Lille’s Cardamom Buns

Recipe by: Darina Allen

This treat is made with remonce, a Danish word for pastry filling that's basically a brown sugar and cardamom buttery filling that’s whipped, spread across sheets of croissant dough which is rolled up like a Swiss roll and portioned. This dough can also b

Lille’s Cardamom Buns

SERVES

25

PEOPLE

PREP TIME

285

MINUTES

COOKING TIME

25

MINUTES

Ingredients

  • For the remonce:

  • 500g (18oz) soft butter

  • 225g (8oz) brown sugar

  • 225g (8oz) caster sugar

  • 5g (scant 1/4oz)

  • 12g (1/2oz) cardamom (blitzed)

  • For the dough:

  • 833g (1lb 13oz) plain flour

  • 83g (3 1/4oz) sugar

  • 16g (generous 1/2oz) salt

  • 33g (1 1/4oz) fresh yeast

  • 50g (2oz) soft butter

  • 500ml milk

  • 360ml water

  • 500g block of square butter

Method

  1. For the remonce: Put the soft butter into a bowl with the sugars, salt and ground cardamom. Whip until light and soft. This makes 500g (18oz) of filling, it could be halved but keeps well and can also just be spread on some Brioche toast or eaten on its own!

  2. For the dough: There is no big secret with this dough either. Put all the ingredients into a mixer (except from the extra 500g/18oz butter block). Mix with a dough hook for 5-10 minutes on a low to medium speed to a smooth texture. Wrap the dough and immediately transfer to the fridge. Leave overnight. The laminating begins the next day….

  3. Roll the butter between two sheets of greaseproof paper to approx. 20cm x 20cm (8 x 8 inch) square.

  4. Flour the worktop and roll the risen dough into a square (approx. 40cm x 40cm/16 x 16 inch). Place the square of butter into the centre of the dough and fold the dough over the butter. Press gently to seal the edges.

  5. Next, make the first lamination…. Flour the worktop lightly, roll the dough into a rectangle. Brush off any excess flour and fold in 3 lengthwise. Give the dough a 90° turn, seal the open edges with a rolling pin.

  6. Re-roll the dough towards the open end into a rectangle. Fold in 3 once again. Cover tightly with greaseproof paper. Refrigerate for an hour. Then repeat this process, cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.

  7. Next day, roll out into a long rectangle 30 x 12cm (12 x 5 inch), slatter with cardamom remonce (you won’t need it all), then roll it up to form a Swiss roll log shape.

  8. Portion into 100g (3 1/2oz) pieces. Place the buns on a lined tray, cover lightly and prove until the layers have begun opening up a little, approx. 3-4 hours.

  9. Bake at 210˚C/410˚F/Gas Mark 6 for 18-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the bottom.

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