Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)
By Middagsarkivet
- Medium
- 24 servings
Kanelbullar are the default bun of Swedish fika: sold at every bakery, baked at home in batches of two dozen, and eaten with coffee at ten and again at three. October 4 is Kanelbullens dag, the cinnamon bun day, invented in 1999 by a baking industry group and adopted with no irony whatsoever.
The Swedish bun is not the American cinnamon roll. There is no cream cheese frosting and no pan of caramel at the bottom. The filling is butter, sugar and a lot of cinnamon, the crumb is drier and more bread-like, and the top gets a brush of sugar syrup while warm and a scatter of pearl sugar. Pearl sugar is sold in the baking aisle or with the Swedish goods; crushed sugar cubes are the usual stand-in.
The dough here carries a little ground cardamom, which is standard in Sweden even in cinnamon buns. Leave it out if you want the cinnamon alone.
How to make it
- 1
Start the dough
Stir the warm milk, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Mix
Add the softened butter, the beaten egg, the cardamom, the salt and most of the flour. Mix to a shaggy dough, holding back about half a cup of flour.
- 3
Knead
Knead on a lightly floured counter, or with a dough hook, until the dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky, adding the reserved flour a spoonful at a time as needed. The dough should stay soft.
- 4
First rise
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled.
- 5
Make the filling
Beat the very soft butter with the sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until it is a smooth, spreadable paste.
- 6
Roll and fill
Roll the dough out on a floured counter to a rectangle about 16 by 20 inches and a scant quarter inch thick. Spread the filling evenly all the way to the edges.
- 7
Shape
Roll the dough up tightly from the long side into a log, then cut it into 24 slices about three quarters of an inch thick. Set them cut side up in paper cases or on two parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving room to spread.
- 8
Second rise
Cover loosely and let the buns rise until puffy and nearly doubled. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) toward the end of the rise.
- 9
Bake
Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. They are done when the centers no longer look doughy; do not wait for deep color or the crumb dries out.
- 10
Syrup and sugar
While the buns bake, boil the sugar and water together for one minute to make a thin syrup. Brush the hot buns with syrup as they come out of the oven and scatter pearl sugar over the tops. Cool at least 10 minutes before eating.
A couple of tips
Use the reserved half cup of flour sparingly. A soft, slightly tacky dough gives a soft bun; a stiff dough bakes up dry by the next morning.
If the butter for the filling is cold it will tear the dough as you spread it. Leave it out for an hour, or beat it until it looks like frosting.
Bake hot and fast. These buns are small, and two extra minutes in the oven is the difference between sticky and crumbly.
What you need
- 24 paper baking cases, or two parchment-lined sheet pans
- a rolling pin
Serving
Serve with strong filter coffee, which is how they are eaten in Sweden, or with cold milk for children. No frosting.
Storing it
Best the day they are baked. Keep them in a sealed bag or tin at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Refresh a day-old bun in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 190 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27 g |
| of which sugars | 10 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Salt | 0 g |
Questions and answers
- Can you freeze cinnamon buns?
- Yes. Freeze them fully cooled in a sealed bag for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature and warm for 3 to 4 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
- Can I make the dough the night before?
- Yes. After shaping, cover the sheets and refrigerate overnight, then let the buns come to room temperature and finish rising, about 60 to 90 minutes, before baking.
- What can I use instead of pearl sugar?
- Crushed sugar cubes are the standard substitute, and coarse turbinado sugar works too. Sliced almonds are a common Swedish finish if you would rather skip the sugar.
- Why are these different from American cinnamon rolls?
- The crumb is lighter and more bread-like, the filling is butter and cinnamon rather than brown sugar caramel, and the top gets syrup and pearl sugar instead of frosting.
- Can I halve the recipe?
- Yes, and it halves cleanly for 12 buns. Use a whole egg in the dough and brush the buns with milk instead of egg wash.
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- 1 min 49 sec
- 5
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