Soft and Sweet Orange Cardamom Rolls with Fresh Milled Flour

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Orange cardamom rolls with fresh milled flour – you are going to love this elevated and slightly more sophisticated version of cinnamon rolls! We start with soft, fluffy rolls and then we fill them with delicious cardamom, sugar and orange zest. Top them with a bright and fresh orange infused glaze…forget about it! These orange cardamom rolls may have stolen their way to the top of my favorite desserts list!

How To Make Soft and Sweet Orange Cardamom Rolls With Fresh Milled Flour

Dough

1 batch of my basic dough recipe made up through the first rise.

Filling

• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons of cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted to get out clumps
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• extra orange zest for garnish(optional)

1. Prepare basic dough recipe through the first rise
2. In a medium bowl add all filling ingredients and mix well.
3. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 10″x15″ and spread the filling evenly over the rectangle
4. Using a pizza cutter or similar, slice the dough into 12 even strips.
5. Roll up each strip and place in a 9×12 baking dish
6. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 
7. While the rolls are baking prepare the glaze by combining all ingredients and whisking. 
8. Once rolls are baked, drizzle with glaze and serve.

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What is Cardamom Good For?

Cardamom, sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including manganese, iron, and magnesium. It can be used in a variety of ways! A little cardamom goes a long way, and cardamom may help with things like high blood pressure and infection. It can ease inflammation and protect your cells against something called oxidative stress.

What Does Cardamom Taste Like?

Cardamom is an Indian spice, a member of the ginger family. It has a pretty complex flavor,
and a very piney and fruity like aroma. Cardamom goes hand in hand with citrus flavors, which is why I chose it to use in this orange sweet rolls recipe. These are not your classic cinnamon rolls, but don’t be intimidated.The cardamom flavor is not overpowering, but rather brings out the flavor and hint of citrus in this recipe.

Is Cardamom Similar To Cinnamon?

They are in the same family, but I would consider their differences notable. Cardamom is a similarly comforting spice like cinnamon, but cardamom has more flexibility to it. It is one of my favorite spices to use, and does not get enough credit. It is warm, bold, and a great fit for both sweet and savory foods. Many use Cardamom as substitute for cinnamon, as well as other spices that have similar flavor profiles, like allspice, nutmeg, etc.

Why Use Freshly Milled Flour For Cardamom Rolls?

The beauty of using freshly milled flour in this recipe is how complementary the flavors of freshly milled wheat are to the orange glaze and warm spice flavors in these rolls. Because using freshly milled flours yield a nuttier, fresher quality to any baked goods, you wind up with a drastically more delicious and upgraded flavor profile compared to using store-bought all purpose flours. Using vitamin enriched dough kicks this dessert up a notch, ensuring you have a recipe that is not only delicious, but contains vitamins and minerals that are good for you.  

Can I Substitute Cardamom Pods for Ground Cardamom?

If you don’t have ground cardamom on hand, cardamom pods can be substituted. You must de-husk the pods first, which means the pods have to be broken into to reveal the seeds inside. Usually there are about seven seeds per pod, and you should grind these seeds for the best flavor. Twelve pods should yield one tsp of ground cardamom, so 24 pods should be a good substitute for this recipe.

Are Orange Cardamom Rolls Similar to Orange Cinnamon Rolls?

Yes, they are very similar but not exact! As I mentioned before, cinnamon and cardamon are very similar spices, but cardamom has a bolder flavor, in my opinion. Both are a twist on your classic cinnamon roll recipe, with the addition of fresh squeezed orange juice in the glaze, and a little bit of orange zest in the filling. The best part is instead of a one dimensional vanilla frosting, in today’s recipe we have a warm sweet citrus glaze drizzled over our fresh from the oven sticky cardamom rolls. 

Do I Need a Bread Machine?

No, you will be taking my bread dough recipe and stopping before the second rise. For that recipe, you will be mixing your flour mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can use your dough hook attachment to help knead the dough or you can knead it by hand. If you wish to use a bread machine you can, just pull the dough out before it bakes and shape it as the instructions say.

Can You Keep Unbaked Cardamom Rolls in the Fridge?

You can keep the rolls refrigerated for up to 12 hours, or the next morning if baking at night, but I wouldn’t go any longer. The orange rolls are still prone to over-proofing if left in the fridge for too long, and the glaze can melt and make the bottoms of the rolls syrupy and moist if left unbaked for too long.

How Do I Store Cardamom Rolls & Keep Them Fresh?

Cardamom rolls have a wonderful shelf life. They stay good at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, and in the freezer for 2 months. The most important thing to remember is to keep them away from air. If exposed to the air for too long, those fresh and fluffy rolls we love will grow crisp and stale. Wrap the rolls well in plastic wrap, cling film, or store in an airtight sealed container. This will keep the air out so your rolls will stay moist and you won’t run the risk of them drying out too quickly.

Using Freshly Milled Flour Vs. All Purpose Flour: What’s the Difference?

When we talk about the difference between freshly milled flour and store bought all purpose flour, we must consider the differences in flavor, cost, and nutrition. When comparing the differences in freshness, wheat berries that have been freshly ground will have store bought flours beat every time. Why? Because when you grind your own wheat berries at home, this puts you in total control of the fresh flavor and quality of your flour, even the nutritional profile, as using freshly milled flour yields a flour that is at its peak nutrition. Store bought flours sit around for a long time. This is because their milling process, which strips the flour of all it’s nutrition and then bleaches it in exchange for a longer shelf life.

