Swedish cinnamon buns or 'kanelbullar' are typically twisted and tied into little doughy knots, instead of frosting/icing on the top like the USA counterparts, these buns are sprinkled with pearl sugar. The dough in Swedish cinnamon buns is also kneaded with a hint of cardamom for a nice twist on this delicious morning bun!
Makes around 36 small buns
- 500 ml milk (2 cups + 2 tbsp)
- 5 tsp yeast (or 50g of fresh yeast)
- 10.5 tbsp salted butter room temperature (150g)
- 1.5 cup sugar (100g)
- 1 egg
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 7 cups bread flour (840g)
Brushing
- 1 egg
- Pearl sugar
Filling
- 200g salted butter, room temperature (3/4 cup +2 tbsp)
- 0.5 cup sugar (200g)
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
Directions:
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk to 41ºC (105ºF). Add the warmed milk and yeast to your mixing bowl and mix on low speed until just beginning to come together. Turn off your mixer and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the butter, sugar, egg, salt and (if desired) the cardamom. Mix until combined
- With your mixer on low speed, add the flour, a little at a time. Pull the arm towards the middle of the bowl, as necessary, to help incorporate ingredients.
- Increase speed to medium and set timer for 5 minutes to let the mixture knead. (Jo's tips - I let it knead for around 8-10 minutes)
- Cover the bowl with a cover and let it rise for 40 minutes (Jo's tip - I used my oven proofing setting for 30 minutes which did the trick perfectly)
- Prepare the filling while waiting for the dough to rise: Add the softened butter, in small pieces, the sugar and the cinnamon and mix on low speed until it's a smooth paste.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal portions. Roll each portion into a 17x12 inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle with the filling and then fold in half so that each rectangle is now 17x6 inches. Cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. Twist strips and turn them into knots. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes. (Jo's tips - you want long thin strips to make the buns - the first time I made theses I cut them way too short recommend watching a youtube video on how you twist the strips because it's hard to describe!)
- Preheat the oven to 225º (435ºF) Brush the buns with egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Bake the buns in the middle of the oven for 5-10 minutes. Cover the buns with a kitchen/tea towel and let cool on a wire rack. (Jo's tips - I didn't have any pearl sugar, instead I made a simple syrup glaze and brushed them with this as soon as they came out of the oven and sprinkles some sugar on the top)