Cardamom Spiral Morning Buns
A Scandinavian morning ritual
Jeremy Fall is an innovative chef and restaurateur who has founded multiple acclaimed restaurants across Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York including Nighthawk: Breakfast Bar and Mixtape. His culinary style blends his Tunisian, French, Caribbean, and Jewish heritage into unique dining experiences.
Jeremy Fall•
December 31, 2024
Every chef has that one recipe that keeps them up at night, and for me, it's pastries that spiral. The way the butter layers create a mesmerizing pattern, how the spices bloom in the early morning kitchen - it's like edible art. Growing up around my mom's café, I learned that the best breakfast pastries tell a story through their layers. These cardamom buns are my tribute to that tradition, where each coil reveals a secret between butter and spice. Don't rush the proofing - that's when the magic happens.
Ingredients (8)
Ingredients (8)
To finish
Instructions
Make the dough
Follow the directions for Danish Dough, up to and including fold no. 3. The dough should be chilled and ready to use.
Make the filling
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter (⅓ cup), sugar (½ cup), salt (1 pinch), and cardamom (2 tsp) on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is well incorporated; it should be smooth and creamy. Set the filling aside at room temperature to keep it soft and spreadable.
The goal is simply to combine the ingredients, not to cream them or incorporate air
Generously butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Be thorough and apply the butter onto the surface of the tin as well as inside the cups so that the dough won’t stick to the surface when it puffs during proofing or baking.
Cover the muffin tin with a kitchen towel and set them in a warm and draft-free area until they are noticeably puffier, slightly dry looking, and the impression of a fingerprint is slow to fill in, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
When the buns are sufficiently proofed, preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Place the muffin tin on a larger baking tray before baking. This is important as butter will ooze over the sides of the pan while the morning buns bake, and you want to catch it before it drips onto the bottom of the oven, where it will scorch and smoke.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry looks dark golden brown. Let the buns cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then tip the muffin tin onto its side and use an offset spatula to gently pry each bun loose, being careful not to let them uncoil.
