Sourdough Cardamom Knots: A Recipe from the Farm
Last Updated on March 27, 2024 by TheFarmChicken
Pretty little dough knots filled with spice and butter, baked, and then covered in a sweet brown sugar and vanilla glaze. Sourdough Cardamom Knots: A Recipe from the Farm really are worth the work. And to be honest are less work than they look like which is fun. I love the hands-on work of shaping these little knots. Don’t let the smell of cardamom scare you, balanced with the sweetness and butter the cardamom is a fun and delicious addition to these lovely sourdough knots.
It seems as if there are different things you can call these…when I was trying to decide if I thought of them more like a bun or a knot do you know what helped me decide? Say Cardamom Bun 5 times fast. No really stop reading right now and try. I bet by the end you were saying Cardabum! Ha Therefore let’s make what I like to call Sourdough Cardamom Knots…so much easier on the tongue.
Also included with this recipe is a cinnamon sugar version which is good as well and works perfect if you don’t have cardamom!
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A little history behind the Cardamom Knot or Cardamom Bun:
Cardamom buns are a popular Swedish food. They are called Kardemummabullar in Swedish and the original origin is unclear as to how they became a popular food in Sweden. Usually enjoyed alongside tea or coffee cardamum buns are fragrant and delicious with their unique flavor.
Cardamom Spice:
This unique spice comes from the ginger family and has spicy and sweet notes. Often this spice is used as a sweet or savory companion to foods. It is also used in different forms such as fresh or ground. In this recipe we will be using Cardamom as a dried and ground spice. You should be able to find it at your grocery store.
Do you need a sourdough starter?
Maybe you just happened upon this recipe and now you are feeling like you need a sourdough starter. Agnes would love to help! (Agnes is my sourdough starter.) Find the step-by-step instructions and tips all in one spot: Learning Sourdough with Agnes.
The Sourdough Cardamom Knot Ingredients:
Bread Flour
Using the bread flour with help in the gluten development in the knots. A high-quality all-purpose flour may also work.
Active Sourdough Starter
You want to use an active sourdough starter that has at least doubled and is active and bubbly.
Water
Any distilled water or filtered water should work great. You want to be sure to stay away from any water with chlorine in it. This can kill your starter.
Whole Milk
Whole milk is what I use in this recipe, but I think you could also use a 2% milk too.
Brown Sugar
Used in all three components the brown sugar is used as the main sweetener in this recipe. The amount of sugar is less in the dough so that it doesn’t get too sweet with the delicious Brown Sugar Vanilla Glaze.
Butter
The butter is used in two places. This recipe is an enriched dough, so the butter is in the dough and the filling.
Cardamom
We talked about this a little bit above, but cardamom has such a distinct smell it’s hard to describe. Baked with the butter and sugar it’s such a treat. I have seen it used in savory dishes too!
Egg
Another component of the enriched dough; an egg!
Vanilla Extract
Used in the Brown Sugar Vanilla Glaze the pure vanilla extract is the perfect note of flavor to round out these delicious sourdough baked goods!
Sea Salt
I like using sea salt in this recipe. Because the butter is salted, I just use a little salt in the filling.
Pearl Sugar
Traditionally, Pearl Sugar is sprinkled on top of Swedish Cardamom Buns or Knots. If you want this, I have it linked below under Shop this Post. It gives the Cardamom Bun that signature look.
Shaping the knots: (The fun part.)
Here is a helpful video to show you how to shape the cardamom knots. This process is also explained int the actual recipe too!
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Knots:
Follow the recipe the same except replace the ½ tsp of cardamom in the dough with ½ tsp cinnamon. Also, in the filling replace the 1 tsp of ground cardamom with cinnamon. Then instead of the glaze, before baking the knots sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Now you have Cinnamon Sugar Knots, like Swedish cinnamon buns, which are different than Cardamom buns but just as good!
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Sourdough Cardamom Knots: A Recipe from the Farm
The Dough:
- 100 g sourdough starter, active
- 75 g water, distilled or filtered
- 50 g whole milk or 2%
- 40 g brown sugar
- 325 g bread flour or all purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 45 g butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
The Filling:
- 5 T butter, softened
- 1 tsp cardamom, ground
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp sea salt, fine
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg, beaten
Optional Brown Sugar Vanilla Glaze:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 T water
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions to Make Sourdough Cardamom Knots:
- First, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out and mix together the sourdough starter, water, milk, and brown sugar. Mix until a slurry is formed.
- Next, add the flour, ground cardamom, butter, and egg. Mix this by hand, Danish dough hook, or the dough hook attachment until the dough is just coming together and is shaggy.
- Let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes covered with a tea towel. Once the 30-minute rest is complete take and knead either by hand or with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes. Make sure to scrap the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough will be a little sticky…don’t add any extra flour.
- After the kneading, let the dough rest, in the bowl (Transfer to a different bowl if you used a stainless-steel bowl to mix.), on the counter covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour. Once the hour is up transfer to the fridge for the bulk fermentation for 12-18 hours.
- The next day once the bulk ferment is complete you will take your dough out of the fridge and transfer it to a clean work surface. You can do this on a lightly floured surface if needed but I usually do not use any flour.
- Taking a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 18” x 22”. Making sure to lift up the dough, periodically to keep it from sticking to the counter. This is a slightly sticky dough but still easy enough to manage.
