Semlor (Cardamom Cream Buns)
Published Feb. 15, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus rising
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 7tablespoons/100 grams unsalted butter
- 5tablespoons/60 grams granulated cane sugar
- 14grams active dry yeast
- 1¼teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1⅓cups plus 1 tablespoon/333 milliliters whole milk
- 4½cups/535 grams bread flour (preferably King Arthur)
- ¾teaspoon fine salt
- 1(7-ounce/198-gram) package Odense almond paste
- 2cups/480 milliliters heavy whipping cream, plus 3 tablespoons (or more as needed)
- ½cup/62 grams confectioners’ sugar, plus more for garnish
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Dough
For the Filling
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
630 calories; 36 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 224 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the dough: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Weigh the cane sugar and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer; add the cardamom.
- Step 2
Once the butter has melted, add the milk to the saucepan and allow it to warm up just slightly. The Swedes call this fingervarm, just above body temp. Add the milk-butter mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and allow to sit for a couple of minutes, stirring once to combine.
- Step 3
Once the yeast starts to dissolve and activate (you’ll see foam starting to appear on the surface), add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed with a dough hook until combined, then increase the mixing speed to medium and allow to mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Step 4
Remove the dough from the mixer and knead into one large ball and allow to rest in a large bowl, covered with plastic wrap, until roughly doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Step 5
Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to portion the dough into individual buns, each weighing 100 grams. If there is any dough left over, divide it into pieces and add to the rest.
- Step 6
To shape, flatten a portion of dough and fold the edges in toward the center to create surface tension in the dough, flip over so the seam you have created is facing down and roll clockwise with a cupped palm to form a tight ball. Repeat with each piece. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets with about 3 inches of space between each bun. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Step 7
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans and switching their position halfway through baking. The buns should be golden and have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom when done. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit until cool enough to handle.
- Step 8
While buns are baking, prepare the filling: Add the almond paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add about 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until it has a spreadable consistency (you may need more cream); transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Step 9
Once the filling is made, using a clean mixing bowl and the whisk attachment, combine the rest of the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and whip the cream to stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Step 10
To assemble the buns, begin by cutting the top third of the buns off horizontally and save the tops. Using your fingers, hollow out a small portion of the center of the buns and fill with about a tablespoon of the almond filling. Using an offset spatula, spread the paste to reach the edges of the cut portion of the bun.
- Step 11
Use the piping bag to pipe the whipped cream into a swirl on top of the almond filling. (Don’t be afraid to go high!)
- Step 12
After the semlor are all filled, cut the reserved tops into triangle shapes and place them on top of the whipped cream. Sprinkle the semlor with confectioners’ sugar to serve.
Private Notes
Comments
I’m a Swedish person living in Sweden and this sounds yummy enough, although it’s slightly adapted to the American audience. We never use vanilla extract in the filling and, as suggested in the introduction text, we don’t use ground cardamom but whole cardamom seeds that we grind coarsely in a pestle and mortar. That gives a much richer cardamom flavor.
Living in a New York City apartment makes it hard to own a stand mixer as most of our kitchens are tiny. Please ask ALL recipe authors to remember that some of us would still be mixing by hand or with a small hand electric beater. Just as you now do metric measures for those outside the USA, please remember those of us who work by hand.
A note regarding cardamom: I keep whole cardamom seeds in a old salt grinder--it came filled with sea salt, but I repurposed it once empty--and freshly ground is far superior to pre-ground! And the salt grinder is easier and gives a better grind than my mortar and pestle.
I found this to be very bready. I have a similar recipe from a Swedish friend that makes a ring, and the bread has the addition of an egg to make it a little lighter. Asking the Swedes out there, is this supposed to be bready like a roll, or a little lighter like babka?
What could you use as a substitute for the almond paste if you don't care for almond paste?
Follow-up: we had KA bread flour in stock locally & made these as written- amazing! I’ve never had anything quite like it and loved it! I ground cardamom seed and made my own almond paste (sooo easy!) because none of the stores had almond paste. So glad they didn’t because I had everything on hand to make the almond paste and use up some things that have been in the fridge for a hot minute. Perfect recipe for a day with no work!