Swedish cinnamon buns recipe
It’s summer but that doesn’t always have to mean pilates and salad munching. Sometimes we need a little treat…so here is a recipe for expertly-baked Swedish cinnamon buns, every time.
Swedish cinnamon buns
Ingredients (makes 18 rolls)
250ml milk - you can use whole milk or almond milk
1 packet of active dry yeast
200g unrefined, granulated sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 extra egg yolk
4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp salt
500g all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling the dough)
65g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g light brown sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
Toasted sliced almonds
Pearl sugar
Optional: cream cheese and icing sugar (as much or as little as you need)
Note: We recommend using a stand mixer for this recipe, with a whisk attachment and a dough hook
Method
Heat the milk gently, and then combine with the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set it aside for 5 minutes.
Once it’s foamy, add the remaining granulated sugar, the egg and egg yolk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of cardamom and 2 teaspoons of salt, when whisk until everything is combined.
Fit the dough hook to the mixer, and then slowly add the flour to the mix, kneading until a soft, silky dough forms.
Mix in half of the butter gradually until it’s incorporated.
Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, tucking the ends under and creating a smooth surface.
Roll your dough ball lightly in oil, and then wrap in clingfilm or a damp kitchen towel, and place in a warm area for around an hour to allow it to prove and double in size.
Once proved, prepare the cinnamon roll filling. Combine the remaining butter with half of the light brown sugar, 3 teaspoons of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of cardamom, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Stir it together until it’s thoroughly mixed.
Preheat the oven to 180c. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle that’s roughly 12x18inches.
Spread the filling mixture over the rectangle, all the way to the edge. Then, gently lift the edge of the dough and roll it into itself, to create a Swiss roll. Mark the dough into 18 sections and then cut them sharply to create your rolls.
Let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Whilst they’re rising, combine the remaining brown sugar with 60ml warm water and the remaining cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla, to make a spiced syrup. Bring this to a boil to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat and set aside.
When the rolls are ready to bake, brush the tops of each one with your spiced syrup, and sprinkle with pearl sugar and sliced almonds.
Bake the rolls in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until they’re golden-brown all over and the almonds are toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
Optional: mix cream cheese with icing sugar to create cream cheese icing. Spread over each cinnamon bun to create an extra-indulgent treat. Not authentically Swedish, but utterly delicious!