- Once it is the correct size take the filling ingredients and in a small bowl mix them together until well incorporated.
- Spread this mixture onto the dough covering everything but the very edges. Next, take the long side and fold in the dough to a third of the way. Repeat on the other side. See picture.
Shaping the Cardamom Knots:
- Next, we will go over how to successfully shape the cardamom knots. You can also watch the YouTube video I have to help with this step.
- First take a sharp knife, pizza cutter or bench scraper and cut the dough into 1-inch strips.
- Once the strips have been cut take one strip and hold the one end with one hand and roll/twist the dough to make a rope about 12 inches long.
- When you have twisted it fairly tight holding on to both ends wrap the strip around your three fingers (index, middle, and ring fingers) two times. Take the one end and tuck it into the bottom of the cardamom knot.
- Place the shaped knots onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining strips. Let rest, covered with a damp towel, in a warm place for 2-3 hours until risen and puffy.
Baking the Cardamom Knots:
After the knots have risen for a couple hours, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take the egg for the egg wash and beat it, then using a brush, apply the egg wash onto the knots.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. While the knots are baking mix up the ingredients in a small saucepan for the glaze, if desired, and heat over low to medium heat until dissolved and bring to a simmer.
When the knots are done remove them from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Using a pastry brush, brush the brown sugar glaze on the knots. If you like a little sweeter cardamom knot once they cool a little brush with another layer of glaze. I prefer the two coats of glaze for a beautiful end result.
One of the best ways to eat these is with a cup of coffee or tea. Perfect for a Sunday Brunch or a holiday celebration!
Sourdough Cardamom Knots: A Recipe from the Farm
Ingredients
The Dough Ingredients:
- 100 g sourdough starter active
- 75 g water distilled or filtered
- 50 g whole milk or 2%
- 40 g brown sugar
- 325 g bread flour or all purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 45 g butter room temperature
- 1 large egg
The Filling Ingredients:
- 5 T butter softened
- 1 tsp cardamom ground
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp sea salt fine
- Egg Wash:
- 1 egg beaten
Optional Glaze Ingredients:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 T water
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions to Make Sourdough Cardamom Knots:
- First, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, measure out and mix together the sourdough starter, water, milk, and brown sugar. Mix until a slurry is formed.
- Next, add the flour, ground cardamom, butter, and egg. Mix this by hand, Danish dough hook, or the dough hook attachment until the dough is just coming together and is shaggy.
- Let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes covered with a tea towel. Once the 30-minute rest is complete take and knead either by hand or with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes. Make sure to scrap the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough will be a little sticky…don’t add any extra flour.
- After the kneading, let the dough rest, in the bowl (Transfer to a different bowl if you used a stainless-steel bowl to mix.), on the counter covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour. Once the hour is up transfer to the fridge for the bulk fermentation for 12-18 hours.
- The next day once the bulk ferment is complete you will take your dough out of the fridge and transfer it to a clean work surface. You can do this on a lightly floured surface if needed but I usually do not use any flour.
- Taking a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 18” x 22". Making sure to lift up the dough periodically to keep it from sticking to the counter. This is a slightly sticky dough but still easy enough to manage.
- Once it is the correct size take the filling ingredients and in a small bowl mix them together until well incorporated.
- Spread this mixture onto the dough covering everything but the very edges. Next, take the long side and fold in the dough to a third of the way. Repeat on the other side. See picture.
Shaping the Cardamom Knots:
- Next, we will go over how to successfully shape the cardamom knots. You can also watch the YouTube video I have to help with this step.
- First take a sharp knife, pizza cutter or bench scraper and cut the dough into 1-inch strips.
- Once the strips have been cut take one strip and hold the one end with one hand and roll/twist the dough to make a rope about 12 inches long.
- When you have twisted it fairly tight holding on to both ends wrap the strip around your three fingers (index, middle, and ring fingers) two times. Take the one end and tuck it into the bottom of the cardamom knot.
- Place the shaped knots onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining strips. Let rest, covered with a damp towel, in a warm place for 2-3 hours until risen and puffy.
Baking the Cardamom Knots:
- After the knots have risen for a couple hours, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take the egg for the egg wash and beat it then using a brush, apply the egg wash onto the knots.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. While the knots are baking mix up the ingredients in a small saucepan for the glaze, if desired, and heat over low to medium heat until dissolved and bring to a simmer.
- When the knots are done remove them from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Using a pastry brush, brush the brown sugar glaze on the knots. If you like a little sweeter cardamom knot once they cool a little brush with another layer of glaze. I prefer the two coats of glaze for a beautiful end result.
- One of the best ways to eat these is with a cup of coffee or tea. Perfect for a Sunday Brunch or a holiday celebration!
I hope you love making these Sourdough Cardamom Knots: A Recipe from the Farm. Such a fun pastry to make. Perfect as a morning or late afternoon treat with coffee or tea. And don’t let the shaping intimidate you, it is actually easier than it looks. Let me know if you have any questions or comments on the recipe below. Thanks for stopping by TheFarmChicken!
Sincerely,
Mariah N. | TheFarmChicken
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More Sourdough Roll recipes to try:
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Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Moist Sourdough Chocolate Cake: A Recipe from the Farm
Sourdough Kuchen Recipe: A German Cake
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