Classic Swedish Cinnamon Buns (bread machine)

I made these classic Swedish cinnamon buns to celebrate the fact that it is kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) day in Sweden.

I’ve never made my own kanelbullar before and thought today would be the perfect chance to remedy that. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made every bun under the sun, including chocolate cinnamon buns but have never followed a traditional Swedish recipe.

To be honest, the dough for these classic Swedish cinnamon buns isn’t that different to the one I used for pretty much all my bread. On doing some research, it appears that there isn’t any one particular recipe for traditional Swedish kanelbullar, but all had one thing in common: using cardamom in the dough.

Cardamom is often used in Swedish baking; in the right quantity, it gently flavours the bread giving it a distinct taste without being overpowering. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to recognise what it was if you weren’t already aware. I recently made a cardamom plait loaf and it was delicious. 

As usual, my dough was made in a bread machine. Likewise, I’ve used spelt flour (which can be swapped out for regular flour, if you prefer).

This recipe has been adapted from Lindas Bakskola. 

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Classic Swedish Cinnamon Buns

Course Snack

Cuisine Swedish

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Servings 10 buns

Ingredients

Dough

• 300ml milk
• 75g butter
• 400g spelt flour (see notes)
• 7g dried yeast
• 50g sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 75g butter (room temperature)
• 60g sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Additional ingredients

• 1 beaten egg (for wash)
• Pearl sugar

Instructions

Dough (bread machine)

• Prepare the dough as per manufacturer's instructions. When ready, roll out into a long rectangle with one of the shorter sides facing you (use plenty of flour to cover the surface you are using - you don't want it to stick half way through rolling).
• Spread the butter all over the dough. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle all over the butter.
• Gently roll up the dough. When done, place with the seam underneath. Cut the dough into pieces. I wanted large, soft buns so made 10. More traditional kanelbullar are a little thinner, so go with whatever thickness you fancy.
• Place each piece in a large muffin case and put on a large oven tray. Cover and leave the buns to rest for around 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 250°C.
• Give the buns a liberally egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
• Bake the buns for around 6-9 depending on size and thickness. Watch them carefully! They are ready when they turn a deep brown colour. Enjoy warm with a cuppa!

Notes

The instructions above are for a bread machine. Results can't be guaranteed if you make the bread by hand.

• The majority of my readers are based in Europe, so I use metric measurements in my recipes. I believe that weighing ingredients proves to be the most reliable.
• You can use plain (all purpose flour) if you prefer