Cinnamon Bun
Kanelbulle is the Swedish cinnamon bun — a soft, lightly enriched dough flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom, twisted into distinctive knots and scattered with pearl sugar. Sweden celebrates it with its own day, October 4th, and the bun appears in every café and bakery in the country. The cardamom in the dough is what separates the Swedish version from American or German cinnamon rolls. The dough must be enriched enough to stay soft — the butter and egg content matters — but not so rich that it becomes brioche-like and heavy. The filling is spread across the full surface, then the dough is folded and rerolled before cutting, which distributes the cinnamon-sugar through the layers rather than concentrating it in the centre. Covering the baked buns immediately with a clean tea towel traps the steam and keeps the crust soft.
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 12 servings
- 500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 250 ml whole milk
- 7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
- 10 g caster sugar (for dough)
- 1 large egg
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75 g unsalted butter, softened (filling)
- 75 g caster sugar (filling)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (filling)
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 2 tbsp pearl sugar
How to make it
- 1Warm the milk to 37°C, stir in the yeast and the 10 g of caster sugar, and leave for 5–10 minutes until frothy.
- 2Combine the flour, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl; make a well, pour in the yeast mixture and beaten egg, then bring together into a rough dough.
- 3Add the 100 g of softened butter a piece at a time and knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticks to your hands; cover and leave in a warm place for 60–90 minutes until doubled in size.
- 4Beat together the 75 g of butter, 75 g of caster sugar, cinnamon, and the second teaspoon of cardamom until smooth for the filling.
- 5Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 40×50 cm rectangle; spread the filling evenly, fold the dough lengthways into thirds, roll again, and cut into 12 strips.
- 6Twist each strip and coil into a knot, tucking the end underneath, then space on lined baking trays; cover loosely and prove 30–45 minutes until noticeably puffed, while preheating the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).
- 7Brush with beaten egg, scatter with pearl sugar, and bake for 12–15 minutes until deep golden brown; transfer to a wire rack and cover with a tea towel to keep them soft.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
