Kanelbullar: Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Kanelbullar are popular Swedish cinnamon buns that can be found everywhere in Sweden, from bakeries to convenience stores and even gas stations. They are heavily spiced with cinnamon and a touch of cardamom. While they are soft and sweet, they are not as sweet as their American counterparts, as they are usually topped with pearl sugar instead of glaze.
Pearl Sugar
Pearl sugar, also known as nib sugar or hail sugar, is a common ingredient in baking. Although it is not exclusive to Sweden, it has a more prominent presence here compared to the United States. Pearl sugar is readily available in most Swedish grocery stores and specialty baking supply shops. Its accessibility encourages its use in various recipes, making it a familiar ingredient for Swedish home cooks and professional bakers.
Pearl sugar adds a unique texture and sweetness to baked goods. The larger sugar grains have a crunchy, pearl-like appearance. Swedes enjoy the contrast between the soft, doughy pastry and the crispy, caramelized sugar on top. Certain foods and ingredients become deeply intertwined with a country’s cultural identity, and pearl sugar has become a recognizable symbol of Swedish baking. Its use in traditional recipes evokes a sense of heritage and authenticity. In American baking traditions, there is often a greater emphasis on ingredients like chocolate chips, sprinkles, or icing for texture and sweetness.
Slight Recipe Change
Below is my original cardamom bun recipe, which combines elements from two dough recipes I used while working at two different bakeries in Stockholm. I always believed it was quite good. However, after receiving comments about the dough being dry in my video and my kardemummabullar video, I realized that the dough was slightly dry. Different flours from different countries react differently. To avoid dryness, I have added an extra 50 grams of water to all my bun recipes going forward. So far, I have received no comments about dryness. If you live in Scandinavia, you can follow the recipe as is. If you’re in the US, I suggest adding 50 grams of water to the recipe. Unfortunately, I have not baked these buns anywhere else, so you may need to experiment a little.
Kanelbullar, Swedish cinnamon buns, are incredibly delicious. Once you take a bite, you’ll understand why Swedes are so obsessed with them.
Kanelbullar: Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
Bun Dough:
- 500 g nonfat milk
- 1100 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g sugar
- 200 g butter
- 23 g ground cardamom
- 70 g fresh yeast or 23g dry yeast
- 15 g salt
Cinnamon Filling:
- 300 g butter
- 120 g sugar
- 20 g cinnamon
- 10 g salt optional
Topping:
- 1 beaten egg
- Pearl Sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add all the ingredients for the bun dough.
- Attach the hook and mix on low speed for about 5 minutes, or until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Increase the speed to medium or medium-high and continue mixing for 15-30 minutes to develop gluten in the dough.
- Once the dough becomes smooth and pliable, cover it with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is resting make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients together.
- Turn the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a rectangle. Allow it to rest for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle, aiming for a thickness of about 1cm (⅓ inch).
- Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll up the dough tightly and cut it into individual buns. Ideally, each bun should weigh around 100g, but a range of 95g to 105g is acceptable.
- Place the buns on a baking tray, cover them, and let them rise until they double in size, which usually takes about 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 225°C (430°F).
- Bake the buns for approximately 8 minutes or until they turn golden brown. To prevent over-browning, check them around the 5-minute mark and rotate the tray if necessary.
- As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them with beaten egg wash.
- Immediately sprinkle pearl sugar on top of the buns.
- Allow the buns to cool (if you can resist the temptation) and enjoy!