Tomorrow (October 4th) is Kanelbullens dag or Cinnamon Bun Day, so to get you all into the spirit, I’m reposting my updated recipe for the famous Swedish kanelbulle or cinnamon bun/roll. 
We’ll show you how we’ve been making kanelbulle here in Sweden since they were first concocted back in the 1920s. We’ll also show you an alternative for you non-cinnamon lovers. So read on, or not, but do please enjoy a cinnamon bun tomorrow as all of Sweden will be doing…
Now, before we get started on the cook, let’s get some things straight.
- You never, ever put an icing on a Swedish cinnamon bun, never!!!
- This cinnamon bun is perfection, don’t go meddling around with it. Trust me, it doesn’t need bacon, pumpkin spice, or ICING…
- Always try and use Ceylon sweet cinnamon as that’s one of the things that makes this bun perfect.
- BUTTER, always use butter as it is another thing that makes this bun perfect. But, if you must, you can substitute, if you must. But, remember everything is always better with butter.
- We know our cinnamon buns here in Sweden because this is where they were invented, back in the 1920s. Did you know Swedes eat an average of 316 cinnamon buns per year? Now, I know a lot of folks that only have a couple of buns per year so there are some big cinnamon bun eaters here in Sweden.
- To be a Swedish Cinnamon bun (kanelbulle) aficionado you must always eat at least one kanelbulle on October 4th as that’s Kanelbullens dag or International Swedish Cinnamon Bun Day.
- It is been proven through extensive research that a Swede cannot resist eating a kanelbulle fresh and warm from the oven. Be sure and give it a try.
- And, as with Lays potato chips, “Bet you can’t eat just one!”.
Swedish Kanelbullar – The Cook…
Ah, if I could only include the magical smell of fresh kanelbullar baking in the oven. As you enter the house, the air is thick with the smell of cinnamon, cardamom, and butter and you know Autumn has arrived.
Swedish cinnamon buns are soft and fluffy, full of cardamom and cinnamon joy.
Not too sweet and is perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea while enjoying your fika.
So, I’m not going to spend a lot of time regarding the mixing and proofing of dough, as most of us have done it and the details are in the recipe below.
But, while the dough is proofing you should get your filling made. Add the filling ingredients to your mixer and using a whisk on low-speed combine thoroughly. Divide the mixture equally in half and reserve at room temperature.
Once your dough is proofed, turn it out onto your lightly floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. I use my kitchen scale, but you can eyeball it as well. Cover one piece while you work with the other. Now, roll the first half of your dough on your working surface into a 17×12″ (45x30cm) rectangle. Spread the cinnamon or alternat filling* over the rolled dough as evenly as possible. An icing spatula works well here. Now, fold the dough in half so as to make a 17×6 (45x15cm) rectangle. Depending on the size of the bun you wish to make, cut down the 17″ side every ¾ to 1 inch.
* As an alternative to the butter and cinnamon filling, you can make a cardamon or vanilla filling. Just omit the cinnamon and replace it with ground cardamon or vanilla paste. Of course, you will no longer have a cinnamon bun, but instead, a cardamom or vanilla bun.
If you already know how to twist and tuck a bun then get cracking on tying those kanelbullar. But, if you haven’t tied buns, take a moment to watch Chef Brontë Aurell, (author of The ScandiKitchen CookBook) cut, twist and tie a Swedish cinnamon bun. It is easier than one would think! You might ask, “why does one tie them into a knot?”. Tying the bun into a knot gives them that classic shape by pushing the end of the twisted dough down through the center of the dough which helps the buns hold their shape.
As you tie the buns, place them on your lined baking sheet and space them so as to not touch once they rise. Cover your buns with a light tea towel and let them proof again for another 40 minutes. This is a good time to get your oven going. Preheat to 435°F (220°C). Once your buns have proofed, lightly brush the beaten egg on top of each bun and then sprinkle the pearl sugar on top to your liking. Place the baking sheet with your buns into the center of your preheated oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of your buns and your oven. The buns will be nicely browned when done. When your buns are ready, remove them from the oven place them on a cooling rack, and cover with a tea towel to cool.
