Kanelbullar: Swedish cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls can be bought on every corner in Sweden and Denmark. The Swedes’ love for their traditional pastry even goes so far that they celebrate “Cinnamon Roll Day” every year on 4 October. However, the Kanelbullar from the far north are very popular over here as well and, in addition to a visit to IKEA, are increasingly sweetening the coffee table at home. Here is everything you need to know about the delicious yeast pastry.
You can find the Swedish recipe for the sweet pastries here. If you are working with yeast dough for the first time, make sure you leave it to rest long enough so that it can rise.
Kanelbullar Recipe
- 0,5 Cube Fresh yeast
- 200 ml Warm milk
- 475 g Flour
- 150 g Sugar
- 1 Pint Salt
- 2 Egg
- 150 g Butter
- 2 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 0.5 Tsp. Ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. Milk
- Coarse sugar
- Egg whisk
- Hand mixer
- Baking paper
- Pastry brush
- Ingredients
- 0,5 Cube Fresh yeast
- •200 ml Warm milk
- Utils
- Egg whisk
Crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk and stir with a whisk until it has completely dissolved.
- Ingredients
- 475 g Flour
- •75 g Sugar
- •1 Pint Salt
- •1 Egg
- •75 g Butter
- Utils
- Hand mixer
Take a new bowl and pour in the flour. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and the egg. Slowly mix with the dough hook of a food processor or hand mixer while adding the yeast milk. Then add the butter and knead everything into a smooth dough. It should not be sticky. Cover the dough and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- Ingredients
- 50 g Butter
- •75 g Sugar
- •2 Tsp. Cinnamon
- •0.5 Tsp. Ground cardamom (optional)
- Utils
- Baking paper
For the filling: Roll out the dough thinly into a rectangle on a floured work surface. Melt 50 g butter. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and optional cardamom. Then spread the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture evenly over it. Now cut the rectangle of dough lengthways and roll up both halves from the long side. Cut 12 pieces from each roll and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave to rise again for at least 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 200°C.For the glaze: Brush the top of the rolls with the soft butter using a pastry brush. Beat and separate the remaining egg. Mix the egg yolk with the milk and brush the top and sides of the rolls with it. Finally, sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake at 200°C fan oven for approx. 12 to 15 minutes.
- Ingredients
- 25 g Butter
- •1 Egg
- •1 Tbsp. Milk
- • Coarse sugar
- Utils
- Pastry brush
For the glaze: Brush the top of the rolls with the soft butter using a pastry brush. Beat and separate the remaining egg. Mix the egg yolk with the milk and brush the top and sides of the rolls with it. Finally, sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake at 200°C fan oven for approx. 12 to 15 minutes.
| Energy | 172 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 3 g |
| Fat | 8,3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 21,2 g |
| Phosphorus | 38,1 mg |
Leave the cinnamon rolls to cool slightly on a cake rack before eating and while you brew your coffee – the perfect combination for a typical Swedish fika.
Tradition & Origin
In Scandinavia, there is the Swedish kanelbulle (plural: kanelbullar) or the Danish kanelsnegl (plural: kanelsnegle), which can be bought in all bakeries and cafés. “Kanel” means “cinnamon” in both languages.
But the cinnamon bun is not only widespread in Scandinavia. They can also be found throughout North America as cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns. In Hamburg, people like to eat “Franzbrötchen”, which look something like a croissant with a cinnamon filling. Due to their different shapes, the popular pastry does not look the same everywhere: traditionally they are rolled into a round shape, but some are also knotted or wrapped. The cardamom buns (kardemummabulle), which are also very popular in Sweden, are slightly modified.
The Swedes like to eat the buns as fikabröd in their daily fika, the typical coffee break. Kanelbulle made from yeast dough probably originated here in the 1920s, when baking ingredients were available again after the First World War. They also appear in Astrid Lindgren‘s children’s books.
Since 1999, Sweden has even Kanelbullens Dag, or “Cinnamon Roll Day”, to boost sales. It takes place every year on 4 October. On no other day do so many cinnamon buns go over the counter – proof that the Swedes can’t live without their favourite pastry.
Baking Swedish cinnamon rolls
There is no such thing as the perfect kanelbulle shape. However, it is a bit nicer if they are a little irregular and therefore look like a beautiful, fresh and hand-baked pastry. Traditionally Scandinavian, they are made from a yeast dough, but there are also variations with puff pastry that are less elaborate. This can be bought as ready-made dough.
For the original recipe, it is best to use fresh yeast or alternatively dry yeast. The filling consists of butter or margarine, sugar and cinnamon, optionally cardamom. The speciality of the Swedish kanelbullar is that they are coated with egg at the end and then sprinkled with caster sugar. In the Danish version, the kanelsnegle are often decorated with icing. This makes them particularly moist.
Buy Swedish cinnamon rolls
Kanelbullar are perfect for any fika at home. Even though we tend to associate the flavour of cinnamon with winter and Christmas, they taste good with coffee and tea all year round.
If you’re not travelling to Scandinavia or don’t want to bake, you can also get quick cinnamon buns in the supermarket. The small gifflar from the company Pågen are originally Swedish and are also perfect as a sweet snack. You can also find frozen cinnamon buns for baking at home – whether for a spontaneous visit or a treat between meals.
