Swedish Cinnamon Buns | Kanelbullar | Favourite Recipe

Who doesn´t love soft, warm Swedish Cinnamon Buns? The smell of these cinnamon buns, when they come out of the oven, is absolutely amazing! I wish I could trap that smell in my kitchen forever!

This Swedish Cinnamon Bun recipe is a version of the buns described in the famous Swedish children´s author Astrid Lindgren´s book “Karlsson-on-the-Roof”. Astrid Lindgren is also the author of the “Pippi Longstocking” books – you are probably more likely to have heard of those, they were an absolute childhood favourite of mine!

They are absolutely delicious, especially when you eat them whilst they are still slightly warm from the oven, and the buttery, sweet cinnamon filling is still slightly melted. My mouth is watering at the mere thought of them!

How are these Swedish Cinnamon Buns made?

Swedish Cinnamon Buns, or “Kannelbullar” as they are known there, are made with a really soft, fluffy dough which is left to prove three times, giving them the most amazing texture. The cinnamon buns are laid quite closely together on the baking sheet during the last prove and bake, allowing them to “grow together”. This means that you create a tray of “pull-apart” buns, with crunchy, sugar sprinkled tops and fluffy edges.

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to make these Swedish cinnamon buns, as they need to prove three times for about 30 minutes. The waiting will be worth it though, as this gives the cinnamon bun dough a great flavour and texture!
You can use the time in between to prepare the next steps. Weigh out the next ingredients during the first prove, make the butter, sugar and cinnamon filling (make sure to use very soft, spreadable butter) during the second, and preheat the oven during the last one.

Whilst these Swedish cinnamon buns can also be eaten at room temperature, I love reheating them in the oven for 5-10 minutes at about 150°C or on top of the toaster before eating. This means that the buttery filling melts a little in the middle – which makes the cinnamon buns taste so much better!

How to store:

This recipe makes about 16 cinnamon buns, that can be stored in an air-tight container or freezer bags for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the buns once completely cooled for a few months. Then remove however many you want to eat, defrost and potentially reheat in the oven before eating!

If you are looking for similar recipes, why not also try this German Nusszopf or German Nussschnecken Recipe? Instead of being filled with cinnamon, they are filled with a delicious chocolate and hazelnut filling.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns | Kanelbullar

Recipe

This recipe makes roughly 16 cinnamon buns. It is also easily halved or doubled, and the cinnamon buns can also be frozen (see above).

Ingredients (makes 16):

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 400g plain flour (separated into 2x200g)
• 1 sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 50 caster sugar
• 175ml milk
• 2 medium eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 125g butter, melted

FOR THE CINNAMON BUN FILLING:

• 140g butter, at room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

TO FINISH:

• 1 egg, beaten
• Sugar crystals

Method:

1. To make the dough, start by mixing 200g of the flour with the yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and milk and beat with the dough hook attachment of an electric whisk until well combined. The mix will be very sticky at this stage.
2. Scrape as much dough off of the dough hooks as possible, then cover the bowl with a dish towel and leave to prove for 30 minutes.
3. After the first prove, add in the remaining 200g of flour, salt, eggs and melted butter (you can do this in the microwave) to the dough mixture. With the electric beaters, knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes, until it starts to come together into a nice soft ball of dough, that comes away from the edges of the bowl.
4. Cover again with the dish towel and leave to prove for a further half an hour until roughly doubled in size.
5. In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix the butter (make sure it is at room temperature so that it is easily spreadable), sugar and cinnamon in a bowl to create a smooth paste.
6. Lightly dust the surface of your worktop with flour. Tip the dough onto the floured surface and give it a brief knead. Then, using a floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle until about 0.5-1cm thick.
7. Spread over the prepared butter-sugar-cinnamon filling in an even layer over the dough.
8. Roll up the dough from the shorter side, creating a sausage shape. Make the edges as neat as possible, by stretching the end bits of dough. You might want to gently push the dough towards the middle from both ends to create a thicker sausage.
9. Place the dough onto a wooden board and cut into slices. You can ensure they are roughly the same size by first cutting the dough in half, then halving the two halves and so on until you have 16 buns, roughly 2cm thick.
10. Place the cinnamon buns, cut side down onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Leave only a little space between each bun, as you want them to “grow together” during the last prove and bake.
11. Cover the baking tray once again and leave the buns to rise for another 30-40 minutes.
12. Near the end of the last proving time, preheat the oven to 220°C.
13. Before baking, crack and beat the egg in a small bowl. Brush each cinnamon bun with a little egg wash, then sprinkle over some of the sugar crystals.
14. Bake the cinnamon buns in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Keep your eye on them, after 10 minutes you might want to cover them with some tin foil to prevent the tops from burning.
15. Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly. The cinnamon buns are best eaten when they are still warm and the buttery, cinnamon filling is still soft!