Classic Swedish Cinnamon buns or kanelbullar
It's said that the cinnamon bun (kanelbulle) was invented in Sweden just after WW I and it's been a Swedish classic ever since. They're easy and fun to make and great for a family bake. So, get baking and make up a batch of kanelbulle and enjoy the Swedish kanelbulle.
Ingredients
Cardamom dough (dry)
- 840 g (7 cups) Bread flour, see note 1.
- 2 tsp Ground cardamom, see note 2.
- ½ tsp Table salt.
Cardamom dough (wet)
- 500 ml (2 cups +2 tbsp) Whole milk, warmed.
- 5 tsp Active yeast, see note 3.
- 150 g (10-½ tbsp) Butter (salted) at room temperature. See note 4.
- 1 large Egg at room temperature.
- 100 g (½ cup) Sugar.
Filling
- 200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) Butter (salted) at room temperature.
- 100 g (½ cup) Sugar.
- 2 tbsp Ceylon cinnamon, see note 5.
Brushing
- 1 Egg at room temperature, lightly beaten.
- Swedish (Pearl or nib) sugar. See note 6.
Instructions
Cardamom dough (dry)
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Mix your dry ingredients in a separate bowl and reserve.
Cardamom dough (wet)
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Heat your milk to 105° F (41°C), no higher. Then add to the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and mix on low until the yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. If using fresh yeast heat milk to 98°F (37°C), no higher.
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After the milk and yeast mixture rests, add the butter (cubed), egg, and sugar and mix until somewhat combined.
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With your mixer (dough hook) on low, slowly add the flour.
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Once your dough begins to come together, increase speed to medium and mix for about 7-10 minutes to knead the dough. Remain with your mixer during high-speed mixing unless it's not prone to walking on the counter. FYI, Ankarsrum Assistant mixers don't walk or move at any speed of mixing.
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Remove your dough hook, turn the dough into another bowl, then cover the dough and proof for 40 minutes in a warm place.
Filling
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While your dough is proofing add the filling ingredients to your mixer and using a whisk on low speed combine thoroughly. Divide the mixture equally in half and reserve at room temperature.
Bun making
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Once the dough is proofed, turn it out onto your lightly floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. I use my kitchen scale, but you can eyeball it as well. Cover one piece while you work with the other.
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Now, roll the first half of your dough on a lightly floured surface into a 17x12" (45x30cm) rectangle.
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Spread the cinnamon filling over the rolled dough as evenly as possible. An icing spatula works well here.
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Now, fold the dough in half to make a 17x6 (45x15cm) rectangle.
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Depending on the size of the bun you wish to make, cut down the 17" side every ¾ to 1 inch.
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Take each cut piece and hold one end and roll the dough. Now for the tricky part, wrap the dough around your fingers and tie it into a knot bringing the end down through the middle. See Note 7 for an alternate method.
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Place the tied buns on your lined baking sheet and space them so they don't touch once they expand.
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Repeat this step with the remaining half of the dough.
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Cover your buns with a light tea towel and let them proof for another 40 minutes. This is a good time to get your oven going. Preheat to 435°F (220°C).
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Once your buns have proofed, lightly brush the tops of your buns with the beaten egg then sprinkle the pearl sugar on to your liking.
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Place the baking sheet with your buns in the center of the oven and bake for 6-10 minutes. Your cooking time will vary depending on the size of your buns and your oven. The buns will be nicely browned when done.
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When your buns are ready, place them on a cooling rack and cover with your tea towel to cool.
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I recommend waiting at least five minutes prior to tasting your first bun, lest you burn your tongue. But, please do try some warm buns fresh out of the oven. Have a happy fika...
Recipe Notes
- Flours are different, so your weight may vary slightly. Also, AP flour can be used in a pinch.
