Autumn always puts me in a romantic mood.
Although no tree turns glorious golden brown here and the
closest encounter I have to anything maple is my plastic maple leaf shaped cookie
cutter and maple syrup, September, October, November, and December are indeed my favorite months. The food, the fashion, the equinox, the bittersweet feeling of knowing winter is
coming.. Hmm, now I start to sound like The Starks of Winterfell.. My point is, I love autumn.
Speaking about autumnal food, I have several pumpkin recipes
I’d like to try soon. But that should wait because I’ll have final tests early
next month. Not that I dread having them, it’s just that the amount of pages I
have yet to read is quite overwhelming. The problem is; I need a break from
studying. Those Sons of Anarchy DVDs aren’t gonna play themselves. So I gave
myself a week off from studying. I’m happy to report that I read all three
books from The Infernal Devices Trilogy, nothing like a light romance steam punk
style to refresh the mind, watched the Sons of Anarchy episodes that I haven’t
had a chance to watch, and made Korvapuusti this afternoon.
Korvapuusti is the Finnish take on cinnamon rolls. That
somehow translates as a clip or slap on the ear. What makes it so darn gorgeous
is that cardamom plays the lead role. Have I got your attention? Cardamom is
one of the spices that just by grinding them using mortar and pestle, the smell
will calm your nerves and in this point in life I’d take anything to calm my
nerves, natural of course.
The recipe is adapted from Scandifoodie. As usual, I incorporate wheat bran in the dough for the fiber.
Ingredients:
For the dough
250 ml milk
60 gr butter
2 tsp yeast
60 gr sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1-2 tbs freshly ground cardamom**
300 gr all purpose flour
125 gr whole wheat flour*
35 gr wheat bran*
1 egg
More all purpose flour, if needed
For the filling
50 gr butter
1/2 cup sugar or light brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the topping
1 egg for brushing
Sugar
*Note: If you don't have it, substitute it with all purpose flour
**Green cardamoms has stronger scent than the white ones
Directions:
-Warm the milk just until the butter dissolves.
-Mix all the dry ingredients together.
-Pour the warm milk-butter mixture in the dry ingredients and stir.
-Put in the egg.
-Transfer your dough onto your work surface and begin kneading. Incorporate more flour if your dough is too wet.
-When your dough is already cohesive, transfer it to an oiled bowl and proof until it doubles in size.
-Oil your work surface so it's going to be easier for the dough to be rolled.
-Roll your proofed dough into a 1 cm thick rectangle.
-Spread the butter-sugar-cinnamon filling and roll it like a roll cake.
-Seal the edges nicely.
-Cut into 10 pieces
-Now to make the authentic Korvapuusti style, or you can skip it altogether:
Use a slim spoon handle, finger, or just about anything to make a straight indentation in the middle.
-Let them proof for another 30 minutes covered with clingfilm.
-Brush with egg and sprinkle with more sugar
-Bake in the preheated oven, 225C for 12 minutes
Wow!
My house smells deeevine! My love affair with cardamom in sweet baked goods started when I first made Orange-Cardamom Danish Braid. Eversince that time, I have always been looking for recipes that incorporate cardamom in dessert.
Apparently, Scandinavians love cardamom so much. Well, that's an important note for me if I wanna date Loki.. Gawd, Im so oot :D
Anyhow, feel free to add more sugar in the filling if you think it's not sweet enough. Korvapuusti freezes very well. Just put it in an air tight box, pop it in the microwave for a quick breakfast or afternoon treat or just like.. whenever.
I hope you'll try this beautiful and easy recipe and I sure will post something amazing with pumpkin to celebrate the season, soon.
Cheers,
Amy