A few years ago I spend a weekend in the south of Sweden and ate my fair share of kanelbullar. They are Swedish cinnamon buns, typically recognizable by the pearl sugar sprinkled on top of the rolls.
You might be wondering whether kanelbullar are the same as American cinnamon buns or rolls, but they’re not. The idea is similar, of course, but kanelbullar also contain cardamom in the dough.
I love cinnamon buns in general and this Swedish version with the crunch of the pearl sugar and the added cardamom is irresistible for me! I know you’ll love them too:
Most of the ingredients will look familiar if you’ve ever made cinnamon buns but there are a few small differences
Make sure to double-check the full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
Making the Swedish cinnamon buns starts with making the dough. I like doing that in a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Of course you can knead by hand too. In a machine, add all the dough ingredients and mix for about 5 to 7 minutes or until you have a smooth dough.
Now let the dough rise for about an hour or until double in size. Cover the bowl with either a lid, plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.
Now mix all the ingredients for the filling and roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape of around 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm). Spread your filling evenly over the kanelbullar dough.
Starting from the long side of the dough, roll it up and cut into 12 slices. Use a sharp knife for doing this. Place all 12 pieces on a prepared baking sheet but leave enough space in between the buns.
Cover the baking tray and let the buns rest in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
Once rested brush with egg wash and sprinkle the pearl sugar on top of the dough. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 220˚/425˚F for about 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.
Let them cool slightly on a wire rack before eating. Absolutely delicious for your next coffee break!
If you’ve come here more often, you have probably noticed that I have a love for all things cinnamon. A couple of my favorite cinnamon recipes are below:
The cinnamon buns keep quite well and you can store them in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature.
Yes, they also freeze really well. You can freeze them in a freezer bag and store for 3 months.
No. While they may look similar, kanelbullar are less sweet and contain cardamom in the dough. They also don’t include egg in the dough, which gives them a different texture and flavor compared to American cinnamon rolls.
You can, but cardamom is a key flavor in traditional kanelbullar. If you leave it out, the buns will taste more like regular cinnamon rolls.
If you can’t find pearl sugar, you can use coarse sugar, crushed sugar cubes, or turbinado sugar. The look will be slightly different, but the crunch is similar.
Yes. You can prepare the dough and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Let it come to room temperature before rolling it out. Want to know more? I’ve written about storing your bread dough in the fridge.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can briefly warm them in the microwave or oven before serving to make them soft again.
Yes. Use plant-based butter and milk substitutes. The result will be slightly different, but still delicious. Keep in mind that we did not test this!
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