Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

 22 January 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2022

Cinnamon buns are a Christmas morning tradition but that is not to say they are only eaten during the holidays. I usually eat cereal for breakfast but I like to mix it up by having something like a cinnamon bun instead. This CI recipe thus caught my attention, not only because of its Scandinavian origins but also because of the interesting shape of the rolls.

The dough started with tangzhong, a paste made from bread flour and hot water. This was whisked with cold milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Bread flour and yeast were added and mixed with the dough hook to moisten the flour. After a 15-minute rest, sugar and salt were added and kneaded for 5 minutes. Unsalted butter and cardamon seeds, coarsely ground using a mortar and pestle, were added and the dough kneaded for another 5 minutes. The dough was pressed into the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan, covered, and refrigerated for 1 hour. The filling was made by mixing sugar, unsalted butter, ground cinnamon, bread flour, and salt then set aside. When the dough was removed from the refrigerator it was rolled into an 18x10 inch rectangle. The filling was spread over two-thirds of the dough which was then folded twice then rolled into a square. The dough was cut into 1-inch strips which were cut in half, almost, lengthwise. The long strips were then loosely wrapped around my fingers with the last wrap looped around bundle. The 12 buns were placed on a sheet pan, covered, and given one hour to rise. They were brushed with an egg mixture, sprinkled with Swedish pearl sugar, and baked at 425°. Total time to make 12 buns was just over four hours including the resting time.

The freshly baked rolls were light and buttery with a subdued taste of cardamon. As leftovers they had a  somewhat heavier texture, stronger cardamon flavor, and the pearl sugar was harder. These are good buns and fun to make with the unique shaping. Because of the cardamon they have a distinctive flavor which is different than the flavor for the cinnamon rolls that we are used to. I don't know if I'll make them again but they were worth making at least this one time.