Chocolate kardemummabullar, Signature

Henry Bird’s Chocolate Kardemummabullar

The handshake card

• Baker: Henry Bird
• UK series: Series 10 (2019)
• Week/theme: Week 7, Festival
• Challenge: Signature
• Handshake fact: Henry received a Hollywood handshake for his chocolate kardemummabullar.
• Yield: 12 buns
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Official timing: 3 hours hands-on, plus rising and proving; 15 minutes baking
• Source: Henry’s Chocolate Kardemummabullar, The Great British Bake Off
• Evidence: Master index entry #34; research sources [S1], [S2], [S3].

Why it earned the handshake

Kardemummabullar are Swedish cardamom buns made for fika, and Henry’s version puts two fillings into one folded dough: cardamom-almond paste on one side and chocolate crème pâtissière on the other. Twisting each cut strip in opposite directions creates the distinctive knotted shape; maple, honey, vanilla, cardamom, and pearl sugar finish the buns.

Ingredients

Dough

• 35g unsalted butter, softened
• 35g extra-virgin olive oil
• 425g strong white bread flour
• 5g salt
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 45g runny honey
• 10g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 egg
• 187g whole milk

Cardamom filling

• 25g ground almonds
• 35g unsalted butter, softened
• 25g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom

Chocolate crème pâtissière

• 2 egg yolks
• 25g caster sugar
• 15g plain flour
• 5g cornflour
• ½ tsp vanilla paste
• 100g full-fat milk
• 35g 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Syrup and finish

• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• ½ tsp vanilla paste
• 2 whole cardamom pods
• 50g pearl sugar crystals

You will also need a piping bag and a 12-hole muffin tin.

Method

1. Put all the dough ingredients except the milk into a stand mixer. Warm the milk to blood temperature, add it, and knead for 5 minutes until soft and elastic. Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled.
2. Beat the ground almonds, butter, muscovado sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom into a smooth cardamom filling.
3. For the chocolate crème pâtissière, beat the yolks and sugar until pale, then beat in the flour and cornflour. Warm the vanilla and milk until simmering, gradually stir it into the egg mixture, and return it to the pan. Cook over low heat for about 4 minutes, until very thick. Stir in the chocolate until smooth and set aside.
4. Roll the risen dough into a 36 x 30cm rectangle. Spread cardamom filling over one half and chocolate filling over the other. Fold the halves together and pinch the edges to seal.
5. Roll the dough lightly again and cut it into 12 strips about 2.5cm wide. Cut down the length of each strip, stopping 3cm before the end. Twist the two legs in opposite directions, wind them over the uncut section, and place each bun in a muffin-tin hole. Cover and prove for 30–45 minutes, until doubled.
6. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Bake for 15 minutes, until risen and golden.
7. Simmer the maple syrup, honey, vanilla, and cardamom pods for 2–3 minutes, until syrupy. Brush over the hot buns, sprinkle with pearl sugar, and cool on a wire rack.

Baker’s tips

• Let the dough double before shaping; a tight dough makes the twisted legs fight back.
• Keep the two fillings on their own halves so the finished twist shows both flavours.
• Stop each cut before the end of the strip so the bun has a stable centre to wind around.
• Brush the syrup on while the buns are warm, then add pearl sugar before it sets.

Make-ahead

The buns are best on the day they are baked. The fillings can be prepared ahead and chilled, then brought to a spreadable consistency before shaping.