Is there really anything better than the smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns... Apart from, perhaps, the taste of them?! With Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden this Sunday and the recent launch of the fantastic new cooking and baking book, The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell, we couldn’t resist sharing Brontë’s traditional and simple recipe.
And, as a special treat, we have a brilliant video tutorial where Brontë shows you how to twist the perfect cinnamon roll. Now, we’re not about to criticise the simple rolling technique of making these buns which results in something like the picture above (and is clearly very tasty!), but to ensure the delicious cinnamon flavours go right through the dough then check out the video and discover how to achieve a real Scandinavian twist on your buns... seriously, you won't believe how simple this method is either!
13 g/2 ½ teaspoons dried/active dry yeast or 25 g/1 oz. fresh yeast *(see below)
250 ml/1 cup whole milk, heated to 36–37°C (97–99°F)
80 g/ ¾ stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
40 g/3 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar
400–500 g/3–3 2/3cups white strong/bread flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
plain/all-purpose flour, to dust the work surface
FILLING:
80 g/½ stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon plain/all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon vanilla sugar
80 g/¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
egg, for brushing
TOPPING:
syrup**
nibbed ‘pearl’ sugar or chopped, toasted nuts
2 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment
MAKES 16
*If using fresh yeast, add the warm milk to a mixing bowl and add the yeast; stir until dissolved, then pour into the bowl of the food mixer.
**3 tablespoons golden/light corn syrup and 6 tablespoons water, heated in a saucepan
Pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly. Pour into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter. Allow to combine with the yeast for 1 minute or so, then add the sugar. Allow to combine for 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, weigh out 400 g/3 cups of the flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together. Start adding the flour and spices into the milk mixture, bit by bit. Add half the beaten egg. Keep kneading for 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour – you want the mixture to end up a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger if you poke it. It is better not to add too much flour as this will result in dry buns. You can always add more later.
Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel or clingfilm/plastic wrap. Allow to rise for around 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Dust the table top with flour and turn out the dough. Knead the dough with your hands and work in more flour if needed. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 40 x 50 cm/16 x 20 in. rectangle.
In a bowl, add the butter, spices and sugars and mix together well. Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly over the rolled-out dough.
Carefully roll the dough lengthways into a long roll. Using a sharp knife, cut 16 slices. (Or follow the video tutorial to give your cinnamon buns a real twist!)
Place the swirls onto the baking sheets (not too close as they will rise further). Leave to prove under a dish towel for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Brush each bun lightly with egg and pop the buns into the preheated oven to bake for around 10–12 minutes. Watch the buns as they bake: they can go dark very quickly and you may also need to move the buns around in the oven if they are not baking evenly.
When golden, remove from the oven. Brush the buns lightly with the warmed syrup then decorate with the nibbed ‘pearl’ sugar or chopped, toasted nuts. Immediately place a damp, clean dish towel on top for a few minutes to prevent the buns from going dry.
For more traditional Scandinavian recipes, check out The Scandi Kitchen by Brontë Aurell or, if you haven't seen it yet, then check out our video chat with Brontë to hear about the café, the book and how she loves to bake for her family!