Cinnamon bun

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 mlwhole milk
• 50 gfresh yeast, or 15 g instant dried yeast
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspfine salt
• 2 tspcardamom seeds, freshly crushed in a mortar (about 20 pods)
• 150 gbutter, softened
• 850 gstrong white flour, plus more for dusting
• 1egg, for the dough

Filling

• 150 gbutter, very soft
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 2 tbspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground cardamom
• a pinch of salt

To finish

• 1egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
• 3 tbsppärlsocker, Swedish pearl sugar
• 20paper cases, or a lined tray

Directions

1. Warm the milk to 37°C (100°F), no hotter, and crumble in the fresh yeast, stirring until it dissolves. If using dried yeast, mix it into the flour instead.
2. Add the sugar, salt, crushed cardamom, the egg and most of the flour, and work to a shaggy dough in a mixer with a dough hook or by hand.
3. Add the softened butter in pieces and knead 10 to 12 minutes until the dough is smooth, glossy and pulls away from the bowl but still feels slightly tacky. Swedish bakers keep this dough soft.
4. Cover and prove at room temperature for about 45 minutes, until doubled and domed.
5. Beat the filling ingredients to a smooth, spreadable paste. It must be soft enough to spread without tearing the dough but not melted.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured bench to a rectangle roughly 40 by 50 cm and 5 mm thick, and spread the filling right to the edges.
7. For classic bullar, roll it up tightly from the long side and cut into 2 cm slices, laying each cut side up in a paper case. For knots, fold the rectangle in half, cut 2 cm strips, twist each strip twice and wind it round two fingers, tucking the end under.
8. Cover and prove a second time for 45 to 60 minutes, until visibly puffed and slow to spring back when pressed.
9. Heat the oven to 225°C (425°F). Brush the buns with the egg glaze and scatter pearl sugar over.
10. Bake 8 to 12 minutes until deep golden brown with the filling bubbling darkly at the base. Cool on a rack under a cloth so the crust stays soft, and eat the same day with coffee.

Technique

• Cardamom in the dough is what separates a Swedish kanelbulle from an American cinnamon roll. Crush whole green pods in a mortar just before mixing; pre-ground cardamom loses most of its oil within weeks.
• There is no icing on a Swedish bun. The finish is egg wash and pearl sugar, and a glazed frosted bun would be regarded as a different pastry altogether.
• The oven must be hot and the bake short. A long bake at a lower temperature dries the crumb and lets the butter filling leak away before the dough sets.

Substitutions

• No pearl sugar: crushed sugar cubes are the standard household substitute, or use flaked almonds.
• No fresh yeast: 15 g instant dried yeast mixed into the flour behaves the same, though the dough may need 5 minutes longer to rise.

Variations

• Kardemummabullar, where cardamom replaces the cinnamon in the filling entirely.
• Vaniljbullar, filled with thick vanilla custard, a bakery classic.
• Kanelbullens dag, 4 October, when the whole country bakes them; the knot shape is the modern bakery standard.

History

Cardamom and cinnamon buns spread in Sweden in the 1920s as sugar and spice became affordable; 4 October was declared Kanelbullens dag in 1999.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cinnamon bun?

Cinnamon bun is a bread & pastry from Sweden: cardamom-cinnamon swirl bun, star of fika coffee breaks. Cardamom and cinnamon buns spread in Sweden in the 1920s as sugar and spice became affordable; 4 October was declared Kanelbullens dag in 1999.

How long does Cinnamon bun take to make?

Cinnamon bun takes 40 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min rising plus 12 min baking of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 buns. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Cinnamon bun?

Yes, within limits. No pearl sugar: crushed sugar cubes are the standard household substitute, or use flaked almonds. No fresh yeast: 15 g instant dried yeast mixed into the flour behaves the same, though the dough may need 5 minutes longer to rise.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cinnamon bun?

Beat the filling ingredients to a smooth, spreadable paste. It must be soft enough to spread without tearing the dough but not melted.