Kanelbullar
Swedish cardamom-scented cinnamon buns, knotted and topped with pearl sugar
Every Swedish café from Malmö to Kiruna keeps a tray of kanelbullar by the till, and on 4 October, Kanelbullens dag, bakeries can barely keep up. They belong to fika, the mid-morning or afternoon pause for coffee and something sweet. Unlike the big, iced American roll, a Swedish bun is modest and buttery: the dough is perfumed with freshly crushed cardamom, the filling is a thin smear of cinnamon butter, and the top gets a scatter of crunchy pearl sugar instead of frosting. This version shapes them into knots, the way Stockholm bakers do, though plain spirals baked in paper cases are just as traditional at home. Chef's tip: crush the cardamom seeds yourself just before mixing; ready-ground cardamom loses most of its scent within weeks and the buns will taste only of cinnamon.
- Total time
- 52 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To finish
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Warm 1 cup whole milk and 2 ⅝ oz unsalted butter in a small pan over a low heat just until the butter melts. Let it cool until it feels barely warm on your wrist, about 99°F; hotter milk will kill the yeast.
5 minStep 2: In a large bowl mix ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar, 10 green cardamom pods, ½ tsp salt and most of the 16 oz strong white bread flour. Pour in the warm milk and work it into a soft dough, adding the rest of the flour a spoonful at a time only if it is too sticky to handle.
Step 3: Knead for 8–10 minutes by hand (5 minutes with a dough hook) until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky and springs back slowly when pressed. Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled.
70 minStep 4: Meanwhile beat 3 ½ oz unsalted butter, 2 ⅞ oz light brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon into a smooth, spreadable paste.
Step 5: Knock back the dough and roll it on a lightly floured worktop into a rectangle about 30 × 50 cm. Spread the cinnamon butter right to the edges in a thin, even layer.
Step 6: Fold the dough in three like a letter along the long side so you have a strip about 10 × 50 cm. Roll it lightly to press the layers together, then cut it across into 16 strips about 3 cm wide.
Step 7: To knot each bun, cut each strip lengthways into two legs, leaving the top 1 cm joined. Twist the legs around each other, then wind the twisted rope around two fingers and tuck the end through the middle. Set them on two lined baking trays.
Step 8: Cover loosely and leave to rise for 30–40 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip leaves a dent that fills back slowly. Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan).
35 minStep 9: Brush the buns with 1 egg and scatter generously with 3 tbsp pearl sugar (pärlsocker). The commonest mistake is under-proving at this stage: tight, dense buns that tear open in the oven are a sign they needed another 10 minutes.
Step 10: Bake one tray at a time for 9–12 minutes, until deep golden and the kitchen smells of toasted cinnamon. Cool on a rack under a clean tea towel so the crust stays soft. They freeze well; warm them briefly in a low oven.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kanelbullar take?
- About 52 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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