If cardamom buns and sweet rolls had a baby, this is it. These blackberry sweet rolls feature blackberry preserves topped with a sweet citrusy glaze. Perfect for brunch or any time.
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You'll love this cardamom + blackberry sweet rolls recipe because it's...
- easy
- fruity
- sweet
- rich
- bright
Let's talk yeast.
I am an avid bread-maker, but typically use active yeast over instant or quick-rise because I can usually find large jars of active yeast at my local grocer. However, the yeast in my pantry was dead and my market was out of the yeast I normally order.
For this recipe, I used a product from Red Star called Platinum yeast, which is an instant yeast with dough improvers that's supposed to increase consistency and provide more tolerance to kneading, among other things. As a whole, it produces breads that are light, airy, and voluminous.
It was my first time using this product and I did notice a textural difference in my dough. It was much 'doughier,' soft and fluffy. You can read more information about the Platinum yeast, here.
Quick-rise yeast can replace this recipe as is. Just make sure to check the brand's recommended temperature for proofing the yeast since it may vary slightly.
On the other hand, if using active yeast, there are directions on how to use active yeast in the notes section of the recipe card, which is located at the bottom of this page.
Making the dough.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, pour in 1 ½ cups of flour, ground cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and yeast.
Next, in a small sauce pan, gently heat milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract over low heat until the mixture reaches between 120 F - 130 F.* Use an instant read thermometer. Note: butter may not be completely melted. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients.
Then, fit the stand mixer with a dough hook, start mixing the wet and dry ingredients on low. Slowly pour in the eggs and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Afterward, add the first two cups of all-purpose flour. Mix the dough together until the flour is almost completely incorporated-- scrapping the sides as you go.
Slowly add more flour, a ¼ cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides and forms into a smooth ball (I used about 4 ½ cups total). At this point, the dough will be slightly sticky to the touch, but easy to handle.
First rise + roll out.
Remove the dough ball and grease the inside of the bowl with the olive oil. Use a good quality olive oil, here-- an olive oil with fruity notes, like an Arbequina, will play off the other flavors in these buns.
Let the dough ball rest, covered, for about 1 hour, or until it's doubled in size. The timing will depend on how warm the air is.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead into a ball. Next, use a rolling pin to form a large rectangle-- about 16 x 19. Spread the blackberry jam over the dough, dotting spoonfuls of jam across the surface to help you spread an even layer.
Make the sweet rolls.
Tightly roll the dough into a long cylinder. With the seam side down, cut the log into even circles. I used a knife, but wrapping plain dental floss around the sweet rolls to slice into circles may be easier for some.
Or knot the blackberry sweet rolls.
Alternatively, you can knot the blackberry sweet rolls like traditional cardamom buns, but be warned, this method is much messier!
Knotting technique: fold the dough.
After the blackberry jam has been spread across the dough, fold the outer thirds of the rectangle inward, overlapping slightly in the middle-- as if you were folding a letter.
Use your rolling pin to gently release any air pockets and shape the dough back into a rectangle, if needed. With a pizza cutter, slice the dough into even strips-- about 2.5 inches wide.
Knotting technique: twist and form.
Gently twist and stretch one of the strips as long as you can make it without breaking it in half. Then cross one end over the other, making an X. After, take one of the ends and loop it underneath, bringing it back up through the hole.
Tie the strip of dough into a loose knot as if you were tying a shoe lace. Afterward, tuck the ends underneath to hide the ends. Repeat with the rest. Top the rolls with additional preserves where necessary. Continue with second rise and bake.
Second rise + Bake.
Arrange the blackberry sweet rolls in a greased 9x13 pan or larger. Don't cram the pan-- leave a little space between each roll because they will expand. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the sweet rolls are golden.
Citrus glaze.
In a small bowl, mix together zest and water. Mix in powdered sugar ⅓ of a cup at a time-- whisking until smooth.
Continue adding powdered sugar until desired consistency has been reached. If your powdered sugar is really clumpy, sift before using.
I've tried this a couple different ways: orange juice and lemon juice. Neither worked. The flavors were too strong.
