Brown-Butter Cardamom Skillingsboller with Overnight Rise
Freshly toasted cardamom in a slow, overnight-proved dough, a nutty brown-butter filling and a bakery-style shiny sugar-syrup glaze.
Method
Split the cardamom pods and collect only the black seeds. Toast them in a dry pan over low heat for , shaking, until fragrant, then tip them out and grind finely in a mortar or crush under a rolling pin. The scent is many times stronger than ready-ground.
Add in this stepCardamom seeds (from whole pods) 1½ tsp
low heatWarm the milk in a 16 cm saucepan over low heat for to about 35 °C, lukewarm, then take it off the heat and whisk in the yolk(s).
Add in this stepMilk 140 mlEgg yolk(s) 1
low heatIn a bowl mix the flour, dough sugar, yeast, salt and ground cardamom, add the milk mixture and knead with a stand mixer (or by hand) for . Once it forms a ball, add the soft butter a little at a time and knead for more until smooth and elastic. It is ready when a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing.
Add in this stepStrong bread flour 250 gSugar (for the dough) 30 gInstant dry yeast 3 gSalt ½ tspButter (for the dough, room temperature) 50 g
Round the dough, put it in an oiled container with a lid and leave it at room temperature for , then refrigerate for (overnight). The slow, cold rise deepens the flavour, and cold dough is much easier to roll.
Melt the filling butter in a 16 cm pan over medium heat, stirring, for . When the foam subsides, brown specks appear on the bottom and it smells nutty, pour it straight into a bowl so it doesn't burn. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and chill for 10 minutes until it is a spreadable paste.
Add in this stepButter (for browning) 50 gLight brown sugar 50 gGround cinnamon 2 tspFlaky salt 1 pinch
medium heatRoll the cold dough on a floured counter into a 30×20 cm rectangle 5 mm thick and spread the filling evenly. Roll up tightly from a long side, chill for 15 minutes to firm up, then cut 3–4 cm slices and set them in a paper-lined tin so they just touch. Cover and leave somewhere warm for , until a gentle press with a finger springs back slowly.
Preheat the oven to 210 °C. Beat the egg, brush it thinly over the buns and bake on the middle shelf for , until deep golden brown.
Add in this stepEgg (for brushing) 1
ovenWhile they bake, put the syrup sugar and water in a small pan over medium heat and boil for until the sugar has fully dissolved. Brush the hot syrup over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven for a glossy finish, and let them cool for 15 minutes.
Add in this stepSugar (for the syrup) 25 gWater (for the syrup) 25 ml
medium heat
Cook's tip
Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt in seconds; a light-coloured pan makes the change easy to see. To bake first thing in the morning, stop after step 6 before the final rise, chill the tin overnight and give it 1 hour at room temperature before baking.
Cooking it at camp
Make the dough and filling at home: the cooler does the cold rise for you. At camp, roll and cut, let them rise in a warm car or in the sun, bake in a cast-iron pot with coals above and below for 15–20 minutes, and boil the syrup on the burner.