Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)

A recipe for Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)! These golden, cardamom-scented buns have a center bursting with butter and sugar.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Baking Bloggers

Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to vote on a different baking project.

For January, we are featuring Sweet Rolls and I am joining in with a recipe for Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)!

Check out more of my #BakingBloggers recipes: Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Galette, Pampushky (Ukrainian Garlic Bread), and Magdalenas (Spanish Muffins).

Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)

I was originally inspired to make Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns) after seeing them on Vagabond Baker (unfortunately no longer active).

These beautiful buns have a sweet cardamom-flavored base. Before baking, each bun is brushed with an egg wash, then a cube of butter is pressed down into the center. It is covered with granulated sugar and baked until golden with the butter and sugar bursting out of the top much like a butter volcano or “butter eye” with a crispy, light crust.

The Voisilmäpullat are best warm from the oven. I love them alongside coffee, while the kids prefer milk.

Store the butter buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. After cooling to room temperature, they can also be frozen for up to two months. Simply reheat in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven straight from the freezer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Notable Ingredients

Green Cardamom is a highly aromatic, warm citrus-like spice. You can buy cardamom whole or ground, but the seeds quickly lose their flavor once the pods are cut.

I have been able to find the pods in the spice section of larger grocery stores and specialty spice stores/International Markets featuring South Asian or Scandinavian products. They are also available on Amazon: Green Cardamom.

Adjust the cardamom more or less as desired. It adds a wonderful fragrance and pairs beautifully with the butter and sugar center.

For a little more texture, I topped each Voisilmäpulla with raesokeri (pearl sugar) after brushing with the egg wash. This is optional.

Differing from the larger Belgian version, Nordic pearl sugar is a coarse white sugar often used as a topping in baked goods. It can be found in markets with Northern European/Scandinavian ingredients or on Amazon: Swedish Pearl Sugar.

For those in Northern Virginia, I have been able to locate pearl sugar at German Gourmet in Falls Church.

A Few Voisilmäpulla Tips

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

When adding the yeast to the milk, make sure the milk isn’t too hot or it will damage the yeast. The temperature should be about 105˚F (40˚C)- just warm enough to activate. Allow to rest at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.

If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together after mixing everything together thoroughly, add some more milk a splash at a time. It should be on the softer side.

Add just enough flour to create a smooth and workable dough. Too much flour or overworking will cause the buns to become dense. Due to the richness with the butter and the milk, I usually don’t need any additional flour to prevent sticking when forming the dough into buns.

In a warm kitchen, the first rise should take about 1 1/2-2 hours to double in size. During the winter with cooler temperatures, it sometimes takes closer to 2 1/2 hours.

Same goes for the second rise before baking. Warmer kitchens may only need 20-30 minutes for the buns to puff up (they will/should not double), while cooler temperatures will need closer to 45 minutes.

Divide the risen dough into individual buns about the size of a golf ball. For best, even results, weigh each piece of dough. They should be about 45 grams (1.5 ounces) each to make 18-20 buns.

Want even more flavor in the topping? My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki likes to flavor the butter with cardamom and sugar. I have also seen some add vanilla sugar (Vaniljasokeri).

Check out what everyone else made:

• Apple Bread Rolls from Sneha’s Recipes
• Cherry Sweet Rolls from Palatable Pastime
• Cottage Country Style Chelsea Buns from Making Miracles
• Fastelavnsboller + Some Danish Culinary History from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Orange Sweet Rolls from Cookaholic Wife
• Overnight Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Rolls from Cook with Renu
• Pan de Mallorca from Caroline’s Cooking
• Portuguese-Style Sweet Potato Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Sticky Buns from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
• Sweet Balsamic Blackberry Crescent Rolls from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns) from Tara’s Multicultural Table

This recipe was originally posted in January 2020 and updated in March 2025.

Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns) Recipe

Adapted from Vagabond Baker

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)

A recipe for Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns)! These golden, cardamom-scented buns have a center bursting with butter and sugar.

Course Bread

Cuisine Finnish

Keyword bread, butter, Finland, Finnish, pastry, pearl sugar, pulla, voisilmäpulla

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 12 minutes minutes

Servings 18 -20 Voisilmäpullat

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C
• 3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground cardamom preferably freshly ground
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 1 large egg

Topping:

• 1 large egg
• 5 tablespoons (73 grams) salted or unsalted butter cold
• Pearl Sugar raesokeri
• 3 1/2 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar

Instructions

To form the buns:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk. Stir briefly to combine, then allow to sit at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt.
• Mix in the softened butter, egg, and frothy yeast with milk to bring together the dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until soft and smooth. After mixing, if the dough is still too crumbly and just won't come together, add a splash more lukewarm milk at a time. If just too sticky to handle, slowly add just a little more flour.
• Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

To assemble:

• Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
• Divide the dough into pieces about the size of a golf ball (45 grams/1.5 ounces each), to make 18-20 in all.
• Form each piece into a smooth ball and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Cover with a large towel and allow to rise at room temperature until puffed, about 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg until smooth. Brush the egg over each puffed bun.
• Cut the butter into 5 separate tablespoon slices, then cut each tablespoon into 4 equal squares to make 20 squares in all.
• Press each square of butter into the center of each bun.
• Pour 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar directly over each cube of butter in the bun. If desired, sprinkle pearl sugar around the edges.
• Bake the voisilmäpullat in the preheated oven until golden, about 12-14 minutes.
• Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm with milk or coffee.