Swedish cinnamon buns
Swedish cinnamon rolls or kanelbullar. Swedes call them kanelbullar or simply bullar (meaning “buns”). In Danish Kanelsnurrer – Twists – or Snegle, snails. Swedes eat this tasty pastry with coffee in the late morning or in the afternoon. It is a pleasure and you can buy it in almost all Scandinavian cafés.
Some facts about cinnamon rolls
- Real cinnamon buns that Swedish mamas make at home are made from a yeast dough.
- Real Kanelbullar are strong, full of cardamom and cinnamon.
- Real cinnamon rolls don’t have a cherry on top.
There are as many different buns in the world as there are people who make them. This is because the essential ingredient in cinnamon rolls is lots of love. Yes love. Everyone bakes differently and adds something of their own to the kneading. So the result is – cinnamon rolls that taste just like they were made. Why do you think mom’s buns are still the best?
I’ve been making cinnamon rolls since I could get my bearings in the kitchen. The recipe has evolved and grown, but I keep going back to the same things
- good cardamom
- lots of spice
- much love and
- never skimp on butter.
This recipe makes a large batch of buns. You can cut it in half, but if you have a chest freezer don’t worry. Make a full batch and freeze some of the delicious rolls. Eventually pop them in your lunch box or just take out a two, wait 20 minutes and you have a nice cinnamon roll for afternoon coffee.
You can also surprise your neighbors with warm cinnamon rolls. Trust me, as long as you put a little love into them, they will love you forever. Kanelbullar are truly a magical currency in their own right.
Note on cardamom and cinnamon
Buy the cardamom seeds online already unpacked and grind them with a spice grinder as needed. You could do it by hand, but that’s hard work. You can of course buy pre-ground spices, but unfortunately they always lose their flavor quickly.
When it comes to cinnamon, you should never skimp on quality – always buy good quality ground cinnamon. The cheap stuff sucks and you need a lot more to get a good taste.
if you like Swedish cinnamon rolls or kanelbullar, you might also be interested in these dishes:
Swedish cinnamon rolls or kanelbullar – recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough for about 25 pieces
- 35 G fresh yeast
- 100 G sugar
- 300 ml milk lukewarm
- 1 egg
- 120 G butter room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt*
- 1 tbsp. Cardamom* ground
- 750 G flour
The filling:
- 100 G butter room temperature
- 50 G sugar
- 2 tbsp. Cinammon*
anything else:
- 4 tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp water
Instructions
- Crumble the yeast into a bowl and mix with the lukewarm milk and sugar. Let stand about 10 minutes.
- Flour, butter and the remaining ingredients for the dough to the milk. Knead the dough in your food processor for about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Now roll out the dough so that it is about 3 mm thick and a roughly even rectangle.
- Spread (distribute) the softened butter on top. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the butter on top of the dough.
- Roll up the dough and cut the roll into slices about 2 cm thick. Lay the rolls flat, well apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover the tray lightly with a clean tea towel and let rise for about 60 minutes or until the rolls have roughly doubled in volume.
- In the meantime you can preheat the oven to 190 °C.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Mix the icing sugar with the water and spread the icing over the snails.
