Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

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With continuous rain and gloomy weather, we are stuck indoors over the weekends. So, to keep myself occupied and entertained, I have been on a baking spree and tried my hands at baking some of the most popular treats, like the Swedish Cinnamon Buns. Since the holiday season is coming up, I thought this would be the perfect recipe to share this week.

These Swedish Cinnamon Buns are unbelievably gorgeous, absolutely delicious and the perfect treat to bake for the holidays!

Soft, fluffy, and perfectly spiced with cardamom and cinnamon, every bite is packed with flavor. And, not to mention, these freshly baked buns will make your home smell like Sweden bakeries!

While the recipe doesn't call for a ton of ingredients and active work, it does require a lot of time and patience waiting for the dough to rise.

What are Swedish Cinnamon Buns?

The Swedish Cinnamon Buns are almost similar to the American-style Cinnamon Rolls. However, unlike American cinnamon rolls, Swedish cinnamon buns, or kanelbullar( as they are called in Sweden) involve cutting the dough into strips, which are then twisted and shaped into knots. Traditionally, they’re also topped with pearl sugar for a slight crunch and additional sweetness, instead of the traditional American cinnamon bun glaze.

Kanelbulle is served in most bakeries and cafes in Sweden and is one of the most popular accompaniments to their coffee break that is called ''fika''.They are so important to the country's culture that since 1999 a whole day, the 4th of October, has been devoted to this sweet treat!

Looking for more delicious holiday brunch recipes? You’ll love these too:

• Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish
• Blueberry Zucchini Bread
• Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

How to Store and Reheat the Extras?

These Cinnamon buns are best served fresh out of the oven, but will keep in an airtight container 2-3 days. When eaten the next day, they can be warmed by putting in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to get “fresh out of the oven” taste again.


Extra Notes

• Make sure that the butter is at room temperature before using it in the recipe. A lot of recipes call for using melted butter in the filling, but that will cause the filling to leak out before baking.
• Don’t overheat the milk. The milk should be warm, and not HOT. The temperature should be around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything hotter is likely to kill the yeast and deactivate it, which means the cinnamon rolls will not rise.
• Make sure you dust your work surface and the rolling pin with flour properly, this will prevent the cinnamon rolls from sticking to the surface or the rolling pin.
• If you find shaping the knots difficult, you can also shape the rolls like coils like the American-style Cinnamon Rolls. They will still taste delicious!

If you make these Swedish Cinnamon Buns, I would love to know how they turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns(Kanelbullar)
Author: Happily Cooking
Preparation Time: 20min
Resting Time: 2hrs
Cooking time: 20min
Yields: 12-14 buns
Calories per serving: 216kcal

Ingredients:

For the Dough
• 4 cups white flour
• 1/2 white sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 14 g instant dried yeast
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup milk, warmed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Cinnamon Filling
• 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 egg, whisked for egg wash

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix warm milk with yeast, then set aside until foamy for 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour, sugar and the salt into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
3. Lightly mix the ingredients together using the dough hook. Then, add the egg to the bowl.
4. Add the milk with yeast and the butter to the flour mixture and mix until everything is well combined.
5. Knead the dough on medium speed for about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. The dough is ready when it is soft and smooth, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.
7. Place the dough in a large bowl brushed with oil, and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place or on the counter for 1-1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Keep in mind that rising will be slower in cold weather.
8. Meanwhile to make the cinnamon filling, in a small bowl, combine the soft butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and the salt until you have a smooth paste that is spreadable.
9. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch back the dough to release all of the air and gently knead the dough a few times.
10. Turn the dough out onto a large floured work surface and roll out the dough into a rectangle shape measuring approximately 40 x 30 cm.
11. Using a knife evenly spread the cinnamon filling all over the prepared dough.
12. Fold the left third of the dough in towards the center, and fold the right third of the dough over that towards the center, like you’re folding a business letter.
13. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough and smooth out any air bubbles.
14. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into strips measuring 2 cm wide. You should get about 12-15 strips.
15. Twist each strip several times, slightly stretching it as you do so. Grab one end of the twisted strip and coil the dough around your hand twice, then over the top. Coil dough again and tuck the loose end in at the bottom.
16. Arrange the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, keeping as much space between them as possible. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
17. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
18. Brush buns with an egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow buns to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
19. Serve warm!