Soft, pillowy and lightly sweet traditional Swedish cinnamon knots known as kanelbullar are a delicious treat any time of day. These buttery knots are filled with the warmth of cinnamon and cardamom making the the perfect match for a cup of coffee. Bring the tradition of fika into your home with my recipe for Swedish Cinnamon Buns.
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During a culinary trip to Copenhagen (where I got to dine at the famed Noma) I took day trip to Malmo Sweden. By late afternoon we were famished and tucked into a cafe for an afternoon snack known as fika. A coffee and a kanelbullar, or Swedish cinnamon knot was the perfect treat.
Swedish cinnamon buns differ from American cinnamon rolls in a few ways. In addition to cinnamon cardamom adds a bit of warmth to the filling. Swedish cinnamon buns are twisted into knots and then sprinkled with crunch pearl sugar instead of a glaze of icing like their American counterparts.
Ingredients for Swedish Cinnamon Buns
For the dough
- milk
- unsalted butter
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- instant rise yeast
- kosher salt
For the filling
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- ground cardamom
For the topping
- egg
- water
- pearl sugar
How to Make Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Add the milk and butter to a small saucepan. Heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches a temperature of 110° F and transfer to the bowl attachment of your stand mixer. In the bowl attachment of your stand mixer add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt; whisk until fully combined. Using the dough hook attachment mix the dough on low speed or until the dough is soft and smooth. (Alternatively you can mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes) Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm space for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
While the dough is rising prepare the filling by mixing together softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom until fully combined. Set aside.
Transfer the dough to a large, floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a 22 inch x 15 in rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. Fold 1/3 of the dough towards the center, then fold the remaining 1/3 over that. Roll out the dough again into a 8 inch x15 inch rectangle, ensure to remove any air bubbles. Using a pizza cutter or a knife cut the dough into 12 even strips (1¼ in x8 in).
Working with one strip at a time shape the buns. Twist the strip of dough several times while stretching it out until it almost doubles in length. Shape the buns into knots by loosely wrapping the dough around 2 fingers, then tucking the loose end into the center. Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the buns with a towel and let them rise for 45 min – 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork to create an egg wash. Brush each bun with the egg wash then sprinkle the pearl sugar on top. Bake the cinnamon buns for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and transfer to a wire baking rack and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
If you like these Swedish Cinnamon Buns be sure to take a look at some of my other recipes!
Lebkuchen (German Gingerbread)
If you make these Swedish Cinnamon Buns please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Youtube, Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!
Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer optional
- 1 small saucepan
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ tsp instant rise yeast
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
For the filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
For the topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp water
- pearled sugar
Instructions
- Add the milk and butter to a small saucepan. Heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches a temperature of 110° F. transfer to the bowl attachment of your stand mixer
- In the bowl attachment of your stand mixer add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt; whisk until fully combined. Using the dough hook attachment mix the dough on low speed or until the dough is soft and smooth. (Alternatively you can mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes)
- Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm space for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising prepare the filling by mixing together softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom until fully combined. Set aside.
- Transfer the dough to a large, floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a 22 inch x 15 in rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. Fold 1/3 of the dough towards the center, then fold the remaining 1/3 over that. Roll out the dough again into a 8 inch x15 inch rectangle, ensure to remove any air bubbles.
- Using a pizza cutter or a knife cut the dough into 12 even strips (1¼ in x8 in). Working with one strip at a time shape the buns. Twist the strip of dough several times while streching it out until it almost doubles in length. Shape the buns into knots by loosely wrapping the dough around 2 fingers, then tucking the loose end into the center. Place the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cover the buns with a towel and let them rise for 45 min – 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the egg and water together with a fork to create an egg wash. Brush each bun with the egg wash then sprinkle the pearl sugar on top.
- Bake the cinnamon buns for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and transfer to a wire baking rack and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Ann says
Oh wow, these look delicious! I plan to make this recipe tonight, so we can enjoy these buns for breakfast tomorrow morning!
Elizabeth says
These rolls look super delicious, and pretty simple to make! Would make a great breakfast treat for my family!
Jamie says
Wow! These buns look incredibly delicious and super yummy! The texture makes it so enticing and tempting! A perfect treat for everyone to love and enjoy!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love eating homemade bread and this one is so delicious!
I can’t wait to make this at home!
Andrea says
These cinnamon buns turned out amazing! So so good!
Brianna says
I’m thrilled you liked them! Definitely one of my favorites one the weekend 🙂
Megane says
Tack så mycket för det underbara receptet på Swedish Cinnamon Buns! Serverade dem med en kopp kaffe och det blev en fantastiskt god fika. 🇸🇪🥮☕😋
anna says
I really want to make these buns, as they look so fun and delicious, but I was wondering if the dough can be made in advance?
Vicky says
Your buttery sweet cinnamon buns look sooo delicious! I could eat several right now! I’m really looking toward to trying out this recipe for my kids!
Enri Lemoine says
I have to make these buns. I live close to IKEA, and I always buy theirs. But I want to make them and taste the difference! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Amy Lui Dong says
Anything with cinnamon is good, i’ll just devour it in seconds, to think that i can make it because of this recipe is such a bliss.
Dennis says
Your Swedish cinnamon buns wer e amazingly delicious! My family wants to know when I’m going to make them again.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Omgosh these were phenomenal! So easy and absolutely perfect for brunch! And the bits of pearl sugar was perfect!
Kim says
These are delicious! The addition of cardamom to the cinnamon roll flavors is just perfect.
Jenny says
My sweedish mother-in-law makes kanelbullar, and she lives in New Zealand now, so we haven’t had these delicious buns for a while. Yours are so close to her recipe, delicious and so soft. We loved them. My hubby was so happy, felt close to his mamma! Thank you!
Jennifer says
What a wonderful recipe! Such gorgeous cinnamon buns and they look delicious. Classic beautiful flavors. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Maggie says
You forgot to add the salt on the recipe.
Brianna Simmons says
thanks for the catch! I’ve fixed the recipe 🙂