Kanelbullar
Swedish cinnamon buns: cardamom dough, cinnamon butter, knotted and baked with pearl sugar on top.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 1 hr 40 min
- Total
- 2 hr 32 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Kanelbullar are the Swedish cinnamon bun, and the detail that marks them out is cardamom in the dough. A soft enriched dough is rolled thin, spread with cinnamon butter, folded and cut into strips that are twisted and knotted, then proved in paper cases and baked hot and fast. Pearl sugar goes on top instead of icing. They are smaller and less sweet than an American roll and drier than a Norwegian skillingsbolle, which is a plain spiral with no cardamom. Eat them the day they are baked, ideally within the hour.
What you'll need
12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Filling
- Topping
Ingredients
Dough
Topping
- Egg, beaten, for glazing1
- Pearl sugar30 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and soft butter and bring together. Knead 10 minutes by hand or 6 in a mixer until smooth and elastic.
15 min
Step 2
Cover and leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour.
60 min
Step 3
Beat the filling butter with the sugar and cinnamon to a spreadable paste. Roll the dough on a floured surface to a rectangle about 50 by 35 cm and 4 mm thick.
8 min
Step 4
Spread the filling edge to edge. Fold the long side over to the middle, then fold again so you have a three-layer strip about 12 cm wide. Cut into 16 strips.
5 min
Step 5
Twist each strip, wind it twice around two fingers and tuck the end through the middle to make a knot. Set each in a paper case on a tray. Cover and prove 40 minutes.
45 min
Tip: If the knot defeats you, roll the unfolded sheet into a log and slice 16 spirals. Swedes do it too.
Step 6
Heat the oven to 220°C. Brush the buns with egg and scatter pearl sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until deep golden.
12 min220°C
Watch: They go from golden to dark fast in the last two minutes. Watch.
Step 7
Cool under a clean tea towel for 10 minutes so the crust softens. Eat warm.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 252 kcal
- Protein
- 4.4 g
- Carbs
- 36.2 g
- Fat
- 10.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 6.1 g
- Fibre
- 1.5 g
- Sugar
- 11.6 g
- Sodium
- 86 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Pearl sugar → Flaked almonds or coarse demerara
Almonds are common on Swedish buns too. Demerara melts a little and darkens.
Tips
- Grind cardamom from pods. Pre-ground cardamom has usually lost most of what you are paying for.
- Rolled thin and folded, not thick and spiralled, is what makes the inside layered rather than doughy.
- Freeze baked buns the same day and refresh at 160°C for 6 minutes.
History & culture
The fika bun. Offices, train stations and every café in Sweden sell them, and 4 October is Kanelbullens dag, a marketing invention that stuck. Home bakers make trays at weekends and freeze them. The knot shape is a bakery flourish; a plain spiral is fine at home.
Enriched spiced buns arrived in Sweden with the cafés of the 1920s, once sugar, butter and flour were affordable again after the First World War. Cardamom came earlier, through Baltic and Hanseatic trade, and Swedes still use more of it per head than almost anyone outside South Asia.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Kanelbullar take?
2 hr 32 min all in — 40 min prep, 12 min cook, 1 hr 40 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 16 buns. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Nut-free.
9 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Rolling pin, Baking tray, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.
How much sugar?
60 g of Sugar.
How much sugar?
80 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Pearl sugar → Flaked almonds or coarse demerara. Almonds are common on Swedish buns too. Demerara melts a little and darkens.
What should I watch for?
They go from golden to dark fast in the last two minutes. Watch.
Any tips from this recipe?
Grind cardamom from pods. Pre-ground cardamom has usually lost most of what you are paying for. Rolled thin and folded, not thick and spiralled, is what makes the inside layered rather than doughy. Freeze baked buns the same day and refresh at 160°C for 6 minutes.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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