Cardamom Brioche Twists

The aroma alone is worth the work to make these, but the taste is ah-mazing! When I met my husband, his Finnish grandmother, Aune, taught me how to make pulla, a braided loaf of sweet bread flavoured with ground cardamom.  It became a staple holiday favourite at Christmas and Easter, and while the smell and taste of homemade bread evokes a sense of comfort, this bread brings with it the sense of family and celebration. 

About a year ago, I had a cardamom twist (I don't even remember where) and wanted to duplicate the deliciousness, so I started playing around with Aune's pulla recipe and... well... putting a twist on things. These little bundles of sugar and buttery deliciousness will quickly become addictive and would be a great festive addition to Easter weekend quarantine baking.  If you don't have cardamom on hand, use brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.

I hate having to scroll through pictures on a food blog to get to the recipe, so I've put them all, and special "how to" instructions after.  Enjoy!!

Jean E's Cardamom Brioche Twists

Dough
½ cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 scant tbsp yeast (or 1 pkg)
1 cup warm milk
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
2 cups flour + 2 ½  more cups flour (approximately)
6 tbsp butter – cool, but not cold

​​Filling
½ c sugar
¼ c butter, softened
2 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
Topping
1 shot of espresso (or strong coffee)
sugar to sprinkle.

Prep time - 25 minutes
Rising time - 1.5 hours
Twisting time - 1/2 hour
Resting time - 1/2 hour
Baking time - 15 minutes
Oven - 350 degrees

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1. Mix first three ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer, if using, or a large bowl and let rest for a few minutes to activate yeast. This is called “proofing” the yeast.  You can use either traditional or instant yeast for this recipe. When it’s bubbly, you’re good to go.
2. Add the next 7 ingredients (milk to flour) and mix together using the dough hook for about five minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. Slowly add 1 1/2 to 2 cups more flour. This can be more or less depending on how settled your flour is, how big your eggs are, etc. Watch the texture of the dough and go slowly towards the end of adding.  Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl but not be dry.  If you accidentally add too much flour, don't add water, add some of the butter (see below). Knead for 12-15 minutes by hand or 8 minutes on "mix" in stand mixer.
4. Cut butter into chunks and add to dough, kneading until incorporated. You will need to add a bit more flour here. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
5. Cover, put in a warm place and let rise until double in size. (If I have time, I do two risings.)
6. While it rises, prepare the filling by creaming together the sugar, butter and cardamom.
7. When dough has doubled, punch down and shape into a ball on a floured surface. Roll into a rectangle approximately 14x18 inches. Spread the filling on half of the dough (lengthwise), then fold dough over (so it’s now 7 x 18). Roll it a bit with a rolling pin so that it squishes together. 
8. Cut a 3/4 to 1 inch strip of dough, then cut that strip in half, but not all the way through the folded edge. I use a pizza cutter to do this. Twist the two pieces around each other, then shape into a coil, tucking the ends under and pinching them to the bottom. Place them on a parchment lined cooked sheet.  Repeat until the dough is all gone (makes 18-24 buns depending on the size you cut).
9. Let the buns rest for 20 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees. If your house is cool, let rise a bit longer. They should look a little bigger than when you put them on the cookie sheet. They will rise more when baking.
10. Just before baking, brush the tops with espresso/coffee and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Less time for smaller buns. The spiced sugar will creep out of the buns and get crispy. If it doesn't disappear from the cookie sheets right after baking (I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENS!?!?) use as a topping for ice cream.  These freeze well, but taste best hot out of the oven.

You can get cardamom in the pod or just the seeds. I don't advise using pre-ground as it lacks flavour.

Roll the dough to a rectangle 14x18 inches and spread with the filling. If you don't have cardamom, use brown sugar and cinnamon.

Just before baking, brush the twists with espresso and sprinkle with sugar.

Use a mortar and pestle, spice mill or rolling pin to crush the seeds. I like them to be coarse, not finely ground, but do what you prefer.

After adding all the ingredients, the dough should be soft but not sticky.

Cut the dough to one inch strips, then cut again, but not all the way through. Twist and then wind into a bun, pinching the beginning and end pieces of dough together (see video).

For the twisting how-to, click on the video link above.