Sweden has one of the highest per-capita cinnamon consumption rates in the world, and kanelbullar (soft, pillowy cinnamon buns enriched with cardamom) are the centrepiece of the Swedish tradition of fika: the ritual pause for coffee and something sweet. Sweden even has its own national Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day) on 4 October. Cinnamon arrived in Sweden via the Dutch spice trade and Hanseatic League networks in the 17th century, and its incorporation into Swedish baking is one of the most complete transformations of an exotic tropical spice into an embedded national food identity in European culinary history.
Ingredients
Dough
500 g strong white bread flour
7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
300 ml whole milk, lukewarm
75 g butter, softened
60 g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp fine salt
1 egg
Filling
75 g butter, very soft (for filling)
80 g light brown sugar (for filling)
2 tbsp ground cinnamon (for filling)
0.5 tsp ground cardamom (for filling)
Glaze
1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
Topping
2 tbsp pearl sugar or roughly crushed sugar cubes
Method
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, caster sugar, ground cardamom and salt. Mix briefly.
Add the lukewarm milk, egg and softened butter. Mix to bring together into a rough dough, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
Shape into a ball, return to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and prove in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
While the dough proves, mix the very soft butter with the light brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground cardamom to make the filling. Set aside at room temperature.
Turn the proved dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a large rectangle, approximately 40x50cm.
Spread the cinnamon butter filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough rectangle, right to the edges.
Starting from one of the long edges, roll the dough up tightly into an even log. Cut the log into 20 equal pieces, approximately 2.5cm thick.
Place the rolls cut-side up on baking trays lined with baking parchment, spacing them a few centimetres apart. Cover loosely and prove for a further 30-40 minutes until noticeably puffed.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Brush the top of each bun gently with beaten egg. Scatter pearl sugar over the tops.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack. Eat warm.
Notes
Kanelbullar are best eaten within 24 hours, still slightly warm. They freeze well before the final prove: freeze after shaping and defrost overnight in the fridge, then prove at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking.
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