Cardamom Rolls (Kardemumma Bullar)

It was a cold, wet, and windy day today in New England. It was not a day for being outside, not even on the roads. So when trying to figure out how I was going to keep my outdoor-loving, active toddler busy all day long, I decided it might be time to introduce him to baking. What better activity to warm up with on a blustery November day? And surely there was a chance he might enjoy kneading some dough.

First on the list of baking projects was "bullar," a type of sweet roll commonly eaten in Sweden. It is fair to say that my son Elliott loves bullar. They are a treat typically reserved for visits to or from mormor (my mom), since otherwise I would have a hard time getting him to eat anything else. But today called for special measures.

As it turned out, Elliott was much more interested in eating the bullar than helping me make them. I guess he is still a little too young to knead dough, though he did enjoy sprinkling cardamom all over the kitchen! And he definitely enjoyed the final product.

The following recipe is adapted from a wonderful children's cookbook, called, coincidently, "Elliot's Extraordinary Cookbook."

Makes about 32 rolls

Dough:
1 cup of butter (1 stick)
2 cups low-fat milk
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon + 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
5 1/2 to 6 cups + 1/2 cup flour
Muffin papers

Filling:
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom (or substitute cinnamon)
1 egg, beaten
Pearl sugar (optional)
Slivered almonds (optional)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and continue heating another minute or so, until warm (but not hot).
2. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
3. Pour the milk-butter mixture into a warmed mixing bowl and then add the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup sugar and the cardamom and mix. Premeasure the flour, and then, with the mixer running on low speed, add to flour 1/2 cup at a time. Continue to add flour until the dough forms a ball and separates from the work bowl and is smooth and slightly sticky to touch.
4. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts. (Or place the bowl on rack over a pot with very hot water.) Let rise for 40 minutes, until doubled in size.
5. Meanwhile, leave the butter for the filling out to soften and combine the sugar and cardamom in a small bowl. Distribute about 32 muffin papers onto 2 baking sheets.
5. Spread flour out over a baking table. Transfer dough to the table and knead for a minute or two. Divide into 2 pieces. Use a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll each piece into a rectangular shape (about 9 x 14 inches).
6. Use a spatula to spread butter out over the dough. Then sprinkle with the cardamom-sugar mixture. Roll the dough, starting at one of the long ends, and then slice each roll into about 16 pieces. Place in the muffin papers, cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
8. Brush tops of rolls lightly with the beaten egg mixture. If desired, sprinkle with pearl sugar or slivered almonds.
9. Bake in the center of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. (Keep a close eye on the rolls while baking as it may take slightly less or longer.)