It’s to be very cold here in the Northeast this weekend, starting like now-ish. Considerably below zero, with considerable wind and thus, bitter windchill. The weather people are advising not to hang out outside too long, and that translates to “stay in and bake” in my world, which is what I am firmly intending to do, starting with these Sudeg Kardemommesnurrer (Swedish Sourdough Cardamom Swirls): a sweet, brioche-style dough, filled with a brown sugar – cardamom filling, babka’ed by slicing open length-wise and then twisting, then swirling upon itself. Definitely smells amazing in my flat so while these cool for a few minutes, I will revel in that.
for the dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup (113 grams) ripe sourdough starter
1 cup milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
for the filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cardamom
for the glaze/topping
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coarse granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
(optional) 1/4 cup pearl sugar
Note: the buter filling is very runny so I would highly advise using a rimmed baking sheet, lest you have a smokey buttery-sugary mess in your oven. Trust me on this one.
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle. Heat milk and butter, combine with your sourdough starter, and pour into the well. Add egg and mix until fully combined. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
In the meantime, make the filling. In the work bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment this time, combine butter, dark brown sugar, and ground cardamom. Mix together on medium-low until creamy and smooth. Once the dough has completed its first rise, you are ready to form the rolls. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats and set aside.
Cut your dough into 10 roughly equal-sized pieces. Roll to 6 x 12-inch rectangles, spread with filling and roll into a small snakes, along the longer edge. Leaving the very top inch connected, cut lengthwise though the snake and turn the filling side upward; twist together and then roll into a swirl shape. Here is a great video on how to do this.
Place swirls on your prepared baking sheets, leaving enough room for dough to rise and spread during proofing and baking, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about another 30-45 minutes. While proofing, preheat oven to 425F.
Finally, while swirls are proofing, heat water, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan on high until sugar has dissolved completely. Set syrup aside. Combine ground cardamom and coarse granulated sugar in a small bowl.
Bake proofed swirls for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Take out of the oven to a cooling rack and immediately brush tops with syrup and sprinkle with cardamom-sugar and pearl sugar (optional). Ready to eat!
