recipes – Six Sussex Homestead

Sourdough Swedish Cardamom Buns – kardemummabullar

Published on May 22, 2023 by Holly SpanglerLeave a comment

I first tasted a cardamom bun at a new coffee shop near my mom’s house called Fika, which in Sweden is a huge tradition. Check out this article which defines it really well! It means to pause in the middle of the day for a break, a mental rest and take coffee and a pastry, cake, etc. with friends, or colleagues.

These cardamom buns are extremely popular for the fika, and I learned that cardamom is a flavor that is commonly used in baking in Sweden, while it isn’t so much in the US. These sourdough cardamom buns are soft and flavorful, and filled with delicious fragrant cardamom sugar filling, plus that sourdough tang that we love. They’re topped with a vanilla simple syrup glaze and would be perfect for any coffee break.

How to make sourdough swedish cardamom buns

Make your dough – About 12 hours before you plan on assembling your buns, you will want to prep the dough. Since this recipe is using wild yeast/fermentation to rise the dough, we need to give it ample time to do its work!

When I’m making any type of dough I usually mix up the dry ingredients first, so I mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Then I will whisk together the milk, honey, sourdough starter, and egg in a smaller separate bowl. Then melt the butter and add this to the wet ingredients. Pour all the wet ingredients into the dry, and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to bring everything together into a wet, sticky dough. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.

Knead the dough – Unfortunately this is not one of those “no-knead” easy breakfast bun recipes. However, it’s worth the work! I always knead my dough by hand, and this is half out of laziness… I don’t feel like cleaning more dishes, so I don’t want to bust out the kitchen aid. The other half is because I like to feel the dough. I can tell when the gluten is really starting to develop if I have my hands in it. Plus, kneading dough can be totally therapeutic!

Flour your surface, and hand knead the cardamom bun dough for about 6-8 minutes, sprinkling with more flour whenever it gets too sticky. It’s a pretty sticky and wet dough initially, so I end up adding a pretty good amount of flour while I am kneading it. Alternatively, you can throw it into a mixer with the dough hook attachment for 6-8 minutes.

When finished kneading, you should be able to form it into a cohesive ball. Then return it to the bowl for the bulk rise.

Bulk rise – Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about 8-12 hours, depending on how warm your house is. You can use a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. The dough should puff up and increase in size. It won’t double but it will get bigger.

Make the filling – In the morning mix up the filling and get ready to make the buns. Combine butter with plenty of fragrant cardamom, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Prep the pan and roll the dough – Prep a 9×13 pan by coating it with butter. You could also use parchment paper to prevent the rolls from sticking. You can use a round pie pan or a springform pan, but I like that the rolls have more room in the 9×13. Sprinkle a good amount of flour on the countertop and turn the dough out. Sprinkle some more flour onto the top of the dough, and roll it out into a large rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the filling over the entire rectangle of dough and then you can get creative. You can make traditionally shaped buns and just roll the dough up, then use a serrated knife to cut the log into 6-8 buns. Or you can do what I did, and make it much more difficult for yourself and attempt to make braided buns….

These were nowhere near perfect, but they still looked beautiful once they baked up!

Second proof – Cover the cardamom buns and let them rest for another 1-2 hours. They should increase in size again.

Bake the buns – After the cardamom buns have puffed up again, bake them at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. They should be golden brown on the top. While they are baking you can make the vanilla glaze.

Make the glaze and serve – These cardamom buns are brushed with a delicious vanilla simple syrup after they come out of the oven. It makes them shiny and adds a delicious flavor to the outside without overpowering the cardamom.

Scroll down to find the recipe, and let me know in the comments if you made and enjoyed them!

Recipe for sourdough swedish cardamom buns

For the dough…
360g unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
160g whole milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
100g active sourdough starter
butter for coating the pan

For the filling…
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened not melted
1.5 tbsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the glaze…
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions/Baking Schedule:

Make the dough: 12 hours before you plan to shape the rolls (either in the evening before bed, or in the morning if you plan to bake in the evening), make the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt, set aside. Melt the butter, and set aside to cool slightly. In a smaller bowl, whisk the milk, egg, sourdough starter, and honey. Add this into the dry ingredients along with the cooled butter, and fold it together to make a wet sticky dough. Cover this and let it sit for 30 minutes. The fancy word for this is autolyse. Basically it allows the gluten chains to start forming before you even start kneading it, making it easier.

