homemade cinnamon buns

Traditional Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) made with a sweet, buttery cardamom dough and a brown sugar cinnamon filling. Golden brown on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, they are cinnamon bun perfection!

Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

water

milk

all-purpose flour

unsalted butter

milk (slightly warm)

instant yeast

cardamom

salt

sugar

All of the tangzhong (cooled)

brown sugar

cinnamon

Pearl sugar

Make the tangzhong: Combine water, milk and flour in a medium saucepan.  Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Make the dough:  While the tangzhong is cooling, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients for the dough.  If you haven't already, melt the butter and warm the milk to give them a chance to cool slightly.  Combine yeast, cardamom, salt, sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk briefly by hand to combine.  

Attach the dough hook to the mixer.  Add melted and cooled butter, slightly warm milk, egg and the cooled tangzhong (it can be slightly warm to the touch) to the dry ingredients.  Mix on medium low until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Increase mixer speed to medium and knead mixture for 4 minutes or until dough is smooth and clears the side of the bowl.  It’s okay if it’s sticking to the bottom of the bowl. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take longer, more like 8-10 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for an hour or until 1 ½ or 2 times its original size.  The time will largely depend on the temperature of your kitchen.

In the meantime, make the filling.  Combine butter, flour, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Using a fork, mix ingredients together until a smooth, spreadable paste forms.

Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean countertop.  Roll out with a rolling pin until it is in the shape of a rectangle that is about 16 by 20 inches in size. The dough should be smooth enough that you do not need to add flour during the rolling process. If yours is sticking the rolling pin, however, sprinkle a little flour over the dough as necessary to prevent this from happening.  

Using an off-set spatula, spread filling in a thin layer over the entire surface of the dough. 

Fold the dough like a business letter going the long way:  bring the top third of the dough down over the center third and bring the bottom third up over both the center and top third.  You may need a metal dough scraper to help coax your dough from the counter top if it is sticking. Roll out folded dough just to flatten slightly.

Using your dough scraper, sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut the folded dough into 12 equal size pieces.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, twist the strip of dough as you hold it between your thumbs and forefingers until it has a nice spiralized appearance.

While you continue to hold the dough in the thumb and forefinger of one hand, use your free hand to wrap the twisted strip of dough around the three middle fingers of the hand that holds the dough strip, tucking the last bit of the dough strip up and through the center of the circle you have just created.  Place shaped bun on a prepared baking sheet. Once you have six buns shaped and placed on one of the baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Continue with remaining buns, shaping and placing them on the second baking sheet before covering with plastic wrap. Let covered buns rise for an additional 30-45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the egg wash.  Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl.  Once the buns have risen and are ready to go into the oven, remove plastic wrap and brush the surface of each bun with the egg wash  Generously sprinkle pearl sugar over the top of each bun.

Starting with the batch of buns you shaped first, bake one pan of buns at a time for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining pan. Move to a wire rack to cool slightly and serve.

My daughter and I just baked a batch and they are so delicious! I can see why they're paired with fikka as they are on the lighter end (vs American bun/roll). They were done baking after 10 minutes so I think I'll try baking them at 420 instead. Our only issue working with the dough is that it wouldn't roll out to 16×20. It was more like 12×19. At some point, we stopped, covered it for about 15 mins then came back to roll, hoping the gluten would loosen up a bit. It was a tad better, but still not as pliable as American rolls/buns. We also would love to  find a way to make each piece even. Some were super tiny and some were large (my fave).
Nevertheless so delicious!
 My daughter is now going to test out sticking the buns in the fridge (unbaked) overnight, then bringing to room temperature on the counter (which I assume will take over an hour) the next morning before baking.  We're praying for make-ahead tips from you so that I don't have to be up at 1am for Kanelbullen dag! Lol
Thank you!

This recipe is cinnamon bun perfection!  After much testing, I can assure you, this recipe is the best!

I found your recipe because I was trying different Swedish recipes (my husband's family is Swedish) and now these have been a staple in our household each week! We love them!

Taste of home without having to pull out my Swedish cookbooks and metric measuring tools. I’m going to try to make the dough the day before and refrigerate them once shaped.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Afvc0WNQ.mp4

These perfect Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) are billowy soft on the inside and laced with a touch of cardamom and a decadent swirl of cinnamon and sugar.  And they are surprisingly easy to make!

Easy Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

These Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) are the perfect sweet treat: a soft cardamom-infused dough with buttery cinnamon cardamom filling!

butter

active dry yeast

all purpose flour

butter (softened)

baking spray

pearl sugar nuts

Into the bowl of your stand mixer, measure out the 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, the salt and the cardamom. Mix these two together for a few seconds, just until they&#39;re combined.

Next, melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. If you&#39;re thinking to cut a corner here and melt your butter in the microwave instead, don&#39;t do it! If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Once it&#39;s melted and starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup sugar  until you can see and feel the grains beginning to dissolve in the hot butter. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly. You&#39;re looking for the milk and butter mixture to be about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it feels only slightly warm to the touch (slightly above room temperature) you&#39;re good to go.

When your wet ingredients have reached the ideal temperature, add the yeast, stir gently, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the egg. Make sure your stand mixer is fitted with the dough hook attachment.

Turn your mixer on low and watch the ingredients combine. After about a minute you should see a sticky dough starting to come together. If you need to turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, now&#39;s your chance.

