Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

5 from 3 votes

These Kanelbullar, or Swedish Cinnamon buns, are light, fluffy and simple in flavor. The focus is on the fragrance of the cinnamon, the accent of the cardamom, and soft texture of the dough, contrasting the crunchy pearl sugar (optional).

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Servings 10

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Rest Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Ingredients

Dough

400 g Flour All Purpose or Bread Flour
1 tsp Yeast about half a US packet
125 ml Milk Warm
120 ml Water Warm
55 g Butter Softened
25 g Sugar
.5 tsp Salt or 1/4 tsp if using salted butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract/Paste/Vanilla Sugar Optional

Milk for milk wash
Pearl Sugar to garnish

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

90 g Soft Brown Sugar
55 g Unsalted Butter Softened
2 tsp Cinnamon Powder If not using cardamom, increase to 1.5 teaspoon
.5 tsp Cardamom Powder optional

Sugar Syrup (Optional)

50 ml Water
50 ml Sugar
.5 tsp Vanilla Extract/Paste Optional

Instructions

Make the Kanelbullar Dough

Add all dough ingredients to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook and knead until smooth, about 5-7 minutes or so.
Make sure the liquids are just warm, not hot. 95-100 degrees F (35-38 C) is best. If kneading by hand, it may take 8-10 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball, cover and rest for 45 minutes.
Roll the dough out to about 55cmx30 cm or 21.5inx11.5 inches, roughly.
Important: Make sure the bottom is not sticking to the surface, it will help later.
Spread butter on two-thirds of the dough.
Mix the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom, if using. Sprinkle evenly over the butter.
Fold the bare side of dough over the middle, like turning a page or folding a letter. Then fold the other third over the middle also. You will now have a layered dough.
Cut the dough into ten equal strips. Then form your buns. See options in Notes.
Place on lined baking sheets about 5cm/2in apart and cover loosely, Let rise until puffy, 1 to 1.5 hours. Preheat the oven 20 minutes out to 420F or 215C.
Brush the buns with milk and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
You can also use granulated sugar, but it may caramelize and not have the exact same crunchy texture.
Bake the buns for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup, if using. Brush the buns with syrup while warm.

Make the Sugar Syrup

Mix the sugar and water in a small saucepan.
Dissolve the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until thickened. Add vanilla extract/paste, if you like.

Notes

Using Cardamom: You can omit the cardamom if you want or don't have it. It does add a unique, warm accent to the flavor.

Using Pearl Sugar: You can also use regular caster sugar instead of peal sugar. It won't have the same crunchy texture, and it may melt and/or caramelize, but this is a beautiful flavor in itself.

Twisting/Rolling the Buns: You can roll or twist the knots however you like! I offered two options, but you can find many forms in Sweden.

Author: Rena

Calories: 296kcal

Cost: $

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: European, Swedish

Keyword: cinnamon buns, cinnamon rolls, kanelbullar, kanelbulle, swedish cinnamon buns

Nutrition