unsalted butter, cut into medium cubes

262 gram Whole milk, room temp, but cold also works

262 gram Eggs, 4-5ea medium-sized

50 gram Granulated Sugar

6 gram Cardamom

20 gram Salt

305 gram Sourdough Starter

If using a stand mixer bowl, equip your mixer with the dough hook. Add milk, flour, sourdough starter, eggs, sugar, yudane, cardamom, and salt until the dough forms, and then allow the mixer to run for 5-6 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, turn on the mixer, and slowly add the butter, allowing it to disappear into the dough little by little. Dough should be shiny and smooth.

Transfer the dough to a bulk-proofing container and let it ferment for 3 hours. Fold the dough every 30 minutes.

Once its been proofing for the 30 minutes, place the container into the refrigerator for 1 -1 1/2 hour allowing the dough to chill down.

Filling

60 gram unsalted butter, in cubes, room tempered

180 gram Brown sugar, white or coconut sugar works fine

4 gram (2tsp) Ground black lime powder

2 gram (1 tsp) Ground Cardamom

MIx all of the ingredients to smooth paste.

Black lime and cardamom syrup

200 gram Sugar

90 gram Water

2 gram Ground black lime

In a small pot add the water and sugar, allow to slowly bring up to a quick boil, turn the heat off and add the black lime.

Shaping your buns

On a slightly floured surface, take your dough out from refrigeration, and pour it out. Cut it in half, Roll out each piece to a rectangular shape, thin enough, but remember you need to add the filling. Too thin and it will break, so about 5mm thick should be good.

Spread the 1/2 of the filling on each of the rectangular shaped dough. Now to the fun part!

Either you can roll the rectangular piece up, from the longer sides of the rectangle, then cut straight down and put the buns in baking tins.

OR you can just fold the dough to double, long end to long ends and cut ribbons and make twirls out if.

OR you can roll and cut it lengthewise, into four strips and braid them together. However the time in the oven will change and you need to check your bread to not burn or undercook it.

Once the shapes are done, place them into refrigerator to proof over nigh, covered.

The following moring, the buns need to warm up and proof for three hours, either in room temp or in a proofer.

Bake in 400° F for 25-35 minutes. If you have a convection oven, you can lower the temp with 25°F. If you are uncertain, try bake one piece inlower temp and work your self up to the degree that makes sense for you and your equipment.

Once the buns are baked, put the buns on a cookie rack and brush them with the simple syrup, then dip or spirinkle granulated sugar on top, or if you prefer, like me, pearl sugar!