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Tuesday, January 11, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Swedish
treat
Mastering the
cardamom bun
By RICK NELSON
Minneapolis Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS —
Ruth Raich has happy
memories of childhood
visits to Sweden, helping
her grandmother make
kardemummabullar.
What the English-
speaking world calls the
cardamom bun is a core
component of fika, the civ-
ilized Swedish practice of
a coffee-and-snack break.
What a treat! Car-
damom buns are tender
but chewy, slightly sweet
and ringing with a bracing
burst of cardamom. Just
looking at these sculpted
beauties, their tops glis-
tening with sugar, instantly
invokes temptation.
Starting in the late
1980s, Raich’s take on the
classic kardemummabullar
became a trademark item
at each incarnation of her
popular baking-centric
businesses.
Although her Jenny
Lind Cafe in Stockholm,
Wisconsin, and Smokey
Row Cafe in Red Wing are
in Raich’s past, she con-
tinues — thankfully — to
produce cardamom rolls,
baking batches of them
several days a week in the
cozy Jenny Lind wholesale
bakery that she built inside
a converted chicken coop
on the farm near Maiden
Rock, Wis., that she shares
with her wife.
My husband, Robert,
first encountered Raich’s
cardamom rolls in the
1990s and has craved
them ever since. (Call
them “rolls” or “buns,”
the meaning is the same;
Raich invokes the former.)
He introduced me to their
splendors more than 20
years ago, and I’ve been
similarly hooked.
Several months ago,
I stumbled upon a copy
of “Favorite Recipes of
the Jenny Lind Bakery &
Cafe,” Raich’s 2014 cook-
book, and was delighted
to discover that it included
a recipe for her signature
rolls.
My first attempts —
tough, bland, ungainly,
sometimes all three —
were pallid imitations of
Raich’s handiwork. What
was I doing wrong? My
late grandmother Hedvig,
the daughter of Swedish
farmers, could perform
magic with flour and yeast,
so you’d think that baking
DNA might intervene.
Nope.
I called Raich and
invited myself to her
workplace for a tutorial.
Observing this baker in her
native habitat was a study
in economy of movement.
Years of routine means that
Raich can seamlessly and
simultaneously turn out
scones, cookies and three
variations of fist-sized
sweet rolls: almond, cin-
namon and cardamom, all
while coaching an amateur
on the ins and outs of han-
dling an egg-rich yeasted
dough.
After that invalu-
able lesson, my next few
batches, while not identical
to Raich’s expert output,
were reasonable facsimiles.
My kneading abilities are
hardly intuitive, and I don’t
have her practiced panache
when it comes to twisting
the dough into beauti-
fully layered buns. But I’m
determined to get there.
Thanks to Raich’s skill
and generosity, my 2022
New Year’s resolution is
to bake more cardamom
buns. You should, too.
The recipe may appear
daunting, but once you get
the hang of it, it’s easy —
honest — and the effort is
so worth it.
Tips from the expert
• Troubleshooting:
“When it comes to making
cardamom rolls, people
usually encounter three
Rick Nelson/Minneapolis Star Tribune-TNS
Cardamom buns from Jenny Lind Bakery.
problems,” said Raich.
“They didn’t knead long
enough, so there’s not
enough protein structure
that allows the dough to
rise. Or they added too
much flour. Or the liquid
was too hot and it killed
the yeast.”
• Kneading, part 1:
“When people are
kneading by hand, they
get tired,” she said. “It’s
always going to be more
than you think, especially
for beginner bakers, and
so I always tell people that
when you want to stop,
keep going for 2 to 5 more
minutes.”
• Kneading, part 2:
Still, Raich advises uti-
lizing a stand mixer fitted
with a bread hook. “It
keeps you from adding too
much flour,” she said. At
her bakery, in the mam-
moth 30-quart Hobart
mixer she calls “Fran-
cine,” Raich kneads the
dough, on medium speed,
for 3 minutes. “But home
mixers have less powerful
motors, so they should
knead longer,” she said,
which explains the reci-
pe’s extended knead time.