Flavor: Freshly milled flour simply tastes fresh in a way that store bought flours cannot duplicate. It is often described as having a nuttier flavor, and I’d agree. The bran and germ add flavor, and even a bit of a sweet taste that complements desserts, but not enough to clash with savory recipes.

Cost: When compared ounce to ounce, home milled flours are known to be cheaper, sometimes at a fraction of the cost, than their store-bought counterparts. With the extra cost of nutrients lost in the commercial milling process, using a mill to make your own fresh flour is an easy and a cost effective choice.

Nutrition: Freshly milled flours are packed with nutrients compared to store-bought white flour.  This is because using the whole grain allows you to reap the full benefits of its name. Bran, responsible for fiber, B vitamins, iron, and packed with digestive enzymes. Endosperm, responsible for its complex carbs, protein, and small amounts of B vitamins and minerals. And finally the germ, which contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients.

In conclusion, using freshly milled flours is more cost effective, has a better fresher flavor, and is a great way to aid in hitting your recommended daily values through their nutrient density.

6 Common Mistakes When Making Cardamom Rolls

1. Not Kneading the Dough Enough
Kneading is a crucial step when making any type of bread that needs rise time, under-kneading will cause your bread to not rise and the overall texture and appearance will be dull and dense. The proper knead time promises a softer, fluffier, and taller bread. 7-10 minutes is recommended or until the window pane test is achieved.


2. You Didn’t Use Quality Spices
There are big differences in quality among spices and any dried herb. Spices generally lose their taste over a period of years, so adding old spices to your recipes can be pretty pointless. Keeping an eye on the expiration date on your spices will make a huge difference. It is a good practice to replace your spices every 3 years. 

3.Under-proofing Your Dough
Under-proofed dough is simply dough that has not had enough fermentation time. Make sure you give the dough the full rise time it needs for the ultimate soft and fluffy rolls. If the dough springs back quickly, it is under-proofed. If it springs back very slowly, it’s been properly proofed for the correct amount of time and is ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is simply over-proofed. 

4. Not Melting Your Butter

One of the keys to making delicious, gooey cardamom rolls isn’t all about the spices you use, it’s also about the butter!
When you are preparing the cardamom rolls, skimping out on melting the butter first is a crucial mistake. What you want is butter that leaks out of the sweet dough as it bakes, blending in with our sweet sugar mixture. Butter that is too hard, even softened butter, will leave little pockets of dough after it melts, in an inconsistent texture.

5. Overfilling Your Dough

Cardamom rolls are always easy to overstuff. No such thing as too much filling, right? To avoid leaking butter and sugar onto your baking sheet, which has the potential to burn and set off your kitchen smoke alarm, you need to be hyper aware of how much cardamom sugar filling you are adding to your roll dough. You should always leave at least an inch between your filling and the edges of the rectangle of dough. This way, after cutting the strip of dough and rolling, you won’t have the cardamom buns oozing out filling when placing each one into your baking dish.

6. Haphazardly Slicing Your Cardamom Rolls
We want to ensure an even bake across the whole batch, or you may end up with half uncooked dough, and half singed rolls! You may be tempted to eyeball your cutting,
but it’s very important to use something sharp and accurate, like a pizza cutter for slicing. 

7. Killing The Yeast

Yeast plays a vital role in freshly milled whole wheat recipes. It’s important to consider just how much thirstier freshly milled flours are. They absorb considerably more flour than conventional flours. Fermentation occurs faster because of this. The reason fermentation occurs faster is because of the additional nutrients which
provides more food for the yeast to thrive on. This is a good thing! So be mindful of how your flour is absorbing the liquid, and the temperature of the yeast process. Killing off your yeast will leave you with flat, heavy bread, and there is no coming back from it without starting over from scratch. 

Do I need Pearl Sugar?

When you are talking about Cardamom Rolls, the topic of  Swedish Cardamom Buns might come up.
The sweet dessert, referred to as Kardemummabullar, is similar to Cardamom Rolls, but a little different. One key difference, aside from how they are rolled, is the Swedish pearl sugar sprinkled ontop of most recipes. Pearl sugar is an all natural sugar used to decorate Swedish desserts such as cardamom buns, and cardamom rolls. It consists of compressed sugar crystals that have formed into larger, round particles that wont dissolved when baking goods.
Although you may sprinkle pearl sugar to top of our orange cardamom buns if you wish, it is not necessary. 

What Pairs Well With Cardamom Rolls?

Cardamom rolls, much like cinnamon rolls, are a beloved breakfast treat, especially for holidays like Christmas morning. You can’t go wrong with the classic breakfast choices. Beverages like coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk are the perfect thing to balance the sweetness of cardamom rolls.
Citrus fruits and desserts pair incredibly well with light or dark roast coffee! Light roast coffee has a brighter, and more acidic flavor to it, while dark roast accentuates the flavors of most citrus fruits. 

Helpful Links & Products

Grain Mills

Freshly Milled Bread Course

Bread Knife

Apron

Sourdough Starter Kit

Sourdough Starter

Bread Pans

Wheat Berries

Yeast