Kanelbullar – Swedish cinnamon buns

Makes: ± 24

Time to make: 120 mins (15 prep, 90 proving, 15 in oven)

Lately it is only through food and Christmas traditions that I celebrate my Scandinavian heritage with any regularity. This needs to change. I have Swedish through my mother’s line and Norwegian through my father’s and I’m determined to explore more of what that means to me and my children. For now, I hope you also enjoy this traditional Swedish fare:

Ingredients	Method
For the dough: – 35g dried yeast – 300ml milk – 115g butter – 100g sugar – 1 egg – 1 tsp salt – 3 tsp cardamom – 750g flour For the sprinkle-filling – 50g sugar – 2 Tbs cinnamon – 100g butter (room temp) For the top glaze: – 1 egg – 3 Tbs water – Sugar to sprinkle (pearl or other)	1. In a bowl, mix the yeast with a couple of tablespoons of milk 2. Melt the butter and add it to the milk 3. Add all of the other ingredients in and mix to form a dough. 4. Knead the dough for 10-25 minutes (ideally in a mixer, but by hand works) 4. Leave the dough to rise, covered, for half an hour (at room temperature) 5. Roll the dough to about 3mm thickness. 6. Place the filling on top: spread the butter on it and then sprinkle generous amounts of cinnamon and sugar mixture on top. 7. Roll the dough up into a tube, lengthways. 8. Cut into about 24 slices 9. Place slices into cupcake patty pans, on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise for about a hour or until double the original size. 10. Beat egg and water together and brush onto the buns. Then sprinkle the sugar on top. 11. Bake for 5 – 10 mins at 220 degrees C or until golden before cooling on a rack.
Equipment	Notes
– Bowl – Tablespoon measure – Pastry brush	* Best eaten on the day they are baked, but can easily be re-heated after being stored in the fridge or freezer.
Shopping list (or equivalents): – dried yeast – milk – eggs – butter – sugar (plain and pearl) – salt – cardamom – cinnamon – flour