Skillingsboller, Norwegian Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

• 2 stick unsalted butter, room softened
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Raisins, optional
• Pearl sugar or granulated sugar, optional

Directions

1. Melt 1 stick butter in a saucepan set over low heat. Pour in the milk and warm it until it’s lukewarm, then take the pan off the heat. Add 1/2 cup sugar and the cardamom, stirring until everything has dissolved.
2. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix the flour, salt, and instant yeast until evenly combined. Pour in the warm butter-milk mixture and knead until you have a tacky dough. If you’re kneading by hand, move the dough to a lightly floured counter and work it until it’s smooth and no longer too sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep it from clinging. If you’re using a stand mixer, knead on medium low speed until the dough looks smooth and elastic. It should come away from the sides of the bowl while still just barely sticking to the bottom. If it doesn’t, add small amounts of flour, letting each addition mix in completely, until the texture is right.
3. Set the dough ball in a large bowl and drape a clean towel over the top. Let it sit somewhere warm until it has risen to double size, about 30 minutes.
4. While the dough rises, put the remaining 1 stick of butter, the cinnamon, and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir just until the butter has melted, then let the mixture cool while the dough finishes rising.
5. Split the dough into 2 equal balls.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll 1 ball into a square about 14-inches on each side and 1/2-inch thick. Spread half of the butter/sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch space along the top and bottom but going all the way to the sides. If you’re using them, sprinkle on raisins.
7. Roll the dough away from you into a snug log, then set it seam-side down on a cutting board. With a sharp chef’s knife, slice it into 1-inch rolls using a gentle sawing motion. Move the rolls to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1/2 inch between them.
8. Roll out, fill, roll, slice, and arrange the remaining ball of dough the same way, using an additional rimmed baking sheet, or fit them all onto a single baking sheet if you don’t mind the rolls sticking together. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let them rise in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours.
9. When you’re ready to bake, take the pans out of the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 450 degrees F. Set the oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Bake until the buns are puffed and lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. If you’re using pearl sugar or granulated sugar, sprinkle it over the buns right when they come out of the oven; the heat will help it stick without melting. Let the buns cool for 5 minutes, and serve.