- The cardamom is optional, but if you want authentic, add the cardamom. If you like cardamom increase it to your liking. We use two heaping teaspoons for our dough. Also, fresh ground is the best, try it with a coarse grind.
- You can also use instant yeast added to the dry mixture. If using instant yeast reduce to 4 tsp. For fresh Swedish yeast use 50g.
- Although butter is the way to go when making kanelbullar, a butter flavored fat such as Crisco (yuk) could be used. I believe room-temperature coconut oil would also work, but I haven't tried it. Use butter...
- For the best flavor we recommend using Ceylon cinnamon, however cassia (plain) cinnamon will work as well.
- Pearl sugar, also known as nib and Swedish sugar should be available in your baking aisle or look for it in the International aisle of your market. In the USA we used Lars Own Swedish Pearl Sugar which was available at Kroger, Amazon, and such.
- As an alternative, you can cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips (1"x6" pieces). Then cut that 1-inch piece in half (down the length), but stop about a ⅓ of an inch prior to cutting all the way through. Then, holding the uncut end with your finger, roll the strip then tie it in a knot. This makes a larger bun and this bun tie usually yields around 30 buns.
FYI, if you don’t think you can eat that many kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) or don’t have neighborhood kids to give them to? Just pop the cinnamon buns in a plastic bag as soon as they cool and place them in your freezer. Then when you want one, grab a kanelbulle (cinnamon bun) from your freezer and pop it into the micro blaster for 10-20 seconds (depending on your microwave). No, microwave? Just take out a couple of buns and pop them into a warm oven for a few minutes. We like to always have some in the freezer as you never know when friends might show up for fika.
I recommend waiting at least five minutes prior to testing the first bun so as not to burn one’s mouth. Whether you wait a few minutes or not, do try some warm out of the oven.
Lastly, due to technical issues (caused by me), the Helsingborg post has been temporarily postponed.
Have a happy fika…
Thanks for having a read today and as always your comments are always appreciated. Just scroll down to “Leave a Reply”.
We adore cinnamon buns! This Swedish twisted version looks marvelous!
Angie, if you love cinnamon buns you are sure to love these.
They’re definitely beautiful!
Thanks Mimi…
I’m not sure I can pull this off for tomorrow, but I do want to make them. The video was immensely helpful in figure out the twist and tie!. And I love cinnamon. Love. My favorite part of the post was the first two things that need to be gotten straight!
Well, I suspect you didn’t have time to make a batch yesterday, but I hope you got to enjoy a cinnamon bun…
They look delicious!
It’s intesting that it’s cinnamon bun day tomorrow – I’m just cooking quince with cinnamon!
I’m always amazed at how unpopular Quince is here in Sweden. I love quince in sweet and savory dishes. Luckily, we have several quince trees in our local park.
Always good to revisit such wonderful recipes. These buns look totally addictive. I’m all for cardamom and cinnamon together!
Happy Kanelbullens dag! 🙂
Thanks, Ronit, when I make a batch of cinnamon buns I give as many as I can to the kids around us. If I don’t I’m going to eat them as they are addictive…
Absolutely wonderful o see you both baking and posting! The rather familiar buns look just beautiful !!! Well, since all my Scandinavian friends are so in love with them and the baking cannot keep up – I have given mine to those who have needed for a decade or two or three . . . perhaps I should try . . . ?
Hi Eha, I think you would enjoy a kanelbullar with your afternoon tea…
Wait – today is Cinnamon Bun Day!? How did I not know this already?? I love cinnamon buns, and if I didn’t have a full agenda today, you know I’d be in the kitchen making a batch of these! I’ve never made authentic Swedish cinnamon buns, but I do love a good baking project. Pearl sugar is a bit harder to find here in the States, but I suspect Amazon will have it…what would we do without Amazon!? Happy Kanelbullens dag!
As I know of your baking skills, I know you could master kanelbullar. It is a great father-and-son baking project.