Knead the dough: Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle a good amount of flour onto the dough when it becomes too sticky to continue. After this amount of time, you should be able to form it into a cohesive ball. Place the ball back into the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a very damp kitchen towel. You don’t want the top of the dough to dry out.

Bulk rise: Leave the dough at room temperature to rise for 8-12 hours.

Make the filling: Soften your stick of butter and whisk the sugar, brown sugar and cardamom into it. Set aside.

Prep the pan: Prep a 9×13 baking dish by coating it with butter.

Roll and shape the dough: Flour your surface and the top of the dough ball after turning it out. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread on the filling, leaving a small margin around the edge to be able to seal it together. Fold the dough over itself by half, and seal the edges together. Use the rolling pin to flatten it once more, then use a pizza cutter or pastry cutter to slice it into six equal pieces. Slice each one almost all the way through into three sections for braiding. Braid the bottom of the dough piece and then roll it over itself. Place each one into the 9×13 pan.

Second rise: Cover the cardamom buns again and let them rest for 1-2 more hours until they puff up again.

Preheat oven and bake: Bake the cardamom buns at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until they are golden brown on top.

Make the glaze: While they are baking, make the vanilla glaze. Combine the granulated sugar, water, and vanilla extra. Bring it to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved, then remove it from the heat.

Glaze and serve the cardamom buns: Once the buns come out of the oven and are still warm, brush the glaze over each one. Serve with a cup of coffee, as breakfast, dessert, or mid afternoon snack!

One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

Published on May 13, 2023 by Holly SpanglerLeave a comment

One pot sausage pasta has become a go to weekly meal for my family. If I’m being honest… the little ones won’t even eat it. BUT it makes great leftovers for Ryan and I and to pack for his lunch the next day. The good thing is I can always pull some of the pasta to the side before throwing it into the pot, and pull out some raw peppers for the kids to have with their meal since they will eat them raw but not cooked… weird, I know.

It’s pretty easy and quick to throw together as long as you have all the ingredients on hand, and it’s super creamy and delicious with cream cheese and white wine in the mix. This sausage pasta would be great for a weeknight meal, or even for entertaining, served with a light salad.

What you need to make one pot sausage pasta

Two large pots – Ok so I know it’s called “one pot sausage pasta,” but hear me out… the other pot is just to boil pasta, so I don’t really count it.

Loose sausage of choice – To make this sausage pasta I usually use the country style loose sausage from the store or a one pound bulk package from the farm near us that does pastured pork. You can use any flavor you want. I’ve made this recipe with chorizo sausage, country style or sage sausage, and it’s delicious either way.

Vegetables & Pasta – To enhance the flavor of the sausage pasta I add onion, sweet peppers, garlic, and fresh baby spinach. My favorite shapes of pasta for this dish are bowtie or shells.

White wine – I find that adding wine always brings dishes to the next level and there is no exception here! I find the white wine elevates the flavor of the sauce and makes it feel fancy for a weeknight meal. Any wine will do, just not something too sweet.

Tomato paste – I use the Cento tomato paste that comes in a tube. It has the best flavor and so easy to store for later use!

How to make creamy sausage pasta

Prep your ingredients – There really isn’t much prep for this recipe which makes it great for a weeknight meal. Before I start cooking I just chop up half an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a whole bell pepper, and 2 cups of baby spinach. I also boil the water for the pasta. Throw the noodles in to cook as soon as the water is boiling.

Brown the sausage/sauté the vegetables – Heat a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, and put about a tablespoon of olive oil in once it’s hot. Then brown the sausage and when it’s finished remove it to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add a little more olive oil, and the peppers and onions. Cook them for about 4-5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the chopped spinach and continue cooking until it starts to wilt.

Make the sauce – The sauce for the creamy sausage pasta is made right in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, that’s what makes it so easy. Add the sausage back into the peppers, onions, and spinach, then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, as well as some fresh cracked black pepper. Sauté the tomato paste for about 2 minutes. Add in the white wine and mix everything together. Simmer it for about 2-3 more minutes reducing the wine a bit. Then add in the cream cheese in chunks, stirring until it melts completely. Finally add in a cup of pasta water from the boiling pasta. Let the sauce simmer for a minute to thicken it up.

