Kanelbulle

Kanelbulle (Swedish Cinnamon Cardamom Buns)

The quintessential Swedish fika pastry: a soft, cardamom-scented yeasted dough wrapped around a cinnamon-sugar butter filling, shaped into a knot, and topped with pearl sugar.

Prep

45 min

Cook

12 min

Total

57 min

Serves

12 buns

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bread flour, or all-purpose with high protein content
• •250 ml (1 cup) whole milk
• •80 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
• •10 g (2 tsp) active dry yeast
• •1 tsp fine sea salt
• •2 tsp ground cardamom, freshly ground green cardamom pods preferred
• •1 large egg, at room temperature
• •100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, for dough
• •100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, for filling
• •75 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar, for filling, mixed with cinnamon
• •2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• •1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• •40 g (¼ cup) pearl sugar, Swedish pärlsocker; coarse sugar is a fair substitute

Steps

1. 1 Warm the milk to about 38°C (100°F). Sprinkle yeast over the milk with a pinch of sugar, stir gently, and let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy.
2. 2 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. Make a well in the center.
3. 3 Pour the yeast-milk mixture into the well. Add the egg and softened butter. Mix with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand for 8–10 minutes (or 6–8 minutes in a stand mixer with dough hook) until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the bowl. It should feel soft and slightly tacky.
4. 4 Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for 45–60 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
5. 5 While the dough rises, prepare the filling: beat the softened butter with sugar and cinnamon until smooth and spreadable.
6. 6 Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle approximately 40 × 50 cm (16 × 20 inches), with the long edge facing you.
7. 7 Spread the cinnamon-butter filling evenly over the surface, leaving a 1 cm (½ inch) strip clean along the top long edge.
8. 8 Starting from the long edge nearest you, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam gently to seal.
9. 9 Trim the ends and cut the log into 12 equal pieces, each about 4 cm (1.5 inches) wide.
10. 10 To shape the classic Swedish knot: take one piece and roll it gently under your palm to elongate it to about 35 cm (14 inches). Twist the strip into a figure-eight or loose knot, tucking one end under the center and the other end over the top, so the cut sides show the swirl. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with all 12 pieces.
11. 11 Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise 30–45 minutes until puffy. Preheat the oven to 225°C (435°F) about 10 minutes before baking.
12. 12 Brush the risen buns gently with beaten egg. Sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.
13. 13 Bake on the middle rack for 10–14 minutes, until deep golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 94°C (200°F). The bottoms should not be pale — slide them off the sheet to check.
14. 14 Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Kanelbullar are best eaten the day they are baked, ideally with a cup of strong black coffee for fika.