RECIPE | Cinnamon Buns
A rainy Sunday afternoon on the West Coast of Sweden spent making cinnamon buns with my best friends mother - does it get much better? Making cinnamon buns was something I definitely wasn't going to leave Sweden without doing but couldn't imagine a better spot or time to do it. I'm not usually one for pastries but Swedish cinnamon buns are not something I can say no to. Good cinnamon buns are not hard to come across in Sweden (which is rather dangerous) but nothing beats sitting in a cosy coast house (smelling of cinnamon) with a cup of coffee and a freshly baked cinnamon bun.
This recipe might seem a bit complicated when you look at is but it really isn't. It does involve a bit of time and patience because you have to let the dough rise but it's totally worth it. It's also uses decilitres which we don't use in Australia but you can easily convert them.
Cinnamon buns | makes 20 buns
3 1/2 dl milk
1 dl olive oil
25g fresh yeast
0.75 dl white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom (either pods ground or previously ground)
1L plain flour
125g butter, softened - be generous
1dl white sugar
Cinnamon for dusting
1 egg, beaten
Sugar, sprinkiling
Preheat oven to 225C
Heat oil and milk until luke warm
Combine yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom
Add in milk and oil followed by the flour
Work with your hands for about 5 - 10 minutes until dough is nicely formed
Leave in a warm spot to rise for 45 minutes to an hour
Role dough out until it is about 1cm thick into a rectangle
Using a butter knife, spread the butter over the dough making sure to reach all the edges
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the dough
Fold the dough in half and then cut it into pieces about 4cm thick - Watch this link on how to fold the cinnamon buns - you can just roll them but this is much more impressive and is super easy
Let them rise for another 30 minutes on a tray
Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle over sugar
Bake for 8 minutes until golden on top
I would strongly recommend having one as soon as they are out of the oven, or as soon as they’re cool enough to handle!
NOTE | The sugar Swedes use for sprinkling can be hard to get but you can use hundreds and thousands or some other equivalent
