With cardamom buns like these, who needs fancy bakeries?

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I once spent three days laminating dough only to produce six croissants with all the culinary appeal of dog biscuits. Since then, my bar for “Should I bake this myself?” has been high.

These cardamom buns are one of the few things that pass it. They are beautiful to look at, still relatively uncommon in bakeries outside Scandinavia and, in the words of my colleague Niki Blasina, “make normal days feel celebratory”.

Knotting them is an acquired skill, so we’ve opted for small buns here on the basis they’re easier to shape, plus it means you’ll have 20 to practise on. (They freeze well.)

The Norwegian cookbook writer Signe Johansen, who devised this recipe specially for the FT, has recorded a demo video on her Instagram account, @signesjohansen.

Drink
Signe suggests black filter coffee to cut through the richness of the filling and complement the aromatic cardamom. Alternatively, a wee dram of Scotch: “That hit of smoke/peat with cardamom is an unusual yet delicious pairing.”

Substitutions
Signe recommends Guatemalan green single origin cardamom, but a supermarket brand will get the job done. You will need more pods to get sufficient cardamom.

Tip
For variation, you could replace the cardamom in the filling with cinnamon (but don’t use it in the dough). You could also add 50-75g ground almonds or dark chocolate chips to the dough — they may need a few more minutes in the oven

Signe Johansen’s cardamom buns

Makes 18-20 little buns

Extract the cardamom. Place the pods in a pestle and mortar and lightly crush them so they crack open. Remove the seeds and crush until finely ground.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk until it comes to the boil. Add the butter, cardamom and sea salt, set aside and allow to cool so it is lukewarm.
Meanwhile, sift the flours into a medium-large bowl and crumble in the fresh yeast, or scatter the dry yeast. Stir well and add the golden caster sugar, stir again to evenly distribute the sugar and make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Add the cooled milk and bring the dough together. Knead for 10-15 minutes on a lightly oiled kitchen counter. The dough should look shiny and feel springy to the touch.
Cover the dough in the mixing bowl with a slightly damp tea towel, and leave somewhere warm to rise for 45-90 minutes. It is ready when it has doubled in size.
For the cardamom filling, combine the softened butter, sugars, cardamom and sea salt until well mixed, but not whipped into a buttercream. On a lightly oiled kitchen surface large enough to accommodate a 50cm x 30cm rolled-out rectangle, place the risen dough. Using a lightly oiled rolling pin gently roll out the dough, with the 30cm side facing you.
Spread the cardamom butter evenly all over the rectangle.
From the top of the dough farthest from you, gently fold in a third of the rectangle and repeat with the bottom third to seal. Turn it 90 degrees and use the rolling pin again to roll out another rectangle, 40cm x 20cm.
Slice around 18-20 lengths of about two centimetres each along the shorter side of the dough. Pinch the ends of each dough length and twirl in your hands, before wrapping them around one finger into a small knot or rose. Tuck the ends together underneath the bun.
Place the buns on a large baking tray, cover again with a damp tea towel and set aside to prove for 30-45 minutes. They should double again in size.
Heat the oven to 180C (fan).
Beat the egg yolk with the vanilla and add a little water. Lightly brush each bun with the egg mixture, spritz the oven with water to add hydration and bake the buns on the upper-middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes or until golden-brown in colour.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.