When it’s ready, the dough
should feel smooth but
stick slightly to the bottom
of the bowl.
• Warming up: For
the first proof, consider
placing the covered bowl
in an unheated gas-pow-
ered oven. “The oven’s
pilot light will keep it
warm enough,” she said.
For the second proof, place
the baking sheets near a
radiator, or on tables or
counters that are bathed in
sunlight.
• Air dry: If the dough
feels too wet and sticky
after the first proof, Raich
scrapes it onto a lightly
floured work surface and
lets the dough sit in the
open air, untouched, for
about 15 to 20 minutes,
then rolls it out.
• Working by hand:
When spreading butter
across the rolled dough,
Raich uses her hands
rather than a spatula. Also,
avoid melted butter. “It’s
easier to keep it on the
dough if the butter is soft
— at room temperature —
rather than if it’s melted,”
she said.
• Flavor booster: Raich
grinds whole cardamom
seeds, and there’s one big
reason: The flavor is more
robust than using pack-
aged ground cardamom.
And there’s one caveat:
“Cardamom seeds are hard
on grinders,” she said.
A mortar and pestle also
work.
• Touch test: For those
without an instant-read
thermometer, rely upon
your senses. “The liquid
should be ‘baby bottle’
warm,” she said. “It’s body
temperature.”
• Egg wash: Don’t
skip this step. “It keeps
the roll from getting dry,
and it gives them color,”
she said. Use milk, and
the results will be a soft,
brown roll. Use water, and
the top will be crispy but
not brown. Use an egg
wash, and the roll will
be brown and delicately
crispy on top.
• Twist tutorial: Raich
has a helpful YouTube
video where she demon-
strates her technique for
twisting spiraled dough
into shapely buns, and
it’s worth watching.
Find it at youtube.com/
watch?v=RCNht2N_47Q.
CARDAMOM
BUNS
Makes 1 dozen buns.
Note: This dough must be pre-
pared in advance. Adapted from
“Favorite Recipes of the Jenny
Lind Bakery & Cafe,” by Ruth
Raich ($22).
For dough
6 tbsp. ( 3 / 4 stick) unsalted butter,
melted and cooled, plus
more (at room temperature)
for greasing bowl
1 ¼ c. plus 2 tbsp. whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. instant dry yeast
1 ½ tsp. salt
5 c. flour, plus more for
rolling dough
For filling
/ c. sugar
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. ground cardamom
4 tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
3 4
For topping
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
Sanding sugar or pearl sugar
To prepare dough: Grease a
large bowl with room-tempera-
ture butter and set aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl,
combine the cooled melted
butter, milk and 3 beaten eggs,
and heat in microwave oven,
in 30-second increments, until
mixture reaches 100 degrees on
an instant-read thermometer (do
not exceed 100 degrees).
Pour mixture into the bowl of
a stand mixer fitted with a bread
hook. Add ¼ cup plus 2 table-
spoons sugar, yeast and salt,
and mix on medium speed until
combined. Reduce speed to low,
add 4 3 / 4 cups flour and mix until
the flour is incorporated into
the liquid and the dough comes
together, about 2 minutes.
See, Buns/Page B2
Paint, hardware and a noodle shop
The varied history of the
Haworth-Coolidge building
GINNY
MAMMEN
OUT AND ABOUT
After the fire of 1959 that destroyed
the Huntington Block, there were still two
buildings remaining on the south side of
the 1300 block of Adams Avenue in down-
town La Grande. The one at 1314 Adams,
originally known as the Haworth Building,
had been constructed prior to 1893 by
Samuel R. Haworth. This was the same
S.R. Haworth who was a local contractor
and businessman operating a paint store in
the Huntington Building in 1893, who con-
structed the Buzzini Building in 1898 and
who had done the stonework for the sugar
factory building.
