Name: Kanelbullar
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 7 g yeast (= 1 sachet); 450 ml milk; 120 g butter; 100 g granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; 750 g flour; 150 g butter (room temperature); 50 g brown sugar; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon cardamom; 1 large egg; 2 tbsp water; 2 tbsp pearl sugar

If you’ve ever been to Denmark or Sweden you must have tried a traditional kanelbullar. These Swedish (or Danish) cinnamon buns are delicious and have ground cardamom as an extra ingredient. Perfect for serving with a nice cup of coffee or as a snack in between meals. I could frankly eat them all day!

Kanelbullar recipe

So let me first explain what the difference is between American cinnamon buns or these kanelbullar or Swedish cinnamon rolls. The first difference is that they are not as sweet as American cinnamon rolls. Secondly they have a hint of cardamom in the cinnamon filling and in the dough itself. And thirdly they are baked in such a way that they do not touch the other cinnamon rolls. So they are brown around all of the sides.

Those three things are the main differences between the two cinnamon buns. I love them both, but since I’ve been to Sweden (and visited the Swedish bakery very often!) recently I promised to share a recipe for homemade kanelbullar. So here it is!

What you need for making kanelbullar

Kanelbullar are made with a yeasted dough so you need yeast. I usually don’t add fresh yeast but use instant yeast instead. I find it easier and works fine. These are the ingredients needed for the dough:

milk – I use whole milk
instant yeast – active dry yeast
softened butter
granulated sugar – for a slightly different flavor you can go for brown sugar in the filling as well
egg
ground cardamom
all purpose flour

How to make the dough

The first step for making the kanelbullar dough is to put the yeast in a small bowl with a little bit of luke warm milk. Wait for it to bubble just a little bit. Melt the butter and add the rest of the milk. Now add the rest of the dry ingredients and the egg and knead for 10 to 15 minutes.

You can use a stand mixer to start the kneading process but depending on your machine you might need to finish by hand. I find the gluten development best when working with my hands. I use a lightly floured surface to do the remainder of the kneading. You want to have a soft pliable dough.

Now place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place and cover with a clean kitchen towel as well. Let it rest for around 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

How to make the kanelbullar filling

For making the cinnamon filling you need unsalted butter at room temperature, white or brown sugar, cinnamon and ground cardamom. I’ve used just half a teaspoon of ground cardamom but you can add a little more. Since there is also already cardamom in the dough I find that is enough cardamom but you can definitely add more.

For the filling you need soft butter as you spread it on top of the dough. You then sprinkle it with the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.

Rolling the dough

Once the dough has risen you roll it out with a rolling pin to about 1/2 centimeter (0.2 inch) thick and 30 by 15 centimeters (12 inch by 6 inch) wide. Spread the butter, sugar and cinnamon plus cardamom on the dough. Now roll up the long side of the dough so you have a long thick sausage. Take a sharp knife (or pizza cutter) and cut into thick slices.

Place each slice on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (cut side up) and let it rest and rise again for about an hour. Make sure to leave enough space between the rolls as you do not want them to touch one another. They should double in size in about an hour or so.

Make the egg wash

Once the Swedish cardamom buns are risen properly you make an egg wash by mixing the egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Using a pastry brush brush the egg wash over the top of the kanelbullar. Now sprinkle the rolls with some Swedish pearl sugar or regular pearl sugar. To be honest, I don’t know if there is a difference in types of sugar but I bought a small bag of pearl sugar in Sweden. If you don’t have pearl sugar you can use caster sugar, but it won’t look as pretty.

Place in the middle of the oven at 200˚C (400˚F) for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. Now enjoy them on your next coffee break!

Some fun facts and tips about kanelbullar

What is the origin of the kanelbullar

Now here’s a good question; if you go to Denmark you will find kanelbullar everywhere and I’m sure they will claim that it is originally Danish. But the same happens when you go to Sweden or any other Nordic country for that matter. So it’s save to say that it originated in Scandinavia, but in which country exactly remains a mystery.

How many cinnamon buns do the Swedes eat?

It’s reported they eat an amazing amount of 230 kanelbullar every year. They even have a cinnamon bun day (October 4th) and of course it’s a famous thing to eat during the so called FIKA. On kanelbullens dag the stores sell around 8 million kanelbullar on that one day! Insane right?

How long can I keep the kanelbullar?

This Swedish cinnamon buns recipe is best enjoyed the day you made them. That way they are still soft and crunchy and delicious. But you can keep them for 2-3 days in an airtight container or freeze them. Reheating the next day briefly in the oven is also possible.

My kanelbullar don’t rise

You’ve most likely not kneaded the dough enough. By hand it takes around 10 to 15 minutes for the gluten to develop. In a machine it takes around 8 minutes but that depends on the machine too. Also make sure you place them in a warm place so they can properly rise.

My kanelbullar are a bit hard and not soft on the inside?

If you’ve not kneaded correctly and not let the dough rise for long enough you might be left with kanelbullar that are not as soft and delicious as they should be. It also helps to add a bowl of water at the bottom of the oven so that steam releases during the baking. That way the kanelbullar will be softer, but it all starts with the right kneading and rising.