If you can’t find pearl sugar you can substitute coarse raw (brown) sugar. You see both here, pearl sugar is popular in Southern Sweden and raw sugar is more of an up-country topping…
I remember on some previous trip to Europe when we wandered into a grocery store and I stumbled across pearl sugar. I think I bought 3-4 boxes (they were small) and brought ’em back with us!
I grew up eating a cinnamon bun several times a week but my mother bought them at the grocery store and horror of horrors, they had icing on them. 😊 I’m sure it is hard to wait for yours to cool off enough to start eating them.
Growing up in the Southern US I had my share of buns with icing. I was a regular at our local Cinnabon bakery. But, I must say, after tasting the real deal I was happy to shed the icing…
It took me some time to discover cardamom makes the difference. whatever I tried until this discovery, I just couldn’t get the right flavours…. but since then, oh man, we just love it!
That’s understandable Davorka, as I never thought much about cardamon until I married a Swede.
When I first tried cooking caramon it also took me a while to find the balance but I love baking with it now.
Cinnamon buns are a favorite in the U.S. and they always have that sweet icing on top – too sweet for me. On the other hand I don’t’ like the looks of pearl sugar, not sure why – it just doesn’t appeal to me. The buns themselves are delicious I’m sure so who needs all the extras? Love the cardamon dough…
Judy, I’m with you, I’ve never liked icing on cakes, cupcakes, or buns. The first thing I always do when I get a muffin with icing is to scrape it off.
Should you wish to give the recipe a try, you can use coarse raw brown sugar on top or go topless…
These buns look amazing! I’ve made waffles with pearl sugar before, so I know how good that can be. I’m right with your and your countrymen in not being such a fan of icing on a cinnamon bun. I’m not a non-fan of icing, it’s just that I think a little goes a long way. And kind of like cupcakes, where the cake seems to be nothing more than a foundation for a mountain of frosing, the cinnamon bun often becomes just this thing you use to sop up all that icing. Not for me!
Yep, I suppose the icing argument will continue through time as long as sugar exists. Actually, the American-style iced cinnamon roll has been made here and is available at our Esspresso coffee shop chain (like Starbucks), and it’s called the “American Cinnamon Roll”. I’ve tried one, (icing scraped off) and it tasted like a Cinnabon roll. Not my fav…
I know. Sometimes I don’t understand my fellow countrymen. Although I have had good American cinnamon rolls here and there. In a good one, the bread is not “soft,” yet not quite dry, and there’s just enough icing to complement that texture – which is very little. A good one isn’t gooey, and it’s not hard to eat without getting it all over your face and hands.
They look delicious, Ron! I’m a big fan of cardamom and not so much of the icing. I think they have my name written all over them. I can’t wait to make them.
Hi Jas, let me know if you give them a try them. I’m confident you’ll like them as they are very similar to Cimet Rolnice (without the glaze)….
I have always wanted to make Swedish buns as we love cardamom! Love your easy directions and step by step photos to help us through the process. I only have quick yeast at home so I think I might need to run to the store to get active yeast as this might affect the results. I bet your house smells amazing.
Hi Bobbi, I’ve used quick yeast for buns a number of times, so go for it. My preference, however, is fresh yeast.
This buns look delicious Ron, we have something similar in Germany .
I have had the German Franzbrötchen (I think that’s what they are called) a number of times (we have a German bakery cafe nearby) and I agree, they are very similar.
Happy Belated Cinnamon Bun Day! 🥮🎉 It’s delightful to see how passionate Swedes are about their kanelbullar. Your recipe sounds fantastic, and I appreciate your commitment to the traditional way of making these delicious buns without any unnecessary alterations. The process might be involved, but the result is definitely worth it. I hope everyone enjoys their freshly baked kanelbullar!
Raymond, I did enjoy more than one kanelbullar that day and will have many more before our next Cinnamon Bun Day…
I am so glad to see you posting and cooking again. Happy New Year.