Finnish Cardamom Rolls
Finnish Cardamom Rolls – these rolls are sweet, flaky and delicate treasures that can be enjoyed at only 155 calories per roll.
A few years ago when I visited my mother in law in Romania, she taught me along with my sister in law how to make our popular walnut bread. I had written the recipe in my little notebook I had taken with me to write all my mother in law’s recipes and have treasured it since, as well as have shared it with you all. Ever since then I have conquered one of what has to be a miracle in the culinary world. I have learned to make that walnut bread myself. I have been scared of making it all my life. But scared no more, I was.
I have to say that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between baking and myself. I have always loved to bake, but this was a major milestone for me. I knew then that baking would be my passion. And so my journey began. And what a journey it’s been. I have tried and experimented with so may different recipes, hundreds of them, and have loved every single one of them.
But after all these hundreds of recipes that I have baked, it never ceases to amaze me when I find a recipe that completely intrigues me and makes me fall in love. And this is what’s happened here with these Finnish cardamom rolls. I have fallen in love with them. These rolls are sweet, flaky and delicate treasures that should be thoroughly enjoyed. Even the hand model who tells me over and over that he has had enough cinnamon rolls, I do go a bit overboard making different kinds, but even he couldn’t stop at eating just one, or two. Even he fell in love with these exquisite cardamom rolls.
This recipe is one that I truly wish that all of you my readers, my peeps, try and make yourself. This recipe is one that you will thank me that I introduced you to. This will become a staple in your homes. You will fall in love yourselves. I see these rolls as the answer to all your problems. Make a cup of coffee, sit down, take a bite and let it sink in. You will close your eyes and will feel a sense of wonderment. You will then know what I’m talking about.
But let’s talk about these rolls for a bit, because after all they are the subject of my affection. I don’t have many Finnish recipes, as a matter of fact this is the only one. But I do know sweet breads, and cardamom bread is a sweet bread very common in Finland. As a matter of fact this sweet cardamom bread is called Pulla, which if you are Romanian I truly apologize, that word means something completely different, which I won’t mention here. But Pulla is a sweet bread that many Finns enjoy plain, but it’s most delicious when baked with butter, cinnamon and sugar. I can relate to this because Romanians also have a lot of sweet breads, like the walnut bread which are very popular, especially around the holidays. Here I chose to make these rolls instead because I just love the look of them.
This is not your regular cinnamon roll. This is way up at the top there. I wouldn’t even ruin these rolls by drenching them in some sort of icing. They are exquisite just the way they are and only 155 calories a roll.
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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Finnish Cardamom Rolls
Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 23 mins
Total: 1 hr 23 mins
Serves: 28
Finnish Cardamom Rolls - these rolls are sweet, flaky and delicate treasures that can be enjoyed at only 155 calories per roll.
Ingredients
Cardamom Rolls
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 8 tbsp butter unsalted, softened
- 1 tbsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Toppings
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling over the rolls, or regular sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the milk, 1/2 cup of sugar and the yeast and stir. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast dissolves and starts to bubble.
- In the bowl of your mixer add the eggs, butter, cardamom, salt and using the paddle attachment, mix everything together. Add the yeast mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Change to the dough hook and add a cup of flour at a time and mix until you add all the flour. If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour, but continue mixing until the dough separates from the bowl and forms a ball.
- In a large bowl add a bit of oil, about a tbsp and place the dough in the bowl, rolling it around so that it gets oil all over, this way it won't get dry. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. You need to let the dough rise for a couple hours until doubled in size. You can also do my trick where I turn the oven on for about 1 to 2 minutes just until it's warm in there, and place the bowl in the oven, close the door, make sure you turned off the oven and in about half an hour the dough would have doubled in size.
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add a bit of flour on your work surface. Punch the dough gently and place it on your work surface. Cut the dough in 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, cover the other rolls so that they don't dry out. Roll each piece about as thin as you can, should be about 12 inches by 18 inches. With a brush or a knife smear some butter onto it. Make sure it's nicely buttered. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar over the entire surface, as much as you want. Roll it into a tight log starting from the narrower side. Line up the dough log in front of you and cut it slightly on the diagonal, alternating up and down, so that the slices are fat 'v' shapes, with the point of the 'v' about 2 cm (3/4 inch) and the base about 5 cm (2 inches). Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Let the rolls sit for about 30 minutes to rise. Brush the rolls with egg wash and then sprinkle with Turbinado sugar or plain sugar. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.
Recipe Notes
Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date. To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using. Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container. One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used. ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1rollCalories: 155kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 22.73g (8%)Protein: 3.03g (6%)Fat: 5.91g (9%)Saturated Fat: 3.472g (22%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.367gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.565gTrans Fat: 0.201gCholesterol: 31mg (10%)Sodium: 53mg (2%)Potassium: 48mg (1%)Fiber: 0.8g (3%)Sugar: 8.54g (9%)Vitamin A: 400IU (8%)Calcium: 20mg (2%)Iron: 1.1mg (6%)
Nutrition Facts
Finnish Cardamom Rolls
Amount Per Serving (1 roll)
Calories 155 Calories from Fat 53
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.91g9%
Saturated Fat 3.472g22%
Trans Fat 0.201g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.367g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.565g
Cholesterol 31mg10%
Sodium 53mg2%
Potassium 48mg1%
Carbohydrates 22.73g8%
Fiber 0.8g3%
Sugar 8.54g9%
Protein 3.03g6%
Vitamin A 400IU8%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Manasa says
Dear Jo,
I tried to make cinnamon rolls 8 years ago and they were such a disaster that I hadn’t attempted them since. Something about your recipe inspired me to try them again and they turned out brilliantly ! The house smelt amazing for an hour after baking and I’ve frozen a portion to take to my Finnish colleague when I go in to work.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Nicole Beaulieu says
That’s fantastic to hear! Practise makes perfect. Enjoy your rolls 🙂
Rachel says
Hi there! These look amazing. I’m hoping for the centers to have a bit more of that gooey cinnamon roll center, is it possible to add/ substitute some brown sugar in the topping ingredients?
Nicole Beaulieu says
For sure! You can use some brown sugar and a bit more butter.
Ann says
EXCELLENT!!!!
Zofia says
Hi! Can I freeze these before baking like you cinnamon bun recipe?
Nicole Beaulieu says
Yes you can!
Celina says
Hello Joanna!! 🙂
Greetings from Finland! 😀
I absolutely adore your version of our Finnish “korvapuusti”!!
Your rolls look amazing!! and I’m sure that they taste amazing too, actually I probably need to test them! 😀
The dough you used is not exactly like the one we use here, and I’d really like to taste your version – because considering how they look – it might even be better than the original : )
Thank you for delighting us readers with your Beautiful Blog, wonderful recipes and interesting stories : )
Wishing you a sunny springtime,
Yours
Celina
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks, Celina! I’d love the recipe for the dough that you guys actually make there. 🙂
Celina says
Good Morning Jo! : )
Thanks for replying – and of course I’ll give you the recipe : )
Like I said, yours is not so much different, the biggest difference is that we use less eggs, only 1 egg per 250 g/ml milk.
I usually do a bit bigger batch and make many kinds of buns and rolls of it, and I make it by hand, so that I can’t give you directions how to make it by machine, but I’m sure you can make the dough just as you do yours. : )
Basic Pulla Dough : )
500 g warm milk (17,6 oz / 500 ml or ~2 C + 4 tsp)
50 g fresh yest * (1,7 oz)
200 g granulated sugar or light brown cane sugar (14 oz or a bit less than 1 C)
12 g salt (0,42 oz / 2 tsp)
10 g ground cardamom (0,35 oz / 1 tbs)
~100 g eggs (3½ oz) (just 2 normal eggs, I don’t really weight them 😉
1000 g wheat flour (~35 oz) (I suppose it’s all purpose flour for you)
200 g very soft -not melted- butter (7 oz)
When I do it by hand I first dissolve the yeast into the milk, then add sugar, salt, cardamom and eggs and whisk it with a wooden spoon. Next in goes half of the flour, 500 g/17,6 oz) in this case, and I give it three hundred (really!!) whisks around the dough bowl with the wooden spoon to help the gluten improvement. Then I add half of the rest flour (250 g) and knead it in by hand. When there’s no visible flour left I add the butter and knead it in. Finally I add knead in the rest of the flour (250 g) – sometimes the dough takes a bit less or a bit more flour. It’s supposed to be soft but not overly sticky or loose.
Then I just let the dough rest until it’s doubled in size, knead it, shape it, let it rest again and bake it – just the same way as you do, except that we bake ours in hotter oven (around 10 mins at 225 C or 437 F).
* I’m sorry about the fresh yeast – I don’t use dried yest and I’m not going to take the risk of converting the amounts – I’m sure you know better than be what would be the optimal amount of yest you have available there. 🙂 I do hope that the rest of the amounts are right! and of course, because the flours here and there are surely somewhat different, I trust you know the perfect amount you use to achieve the perfect dough : )
I must yet say, that your version is the closest match to ours that I have ever seen around foreign blogs, and I still think it’s amazing!!! : )
A few other pulla variations you might want to take a look with a (google) picture search. 😀
Rahkapulla (filled with lemony curd cheese filling)
Mustikkapulla (blueberry buns)
Voipulla (topped with a buttery, glossy dough)
Voisilmäpulla (buns with a butter and sugar “eye”)
Pusupulla (kiss buns, like lips, there’s sometimes jam inside)
Dallaspulla (yes, named after Dallas – these have a vanilla custard filling – there’s also a “Texas” variation with brown sugar, cinnamon and finely chopped nut filling)
Solmupulla (a knot bun)
Pullapitko (braided bun)
Laskiaispulla (a plain bun filled traditionally with berry jam/almond paste and whipped cream)
I hope I helped – if you have any questions please feel free to ask. : )
Take Care!!
*Celina
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks so much Celina! I saved that and can’t wait to make it!! I really appreciate it!
Suzanne says
I am so excited to try these. Can I do the last rise in a cold refrigerator so I can bake them fresh tomorrow morning? It works with most bread but I’ve never tried it with rolls like these.
Joanna Cismaru says
You should be able to because they will rise in the fridge but a lot slower. If you find they haven’t risen much in the fridge take them out an hour or so before baking.
Margaret L Goodwin says
I use packaged yeast. Should I use one packet or two for this recipe?
Also, how many rolls does it make?
Joanna Cismaru says
One package is 2 1/4 tsp of yeast, so you’ll have to use 2 packages, but take out 1/2 tsp since it will be too much. This recipe will yield approximately 28 rolls.