Kanelbullar: Swedish Rolls

Almost three years ago I packed my bags and headed to Stockholm to visit a good friend of mine.  She was born and raised there but attended college in the states and I was fortunate to meet her during that time.  She had to move back home a couple of years later but we kept in touch with email and Skype.  I was lucky enough to visit her and her family during one of the warmest weeks in May they experienced in years.

View of Stockholm

I fell in love with the city.  It's a beautiful place and the city is formed by seven islands so it is surrounded by water.  The people were friendly and almost everyone spoke conversational English, so it was easy to get around and interact with her friends.  I went for 10 days so she would often work in the mornings or even a full day.  I could relax and explore the city before meeting her.  I quickly discovered that Swedes love their coffee as much as I do but that they don't have Starbucks.  The only Starbucks in Stockholm is in the airport.  What they do have is small shops that serve coffee and pastries.  And every shop had Kanelbullar, or cinnamon rolls which I loved.  Despite my avid sweet tooth I actually am not a big fan of big, gooey American cinnamon rolls.  But I fell in love with the Swedish version.  

They have cardamom which gives it a spicy flavor that the Scandinavians are known for in their baking and it is also popular in the Middle East.  I would suggest finding a local Mediterranean or Middle Eastern store to buy cardamom as it can be pricey on the grocery store shelves if they even have it.    The rolls also have pearl sugar on the top which you can buy at Ikea or online, mine actually came from Marshall's where my sister in law randomly found it.  

Delicious Swedish pastries

Ingredients

1 envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cardamom

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1 egg, lightly beaten

Pearl sugar

Directions

1) In a pan or a pot, melt the butter. Add the milk, and heat until the the mixture is lukewarm.  If you have a thermometer, the idea temperature is between 100-110F.
 

2) Pour the mixture into a large heatproof bowl. Add the sugar, salt, and cardamom.
 

3)  Add the yeast, and mix until dissolved.  Let mixture sit for up to 10 minutes to proof the yeast.  If the mixtures becomes bubbly you know that your yeast is healthy.
 

4) Add the flour and mix. Turn the dough onto a floured counter and knead the dough until it is elastic, I discovered that the attachment that came with the Kitchenaid was for dough and used that instead.  It worked great!
 

5) Place the dough in a large bowl. Cover it, and let it rise for 30-40 minutes, until it has doubled in size. 

6) After it has risen, turn the dough onto a floured counter, and knead again. Use the remaining flour if you find the dough too sticky to work with.
 

7) Roll the dough out into a square about 1/3″ thick.  Create a rectangle that is approximately 12"x10".
 

8) Spread the 2 tablespoons butter onto the dough.  Mix together the cinnamon and sugar sprinkle mixture on dough.

9)Roll up the dough to form a log. Cut the dough into 20-24 pieces. Lay the pieces flat onto a baking sheet. You can also place the pieces in muffin cups or muffin tins.

10) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and let the rolls rise for 20 minutes.
 

11) Once the rolls have risen, before baking, brush them with the beaten egg, and sprinkle them with pearl sugar.

12) Bake the rolls for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.