The attractive two-story Haworth
Building was constructed of stone on the
street and basement level and brick on the
upper level at the cost of $8,000. One of
the first occupants was J.C. Henry with
his furniture and undertaking business.
He remained here until he and J.J. Carr
went together to form Henry and Carr and
moved to a new location.
The next occupant was Oscar F.
Coolidge. Oscar moved to La Grande in
1900 and within the next few years pur-
chased S.R. Haworth’s paint and wallpaper
business located in the Huntington Building
and moved it into the Haworth Building
Contributed Photo
The Haworth-Coolidge building in downtown
La Grande.
next door, which he had also purchased.
This remained a paint and wallpaper store
for the next 30 years. Because of the long
association with the Coolidge name, the
building took on the name of either Haworth
or Coolidge. Oscar Coolidge passed away
quite unexpectedly in May 1930.
In 1932 the occupant at 1314 Adams
was Safeway Store No. 359, one of the four
Safeway stores in La Grande at the time.
Then from the late 1940s and to the mid
’50s this was the home for Western Auto.
By 1956 Ann Johnson’s store for ladies
apparel, a longtime favorite of several gen-
erations of La Grande’s women, had moved
to this location. Ann had opened her first
store in La Grande in 1934 and had moved
once before finally moving to 1314 Adams.
The Haworth Building offered some-
thing different from most — space for var-
ious businesses in the basement. In June
of 1919 the Pyramid Land Company had
its office here and when it left, Frank Still-
well’s print shop moved in.
Probably the second floor had the most
remembered business of the building.
For a number of years it had offices for
a variety of occupants. Dr. Richardson was
one of these as was Richard McCann, a
bookkeeper. And at one time there was also
Dr. Mayville, a mechano therapy physician.
In 1880 mechano therapy was defined as
“the employment of mechanical means for
the cure of disease.” But the most remem-
bered occupant of the second floor was
Mary’s Noodle Parlor operated by Wong
Sing and his wife, Mary.
Wong Sing was truly an entrepreneur,
investing in both real estate and restaurants.
He had been born in 1867 in San Francisco
to parents who had emigrated from China.
Although it is unknown when he came to
La Grande, it is known that he was working
here as an employee at the Boston Lunch in
the late teens. Mary, whose Chinese name
was Hum, was born in China in 1892 and
immigrated in 1918. By 1920 she and Wong
were married and working together.
The 1920s had some ugly goings on
in La Grande and although the Sings had
their share of troubles they persevered.
In November of 1920, while Wong was
employed at the Boston Lunch, there was a
robber who broke in and took $27 and later
that same month there was another rob-
bery and over $100 was taken. In 1921 the
Boston Lunch was raided by police looking
for bootleggers.
The Sings took over the proprietorship of
the Boston Lunch in 1922 and changed the
name to the Noodle House. Two years later
Wong and Mary were charged with posses-
sion of narcotics and selling opium, but they
were tried and found not guilty.
In 1928 the building owner decided
to raze the building housing the Noodle
House so Wong moved his business east on
Adams to the upper floor of the Coolidge
Building, where he and Mary opened
Mary’s Noodle Parlor.
Wong was 25 years older than Mary
and they found much needed help in Henry
Wong Sun, a grandson who had come
over from China. Wong Sing died in 1931
leaving Henry and Mary to run the Noodle
Parlor. In 1938 they did a complete remodel
of the restaurant and were even more pop-
ular with the community than ever.
An interesting note about Mary. The
1930 Census stated that she spoke no
English, only Chinese. It is unknown when
Mary was no longer at the restaurant, but
Henry continued running the Noodle Parlor
at least until 1955 when he and his family
were involved in a fatal automobile crash in
which his wife, Kay, was killed. Henry was
left with four young children. It is unknown
exactly when, but he did move to Portland
where in 1960 he married his wife, Louise.
Keep looking up! Enjoy!
———
Ginny Mammen has lived in La Grande
for more than 50 years and enjoys sharing
her interest in the history of people, places
and buildings.