Adding just the zest gives you a hint of citrus without consuming the whole dish. I think lime zest would also be really good, but I haven't tried that personally.
Grab the full recipe for these cardamom + blackberry sweet rolls in the recipe card below.
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blackberry cardamom buns
If cardamom buns and sweet rolls had a baby this is it. These sweet rolls feature blackberry preserves topped with a sweet citrusy glaze. Perfect for brunch or any time.
Ingredients
blackberry cardamom buns
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) Red Star Platinum Yeast *see notes
- 4 ¼ - 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 whole egg + 1 yolk, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup blackberry jam
citrus glaze
- 1 - 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
- zest of 1 lemon or orange.
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
cardamom buns dough
- Dry ingredients: In the bowl of your stand mixer, pour in 1 ½ cups of flour, ground cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and yeast.
- Wet ingredients: In a small sauce pan, gently heat milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract over low heat until the mixture reaches between 120 F - 130 F.* Use an instant read thermometer. Note: butter may not be completely melted. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dough. In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, start mixing the wet and dry ingredients on low. Slowly pour in the eggs and mix until moistened. Next, add the first 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix the dough together until the flour is almost completely incorporated-- scrapping the sides as you go. Slowly add more flour, a ¼ cup at a time, until the dough forms into a smooth ball (I used about 4 ½ cups total) At this point, the dough will be slightly sticky to the touch, but easy to handle.
- First rest: Remove the dough ball and grease the inside of the bowl with the olive oil.. Use a good quality olive oil, here-- an olive oil with fruity notes, like an Arbequina, will play off the other flavors in these buns. Let the dough ball rest, covered, for about 1 hour, or until it's doubled in size. The timing will depend on how warm the air is.
- Roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead into a ball. Next, use a rolling pin to form a large rectangle. Spread the blackberry jam over the dough, dotting spoonfuls of jam across the surface to help you spread an even layer.
- Make the sweet rolls: Tightly roll the dough into a long cylinder. With the seam side down, cut the log into even circles. I used a knife, but wrapping plain dental floss around the sweet rolls to slice into circles may be easier for some.
- Second rise + Bake: Arrange the rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. Don't cram the pan-- leave a little space between each roll because they will expand. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the sweet rolls are lightly golden.
- Citrus Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together zest and water. Mix in powdered sugar ⅓ of a cup at a time-- whisking until smooth. Continue adding powdered sugar until desired consistency has been reached. If your powdered sugar is really clumpy, sift before using.
Notes
Yeast
Instant (quick rise) yeast can be used in place of platinum yeast. Heat wet ingredients to recommended temperature according to brand package. Otherwise, you can follow the recipe as is-- rise time will be shorter.
Active dry yeast:
To use active dry yeast, pour yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer. Heat wet ingredients, milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla, to 110 degrees F-- like the temperature of bath water (use an instant read thermometer).
Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast over the wet ingredients. Stir slightly and let the yeast proof for 10 minutes. When it's ready, the yeast mixture will be bubbly with a strong yeast smell.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the first 3 ½ cups of flour plus cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Add proofed yeast and mix on low. Slowly incorporate the eggs and continue with directions above: add remaining flour, rise, and bake.
Knotting: (Warning! While this makes the rolls look really pretty, it is very messy.)
Fold the dough. After the blackberry jam has been spread across the dough, fold the outer thirds of the rectangle inward, overlapping slightly in the middle-- as if you were folding a letter. Use your rolling pin to gently release any air pockets and shape the dough back into a rectangle, if needed. With a pizza cutter, slice the dough into even strips-- about 2.5 inches wide.
Twist and form. Gently twist and stretch one of the strips, then take one of the ends and loop it over the other, tying the strip of dough into a loose knot. Afterward, tuck the ends underneath. Repeat with the rest. Continue with second rise and bake.
Recipes adapted from Gimme Some Oven and Red Star Yeast
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 983Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 198gFiber: 7gSugar: 24gProtein: 25g
Nutrition facts are for personal reference only as calories may vary on a case by case basis.
