Swedish cinnamon buns

Donal Skehan says he bakes these tender, fluffy buns for his Swedish-born wife at least once a month! They are great for sharing: place on a board, carry to the table and let every enjoy helping themselves.

Swedish cinnamon buns. Credit: Donal's Family Kitchen

• makes

  12

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Stream free On Demand

Kitchen Keepers

episode • Donal's Family Kitchen • 

Cooking • 

23m

G

episode • Donal's Family Kitchen • 

Cooking • 

23m

G

Ingredients

• 80 g unsalted butter
• 250 ml full cream (whole) milk
• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 1 x 7 g sachet fast-action yeast
• 50 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 large free-range egg plus 1 large yolk, beaten together
• 1 beaten egg, for glazing
• 3 tsp demerara sugar (or pearl sugar, see Note)

Filling

• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g soft light brown sugar
• 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon

Rising time: 1½ hours; Cooling time: 10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Gently melt the butter and milk together in a pan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Set aside until lukewarm (about 40°C/100°F).
2. Mix the flour, yeast, caster sugar, salt and cardamom together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten egg and yolk followed by the warm milk and butter mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix until you have a slightly sticky dough.
3. When the dough has taken shape, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and springy. (Alternatively knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes.) Dust with flour if you find the dough too sticky.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
5. For the filling, beat all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth paste.
6. When the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl and tip onto a lightly greased work surface. Roll into a rectangle 45 x 30cm (17 in x 12 in) and about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Spread the filling all over and then, starting from one long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Use a sharp knife to slice into 12 equal-sized pieces.
7. Lightly grease a roasting tray that is about 25 cm x 20 cm (10 in x 8in) and place the rolls in, cut-side up. Cover with lightly greased cling film and leave to rise for around 30 minutes in a warm place until puffy.
8. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180° fan/400°F/Gas 6). Brush the buns with the egg, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Leave the buns to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool a little before serving.

Note

• Pearl sugar gives the classic look of a Swedish bun, but demerara sugar is lovely too. Alternatively, you could finish these with an icing sugar glaze after they’ve been baked and cool a bit.
• These make an amazing breakfast. If you want to do an overnight dough, cover and chill once they are in the baking tin. The next morning remove from the fridge and allow to sit in a warm place for an hour until puffy before baking.
• If you have any left over you can wrap in foil and then warm through the next day.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Kitchen Keepers

episode • Donal's Family Kitchen • 

Cooking • 

23m

G

episode • Donal's Family Kitchen • 

Cooking • 

23m

G