These Finnish Cardamom Rolls are the Finnish version of cinnamon rolls. These beautiful buns come with a heavenly cardamom scented dough with a cinnamon sugar filling. They are are sweet, flaky and delicate treasures that can be enjoyed at only 152 calories per roll.
A few years ago when I visited my mother in law in Romania, she taught me how to make our popular walnut roll. I had written the recipe in my little notebook and have treasured it since and shared the recipe 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 roll myself which is the quintessential holiday dessert in Romania. No holiday is complete without it.
What Is Pulla?
But after all these 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. Cardamon bread is actually very common in Finland. This sweet cardamom bread is actually called Pulla and these rolls are called Korvarpuusti.
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. Another great example is this poppy seed roll which are very popular, especially around the holidays.
Ingredients
Cardamom Rolls
- Milk – We want to use milk to help allow our yeast to bloom. Warm up your milk carefully – not too hot not too cold.
- Sugar – Just a bit of sugar. It’s the food our yeast eats that allows it to become active and to sweeten the dough.
- Yeast – This is arguably the most important ingredient in this whole recipe. I’ve made sure to include a section below that gives you all the info you could possibly need for handling your yeast.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs kept at room temperature.
- Butter – unsalted butter as usual to control the salt in our baked goods.
- Salt – to bring all the flavors together. No baked good is complete without a bit of salt.
- Cardamom – the main ingredients in these rolls. Cardamon is very strong and aromatic. It has a spicy, herbal, citrusy character and goes very well with cinnamon and other spices.
- Flour – we need all purpose flour.
Filling
- Sugar – white granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon – 3 tsp of ground cinnamon.
- Butter – unsalted as usual.
Other
- Egg – for egg wash to brush over the rolls so they’re nice and golden.
- Turbinado sugar – for sprinkling over the rolls. Regular sugar can be used instead.
How To Make Finnish Cardamom Rolls
Make The Dough
- Prep the yeast: In a small bowl combine the milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, the yeast and stir. Let the yeast mixture sit for about 10 min until it froths up and bubbles.
- Make the dough: In the bowl of your mixer add the eggs, butter, cardamom, salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix everything together. Add the yeast mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Change to the dough hook and adding a cup of flour at a time 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 into a ball.
- Let the dough rise: Grease a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.
- Make the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Assemble The Rolls
- Assemble the rolls: Add a bit of flour to your work surface. Punch the dough gently and place it down on the work surface. Cut the dough into 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 your oven to 350 F degrees.
- Bake: 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.
The Oven Is The Best Place For Your Dough To Rise
Your oven is a great tool for baking recipes like these that require allowing the dough to double in size. Preheating your oven to 200 F degrees will ensure that your oven is nice and warm at a good consistent temperature for your little sweet rolls in the making. It will also protect it from any breezes floating through the kitchen and will ensure your rolls turn out just like mine! Just make sure to turn off the oven before placing the dough in there.
Make Ahead Finnish Rolls
These Finnish cardamom rolls are great because they could definitely be made ahead. Prepare everything as stated in the recipe up until step 5 where you place the rolls in the baking pan. Simply cover them up tightly with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge overnight.
The rolls should continue to rise in the fridge but if by morning they have not doubled in size, turn your oven on to 200 F degrees until it warms up, then turn it off. Place the pan in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes until the rolls double in size. Then you can bake them as instructed.
Can You Freeze These Rolls?
You absolutely can! Prepare everything in the recipe as stated up to and including step 5 where you place the rolls on the baking sheets. Wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours up to 6 weeks.
The night before you want to bake the Finnish cardamom rolls, thaw them out in the refrigerator, still wrapped. They will thaw overnight. Finish the rest of the steps to bake them.
Get The Most Out Of Your Yeast
- 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.
- 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.
- If after dissolving the yeast in the lukewarm milk with the sugar, the yeast didn’t start to froth up, do not continue with the rolls, your dough will not rise.
More Delicious Recipes From My Kitchen:
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Parker House Rolls
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Jelly Filled Rolls
- Honey Rolls
- Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple and Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- No Knead 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
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Finnish Cardamom Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 8 tablespoon butter unsalted, softened
- 1 tablespoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter softened
Topping
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling over the rolls, or regular sugar
Instructions
- Prep the yeast: In a small bowl combine the milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, the yeast and stir. Let the yeast mixture sit for about 10 min until it froths up and bubbles.
- Make the dough: In the bowl of your mixer add the eggs, butter, cardamom, salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix everything together. Add the yeast mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Change to the dough hook and adding a cup of flour at a time 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 into a ball.
- Let the dough rise: Grease a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.
- Make the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Assemble the rolls: Add a bit of flour to your work surface. Punch the dough gently and place it down on the work surface. Cut the dough into 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 your oven to 350 F degrees.
- Bake: 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
- Make ahead rolls: Prepare everything as stated in the recipe up until step 5 where you place the rolls in the baking pan. Simply cover them up tightly with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge overnight.
- The rolls should continue to rise in the fridge but if by morning they have not doubled in size, turn your oven on to 200 F degrees until it warms up, then turn it off. Place the pan in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes until the rolls double in size. Then you can bake them as instructed.
- To freeze: Prepare everything in the recipe as stated up to and including step 5 where you place the rolls on the baking sheets. Wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours up to 6 weeks.
- The night before you want to bake the rolls, thaw them out in the refrigerator, still wrapped. They will thaw overnight. Finish the rest of the steps to bake them.
These sound great!
Thank you for not using crescent rolls!!!!!!
I really can’t stand them, and always avoid recipes with them as an ingredient.
Trying these is a must.
I used to live in Finland and was craving korvarpuusti (my favorite) and found your recipe!
It was super easy and they taste so much like the ones I could get in the coffee shops in Helsinki!
Thank you!
That’s really great to hear! Enjoy 🙂
Had these recently from a local baker at a Saturday farmers market & they were heavenly. Cannot wait to try my hand at these scrumptious little delights!
Great! Let me know how they turn out for you!
I know how to bake, and to make Finnish Pulla, and you have nailed it!
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!
That’s fantastic to hear! Practise makes perfect. Enjoy your rolls 🙂
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?
For sure! You can use some brown sugar and a bit more butter.
This is a super tasty little treat! My mom’s side are from Finland and so I wanted to learn how to make these.
They turned out very yummy but they look wonky after going in the oven. I’m not sure what I did wrong to make them tip over and grow side ways. I think 2 look pretty like yours lol. Do you have any advice for fixing this? Thanks so much! Love this recipe!
It could just be the way you rolled them, practice makes perfect! As long as they tasted great, that’s what matters 🙂
EXCELLENT!!!!
Hi! Can I freeze these before baking like you cinnamon bun recipe?
Yes you can!
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
Thanks, Celina! I’d love the recipe for the dough that you guys actually make there. 🙂
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
Thanks so much Celina! I saved that and can’t wait to make it!! I really appreciate it!
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.
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.
I use packaged yeast. Should I use one packet or two for this recipe?
Also, how many rolls does it make?
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.
I made some other type of cardamom roll not too long ago that was really good and this recipe looks even better! I love trying new things and I especially love working with a yeast dough. Can’t wait to try this!
It would help so much if you included measurements by weight, e.g. 500 g flour, 250 g milk, 8 g salt, etc. You have a worldwide readership on the internet, esp English-speaking Great Britain and Australia. Can’t wait to try these!
Under the ingredients there’s a link to change measurements to metric. 🙂
Absolutely AMAZING in appearance, taste, and ease of preparation. Ingredients reminded me of bolle, a Norwegian pastry that our son-in-law enjoys when I make it at Christmas. It’s my way of celebrating and including his culture within our familia Latina. But the bolles are a bit tedious to put together (extremely sticky dough which is what makes for the oh-so-airy “donuts” that bake like balls (hence the name “bolle” in Norwegian). And so much more time consuming. These were a great recipe to play with on this snowy day. Our kitchen smells incredible. I could not roll out to the dimensions you indicated but close enough, and they did not stick to the plastic mat that I use for rolling doughs. I got 36 nice sized pastries. I did not use all butter (half Smart Balance), and decreased the sugar in dough to just under the half cup plus 4 packets of Truvia (I try to cut down for my husband’s sake so he can still enjoy goodies despite his in-check diabetes). Sprinkled lightly with the turbinado sugar. Used some Truvia in the sweet filling along with less of the sugar (I only use organic cane sugar which is just a little coarser than white sugar).
I am so happy to have by chance come across your recipe and your site. I am definitely hooked!
¡MuchÃsimas gracias!
Thank you, Iris! So glad you liked these!
These are the best rolls I have ever made! My mom was a fantastic baker, and one of her specialites was cardamom bread. I inherited the recipe, and have made it often, but it makes 6 loaves of bread! I am happy to give it away (and keep a few in the freezer!) but I like the recipe better. The dough is a dream to work with, and I love the cute shape of the rolls! I did cut back on the yeast because I used rapid rise (that was all I had at home) but they still turned out great. Am boxing these up for Christmas gifts for all my relative who remember my mom’s wonderful cardamom bread. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, so glad you liked them!
Hi can plz send me the cardmom bread receipe.
Thank you
Being the daughter of a Finn, I decided it was time to buck up and learn to make pulla—the complication is that I’m vegan! So, I made this recipe with two flax eggs (1tbsp ground flax + 4 tbsp water per egg) instead of eggs, unsweetened soy milk, and Earth Balance baking sticks in lieu of butter. Also, I just made bun shaped pulla, as that’s how my Mummu makes them. Sprinkled some raesokeri on top, and they were lovely! Just like I remember from my childhood. The only other difference is that I only had to bake mine for about 12-15 minutes.