Add the pasta and serve – Lastly, drain the pasta and add it all back into the pot with the sauce. Combine everything together and season with salt as needed. I always use seasoned salt. Serve it with a piece of crusty bread, or a light salad. This one pot sausage pasta is so easy for weeknight meals, and great as leftovers. Let me know in the comments if you made this and what you think! See below for a recipe card…

Creamy sausage pasta with peppers and spinach

Classic Pot Roast Recipe

Published on May 5, 2023 by Holly SpanglerLeave a comment

This is my mom’s classic pot roast recipe and it’s the ultimate comfort meal for me. Whenever it’s rainy or cold, or just cloudy and dreary it’s the first thing I think of to make for dinner. It’s just a really warming, cozy and nourishing meal to have when it’s chilly outside.

The other thing I love about pot roast is that it always stretches into three meals at least, because you can make it into beef stew and have that for leftovers for a few days, or even hot beef sandwiches.

What do you need to make pot roast?

Meat – There are a few options of cuts you can use to make a pot roast, but I always go with a chuck roast. It has a pretty good amount of fat typically which yields a really flavorful roast. Pick one that looks nice and red and has good marbling. I try to avoid one that has a huge chunk of fat in the middle, or lots of tendons.

Veg – To go in with the pot roast we always add carrots and onions, then potatoes later. I do sometimes add celery if I have it on hand just to lend even more flavor to the meat and gravy.

Spices/herbs – I add a good amount of garlic, usually three cloves, as well as fresh thyme, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sometimes rosemary, and a rather unconventional ingredient, Italian seasoning. It’s the secret to a great pot roast, I’m convinced!

Stock – For a pot roast I go with beef stock or bone broth. I also add a cup of red wine. This can be any red wine you have on hand, but it’s necessary for that really rich, deep flavor.

Dutch oven – You can totally adapt this recipe to the InstantPot or slow cooker, but by far my favorite method of cooking a pot roast is in my heavy enameled dutch oven. It takes a long time in the oven, but I always feel the flavor ends up being better this way.

How to make pot roast

Prep your ingredients – The first thing I always do is get out all the vegetables, seasonings, herbs, equipment, etc. Then I preheat the oven to 325. Heat up the dutch oven on the stovetop to medium/high heat, and while that’s heating I start chopping the vegetables up. I just do a rough chop on the carrots, garlic, and onion and set them aside. Then I get out my herbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire, red wine, and beef stock so it’s ready when I need it.

Sear the meat – One key to a really flavorful pot roast is a nice brown sear on the meat. I liberally season each side with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, then add olive oil to the pot and sear it for about 4 minutes on each side. This makes a really great crust on the meat and adds so much flavor to the dish.

Sauté the veggies – After the meat is done searing, I remove it from the pot and turn the heat down to medium. Then add in the carrots, onions, garlic, fresh thyme, and bay leaf. I cook it for about five minutes until the onions start to turn translucent and they become fragrant. After that I add in the tomato paste and continue cooking the mixture for one more minute.

Add everything else in and throw it in the oven! – After I finish sautéing the tomato paste in with the veggies and herbs all that’s left is to pour in the wine and stock, add the Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, and pot roast with all its juices, bring the whole thing to a boil and put it into the oven with the lid on. I cook it at 325 for 2.5 hours. Meanwhile, I chop up the potatoes into bite sized pieces. After 2.5 hours I take it out, add in the potatoes and put it back in for 30 minutes. I do usually try to push the potatoes down into the cooking liquid so they take on some flavor.

Serve – To serve, I remove the meat and veggies from the dutch oven and set them aside in a 9×13 dish for serving. Then I return the pot to the stovetop to make the drippings into gravy. I add about 2 tablespoons of flour to a small dish with an equal amount of cold water, and whisk it until there are no lumps. Then whisk this slowly into the simmering drippings until thickened. We also love to serve pot roast with a crusty loaf of bread, and this super simple recipe is my favorite.

Pot roast, potatoes, and carrots on a plate.

Let me know in the comments if you made this recipe, or what your favorite comfort food is! Hope you enjoy, and see below for a recipe card.