Turn up the mixer speed slightly and allow the mixture to knead the dough for about 2 minutes. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it&#39;s very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches that tacky texture.

If you don&#39;t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes after the wet and dry ingredients are combined.

Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and move it to a warm place in your kitchen to rise for about 1 hour. It should have doubled in size after about 1 hour.

Once you notice your dough has risen fully, and before you do anything with it, grease a large baking sheet with some butter (you can use two medium sheet pans or one large one). 

Turn the dough out onto a work surface that&#39;s been very lightly greased with vegetable oil. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough evenly until you have a 40 centimetre square (40cm by 40cm).

In a separate bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and the cardamom until it forms a paste. Spread the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough all the way to the edges.

Fold the square of dough in 1/3 of the way on one side and then the other, like you&#39;d fold a piece of paper or a letter.

Using a pizza cutter or pastry cutter, slice the dough rectangle into 12 long strips.

Take each strip, fold it in half, twist well and then wrap it around your hand one and a half times, tucking the end under securely. Repeat this with all 12 strips until you&#39;ve formed 12 buns. Click here for Jamie OIiver&#39;s visual tutorial of how to create a similar twist.

Place the buns on the prepared baking sheet(s) and space them out well (they spread as they bake).

Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and set them aside to rise for about 15-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

Once the rolls have risen for 20 minutes (no longer), very lightly brush the tops with some egg wash (beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water) and sprinkle with some pearl sugar or crushed nuts. Place them in the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until they&#39;re a nice even golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the buns cool on the pan for about 15 minutes before serving.

Made from scratch with bread flour and instant yeast, they have pillowy-soft dough, a gooey cinnamon sugar filling, and rich cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, these soft and fluffy rolls stay moist for days, if they last that long! Plus, there’s an overnight option for easy prep.

The Softest Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls Ever

bread flour

fine sea salt

heavy cream (room temperature)

whole milk (room temperature)

vanilla bean paste

Tangzhong from above

salted European butter (cool room temperature)

brown sugar (packed)

vanilla powder (optional)

unsalted butter (room temperature)

cream cheese (cold)

heavy cream

Before you start, line a metal 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.

First, make the tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and bread flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is a paste-like slurry. Scrape it into a bowl and set it aside.

In a stand mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt until combined. Add the cream, milk, egg, vanilla, and tangzhong to the bowl. Knead on low speed with the dough hook for 2 minutes until it forms a rough dough ball.

On low speed, knead in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it fully incorporate before adding more. Continue kneading for another 10-12 minutes until the dough looks smooth and elastic.

Remove the dough from the bowl and pull the sides down into the bottom center to create a smooth round ball. Place it seam-side down into the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla powder for the filling. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 15x21-inch rectangle. Dollop the cinnamon sugar mixture across the surface, then spread it to the edges with an offset spatula, leaving a 1-inch border at the top clean.

Use a pizza cutter to cut twelve, 1 3/4-inch strips. Roll each strip away from you, then carefully transfer them to the baking pan. Cover the top with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F/162 C.

Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter until combined. Then mix in the powdered sugar. Keep beating on low speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, then mix in the vanilla bean paste and heavy cream.

Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes, then spread the cream cheese frosting on top. Let sit another 15 minutes for the frosting to seep into the rolls. Serve warm and enjoy!

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Reheat them in the oven or microwave until warm before serving!

Hi Cambrea!

I have made this and I am so happy with how the bread came out! It's my dream bread texture. My search for a bread recipe for my rolls savory or sweet is now over :) I plan to stick to this recipe of yours, so thank you!!! :)

Best recipe for cinnamon rolls I have ever made!

I make cinnamon rolls once a month as they are a favorite in our house. I have been using a copycat Cinnabon recipe for awhile and it was pretty good. I decided to try your recipe as I have had really good success with the Tangzhong technique making dinner rolls. The dough from this recipe is on another level. The texture was absolutely spectacular and a unanimous favorite, it wasn't even close. This is our go to cinnamon roll recipe now. The recipe was very well laid out as a baker who weighs almost every ingredient I really appreciated having the weights all listed. Thank you for posting this.

These turned out amazing! So soft and delicious!

Great recipe! Delicious! People at work loved that weren’t too sweet, and I agree. Will definitely be making again. Loved the softness and texture. I’ve been using tanzhong in my sweet breads and dinner rolls for several years now, and that’s why I chose this recipe.  (If you don’t have both milk and heavy cream in your fridge, you could probably use all milk, or all heavy cream, or all half-n-half and it probably wouldn’t change the recipe a bit. I happened to have both so I followed the recipe exactly as written.). Putting this in my recipe file as a “keeper!”

super soft and gooey , but I had to use ap flour instead because I couldn’t find bread flour.

These are absolutely insane! I made them without a machine and they turned out wonderfully.

These are the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made. I've experimented using a different variety of breads etc. These are by far the best. Not just in taste but the texture and density of bread. 5 STARS. FOR SURE

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/KeA9DxT7.mp4

Watch out Cinnabon, because these are the best cinnamon rolls ever! They're extremely gooey, packed with cinnamon sugar flavor, and topped with cream cheese frosting. Overnight and freezing options are included!

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

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Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

The Softest Milk Bread Cinnamon Rol...

Top 3 homemade cinnamon buns recipes from across the web

The most viewed homemade cinnamon buns recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

The Softest Milk Bread Cinnamon Rol...

The most viewed homemade cinnamon buns recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine