These sourdough cardamom knots are mouth-watering delicious. They’re filled with aromatic cardamom butter, finely chopped and roasted pistachios, and a generous spoonful of homemade raspberry jam in the center. Good luck eating just one!

Recipe run through

Levain

The levain (or sourdough starter) is the natural leavening agent for these cardamom sourdough knots. Before you start making this recipe, you want to make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. If you usually store your starter in the fridge, you want to take it out 2-3 days in advance and feed it equal parts flour, water, and starter every 12 hours. The sourdough starter should double/triple in size during the 12 hours rise. However, your starter might double in less than 12 hours. If you experience that, feel free to change the feeding ratio to one part starter, two parts flour, and two parts water. This will make the starter rise a little slower.

The levain in this recipe is a sweet, young levain made from an active sourdough starter, flour, sugar, and milk. Mix the ingredients until they’re just combined, and let rise in a warm spot for 4 hours. You want the levain to be mild, milky, and not overly sour.

Main Dough

After 4 hours, when the levain is ready, you can start to make the main dough. Add all the ingredients listed in the recipe card below to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix until it forms a shaggy dough. Every flour has a unique level of hydration absorption. I recommend starting with 220 g of milk and adding more if needed. Keep in mind that it’s usually always better to add more liquid than more flour to a recipe. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, start your mixer again and knead for 5-10 minutes until the shaggy dough comes together as a smooth ball. With the mixer still going, slowly add cubed, softened butter. Add one cube at a time, and mix in between each cube. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and knead at medium speed for 15-25 minutes or until your dough passes the windowpane test:

Cardamom Filling

Softened butter, brown sugar, cardamom, and a little cinnamon. Spread on cardamom filling during shaping, then sprinkle chopped, roasted pistachios on top.

Raspberry Filling

The raspberry filling is probably my favorite part about these cardamom knots. Raspberries, cardamom, and pistachios are a winning combination! The raspberry filling is added to the center of each bun before it goes into the oven.

The raspberry filling is super easy to make. Place all the ingredients in a pot, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat, and let it simmer until thick and jam-like. It shouldn’t take longer than about 15 minutes. Make sure to taste it and add more sugar or lemon juice if desired!

Shape & Assemble Cardamom Sourdough Knots

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1. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 19×15,5in/50x40cm rectangle.
2. Evenly spread out the cardamom filling using an offset spatula. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.
3. Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it over itself. Next, go over the dough a couple of times with the rolling pin to make it more even.
4. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 even strips.
5. Twist each strip 5-7 times and twirl it around 2-3 fingers twice. Seal the knot by tucking the end in at the bottom.
6. Arrange the shaped knots on two lined baking trays, keeping as much space between them as possible.

When the sourdough cardamom knots have finished proofing, use your fingertips to create an indention in the middle of each bun. You want to make sure to really press down the dough so that the filling stays inside the bun rather than on top of it. Then, add a spoonful of raspberry filling to the center.

Finishing Touches

Sprinkle powdered sugar and finely chopped pistachios on top of each cardamom knot before serving, and violà!

Sourdough Cardamom Knots With Raspberry And Pistachio

These sourdough cardamom knots are mouth-watering delicious. Filled with aromatic cardamom butter, finely chopped and roasted pistachios, and a generous spoonful of homemade raspberry jam in the center. Good luck eating just one!

YieldYield12 buns

Prep TimePrep Time1hour hr

Proofing Time22hours hrs

Cook TimeCook Time15minutes mins

Total TimeTotal Time23hours hrs 15minutes mins

Equipment

• Digital kitchen scale
• Stand mixer
• Brød & Taylor proofer box (optional, but recommended)

Ingredients

Sweet Levain

• 40 g active sourdough starter white, 100% hydration. Fed 10-12 hours prior
• 40 g whole milk cold
• 40 g white flour or bread flour
• 10 g sugar

Main Dough

• 500 g bread flour 11-13% protein
• 80 g sugar
• 9 g sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cardamom 2 g
• 1 large egg
• 230-250 g whole milk cold
• 130 g sweet levain
• 90 g unsalted butter room temperature
• + 1 egg for egg wash

Cardamom Filling

• 90 g unsalted butter softened
• 90 g brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 45 g pistachios roasted, finely chopped

Raspberry Filling

• 250 g frozen or fresh raspberries
• 85 g sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Topping

• powdered sugar (optional)
• pistachios roasted, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Sweet Levain

• Start by mixing active sourdough starter, milk, flour, and sugar in a bowl. Cover and rise in a warm spot for 4 hours or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.

Main Dough

• Start by gathering all the ingredients. Add them all, except the butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Cover, and autolyse/rest for 30 minutes.
• Start your mixer again and knead on medium speed for 5-10 minutes.
• After 5-10 minutes: slowly add in the softened butter, one cube at a time.
• When all the butter is added, continue kneading at medium speed for 15-25 minutes until your dough passes the window-pane test.
• Gently shape the dough into a round. Transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled baking bowl and proof in a warm spot, ideally at around 78°F/26°C, for two hours.
• After two hours, transfer the dough to the fridge to cold-proof for a minimum of six hours (or up to fifteen hours).

Cardamom Filling

• Add softened butter, brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon to a bowl. Mix with a fork until you have a spreadable paste. Leave at room temperature until you’re ready to shape the buns.
• Next, add the pistachios to a dry pan over medium heat and stir/shake the pan for about five minutes until the pistachios are smelling nice and toasted.
• Transfer them to a cutting board, and when they are cool enough to handle, finely chop them with a sharp knife. You can also process them for a few seconds in a food processor if you find that easier. Set aside.

Shape

• Take the dough out of the fridge, let it rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 19×15,5in/50x40cm rectangle.
• Evenly spread out the cardamom filling using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top.
• Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and fold it over itself. Next, go over the dough a couple of times with the rolling pin to make it more even.
• Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 even strips.
• Twist each strip 5-7 times and twirl it around 2-3 fingers twice. Seal the knot by tucking the end in at the bottom. (See pictures above for reference)
• Arrange the shaped knots on two lined baking trays, keeping as much space between them as possible. Cover and proof for 8-12 hours (at around 76°F/24°C) until they’re nicely puffed up and doubled in size.

Raspberry Filling

• Gather all your ingredients and add them to a small pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil while constantly stirring.
• Taste to see if it’s sweet enough for your liking. Add more sugar or lemon if desired. Once the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to med-low, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until it is thick and jam-like. Stir occasionally.
• Transfer the filling to a bowl, cover it, and let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge.

Assemble And Bake

• Preheat the oven to 430°F/220°C.
• Use your fingertips to create an indention in the middle of each bun. You want to make sure to really press down the dough so that the filling stays inside the bun rather than on top of the bun.
• Take the raspberry filling out of the fridge and give it a good stir. Then, with a small spoon, add raspberry filling to the center of each bun.
• Lightly brush the knots with egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Toppings

• Sprinkle powdered sugar and more finely chopped pistachios on top of each cardamom knot before serving.