Kanelbullar (Swedish Cinnamon Buns)
By Andrea GearyPublished on November 2, 2021
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours chilling and rising
Yield
Makes 12 buns
Ingredients
Flour Paste
¾ cup milk ¼ cup (1⅓ ounces/38 grams) bread flourDough
½ cup milk, chilled2 cups (11 ounces/312 grams) bread flour 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast ¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon table salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces and softened2 teaspoons cardamom seeds, ground coarseFilling
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) granulated sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon bread flour ¼ teaspoon table saltTo Bake
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and pinch table salt¼ cup Swedish pearl sugarBefore You Begin
We strongly recommend using a scale to measure the flour. It’s well worth seeking out cardamom seeds at a South Asian market or online. Alternatively, crack open whole green cardamom pods and remove the seeds yourself. Coarsely grind the seeds using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Click on the link to "Shaping Kanelbullar" below the recipe instructions for step-by-step illustrations. Watching the recipe video is helpful when learning how to shape the buns. Swedish pearl sugar is available online; you can substitute turbinado sugar (sometimes sold as Sugar in the Raw) if you prefer, though it may soften on the buns during storage.
Instructions
- Whisk milk and flour in small bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture has thick, stiff consistency, 1 to 2 minutes.
- In bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour paste and milk until smooth. Add flour and yeast. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 1 to 2 minutes (dough will look quite dry). Let stand for 15 minutes. Add sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Stop mixer and add butter and cardamom. Continue to mix on medium-low speed 5 minutes longer, scraping down dough hook and sides of bowl halfway through mixing (dough may stick to bottom of bowl but should clear sides).
- Lightly grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Transfer dough to prepared pan (scrape bowl but do not wash). Flip dough, then press and stretch dough until it reaches edges of pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. While dough chills, make filling.
- Add all ingredients to now-empty mixer bowl. Fit mixer with paddle and mix on low speed until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Line 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to well‑floured counter. Roll dough into 18 by 10-inch rectangle, with shorter side parallel to edge of counter. Using offset spatula, spread filling over lower two‑thirds of rectangle, going all the way to edges (if filling is too stiff to spread, transfer to smaller bowl and microwave for 5 to 10 seconds). Fold upper third of dough over middle third. Fold lower third over middle third to create 6 by 10-inch rectangle. Roll into 12-inch square.
- Cut dough into twelve 1-inch strips. Following photos in "Shaping Kanelbullar," below, cut each strip in half lengthwise, leaving it attached at very top (each strip will look like a pair of legs) (A). Extend 1 strip to 24-inch length, but do not stretch (B). Starting at 1 end, wrap strip around tips of your first 3 fingers (C), loosely coiling strands side by side along length of your fingers (D). Continue to wrap loosely until you have just 4 to 6 inches left (E). Use your thumb to pin dough to side of bundle closest to you, then loop remaining strip over bundle (F). Transfer to prepared sheet, tucking end of strip under bun (G). Repeat with remaining strips. Cover sheet with plastic or damp dish towel. Let sit until slightly puffed, about 1 hour.
- About 15 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush buns with egg mixture (you won’t need all of it) and sprinkle 1 teaspoon pearl sugar on top of each bun. Bake until buns are golden brown and register at least 200 degrees, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer buns, still on sheet, to wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Use spatula to transfer buns to wire rack (some filling may leak out and form crisp frill around bun). Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. (Buns can be cooled completely and stored in zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks.)
for the flour paste
for the dough
for the filling
to bake
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours chilling and risingYield
Makes 12 bunsIngredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Filling
To Bake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Filling
To Bake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Flour Paste
Dough
Filling
To Bake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Swedish cinnamon buns are modest in terms of sweetness, richness, and size, but they’re lavishly spiced; not only are they swirled with an assertive cinnamon filling, but the dough itself is studded with crushed cardamom seeds, which gives the buns the sweet, almost menthol-like flavor that’s foundational in Swedish baking. We incorporated a cooked flour-and-milk paste, called tangzhong, into our dough. It trapped moisture, so the high-hydration dough wasn’t sticky or difficult to work with. The water in the dough converted to steam during baking, which made the buns fluffy and light. Cardamom has an inhibitory effect on yeast, so we used more yeast than normal to counteract this.
Refrigerating the dough for an hour allowed the flour to fully absorb moisture and the butter to firm up, making the dough easier to handle, and preshaping it in a baking pan made it easier to roll out later. Starting with a long strip of dough was important when shaping each bun, but stretching the strips strengthened the gluten, which caused the buns to snap back when baked. Instead of stretching, we cut each strip almost in half and then opened it up to a 2-foot length. Shaping the buns loosely gave them the space to expand during baking without becoming misshapen. Swedish pearl sugar, sprinkled on the buns before baking, provided a bit more sweetness and some crunch.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
We strongly recommend using a scale to measure the flour. It’s well worth seeking out cardamom seeds at a South Asian market or online. Alternatively, crack open whole green cardamom pods and remove the seeds yourself. Coarsely grind the seeds using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Click on the link to "Shaping Kanelbullar" below the recipe instructions for step-by-step illustrations. Watching the recipe video is helpful when learning how to shape the buns. Swedish pearl sugar is available online; you can substitute turbinado sugar (sometimes sold as Sugar in the Raw) if you prefer, though it may soften on the buns during storage.
Instructions
- Whisk milk and flour in small bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture has thick, stiff consistency, 1 to 2 minutes.
- In bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour paste and milk until smooth. Add flour and yeast. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 1 to 2 minutes (dough will look quite dry). Let stand for 15 minutes. Add sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Stop mixer and add butter and cardamom. Continue to mix on medium-low speed 5 minutes longer, scraping down dough hook and sides of bowl halfway through mixing (dough may stick to bottom of bowl but should clear sides).
- Lightly grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Transfer dough to prepared pan (scrape bowl but do not wash). Flip dough, then press and stretch dough until it reaches edges of pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. While dough chills, make filling.
- Add all ingredients to now-empty mixer bowl. Fit mixer with paddle and mix on low speed until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Line 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to well‑floured counter. Roll dough into 18 by 10-inch rectangle, with shorter side parallel to edge of counter. Using offset spatula, spread filling over lower two‑thirds of rectangle, going all the way to edges (if filling is too stiff to spread, transfer to smaller bowl and microwave for 5 to 10 seconds). Fold upper third of dough over middle third. Fold lower third over middle third to create 6 by 10-inch rectangle. Roll into 12-inch square.
- Cut dough into twelve 1-inch strips. Following photos in "Shaping Kanelbullar," below, cut each strip in half lengthwise, leaving it attached at very top (each strip will look like a pair of legs) (A). Extend 1 strip to 24-inch length, but do not stretch (B). Starting at 1 end, wrap strip around tips of your first 3 fingers (C), loosely coiling strands side by side along length of your fingers (D). Continue to wrap loosely until you have just 4 to 6 inches left (E). Use your thumb to pin dough to side of bundle closest to you, then loop remaining strip over bundle (F). Transfer to prepared sheet, tucking end of strip under bun (G). Repeat with remaining strips. Cover sheet with plastic or damp dish towel. Let sit until slightly puffed, about 1 hour.
- About 15 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush buns with egg mixture (you won’t need all of it) and sprinkle 1 teaspoon pearl sugar on top of each bun. Bake until buns are golden brown and register at least 200 degrees, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer buns, still on sheet, to wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Use spatula to transfer buns to wire rack (some filling may leak out and form crisp frill around bun). Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. (Buns can be cooled completely and stored in zipper-lock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks.)
for the flour paste
for the dough
for the filling
to bake
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