Kanelbullar (Swedish Cinnamon Buns)

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 500 g plain flour
• 75 g caster sugar
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp green cardamom pods, seeds extracted and freshly ground
• 250 ml whole milk, warmed
• 75 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For the filling
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• 80 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch green cardamom pods, seeds extracted and freshly ground
• To finish
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• 30 g pearl sugar

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour, caster sugar, fast-action yeast, freshly ground cardamom, and salt in a large bowl. Add the warmed milk, softened butter, and beaten egg. Mix to a shaggy dough, then turn out and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test: a small piece stretched between the fingers holds a translucent membrane without tearing.
2. 2
   Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. The dough is ready when a floured finger pressed into its centre leaves an indentation that springs back slowly but does not fully recover.
3. 3
   Beat together the softened butter, caster sugar, ground cinnamon, and freshly ground cardamom to a smooth, spreadable paste. The mixture should be uniform in colour with no streaks of unmixed butter.
4. 4
   Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a rectangle approximately 3–4 mm thick. Spread the cinnamon-cardamom butter in an even, generous layer across the entire surface — this is where the dish lives or dies: an under-filled bun is a dull bun; the filling must be clearly visible as a distinct stratum in every layer when the finished bun is sliced.
5. 5
   Roll the dough tightly from the long edge into a compact cylinder. Cut into 12 equal rounds with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Shape each piece into a spiral or knot and place on parchment-lined baking trays with room to expand. Cover and prove until the buns have doubled in size and hold a domed, pillowy profile — not spread flat. Over-proofed buns will have lost their dome and spread sideways.
6. 6
   Heat the oven to 200°C. Brush each bun with egg wash immediately before loading the trays into the oven. Bake for 12–15 minutes. Five minutes before the end, apply a second coat of egg wash. The buns are done when the surface is glossy amber and the bases sound hollow when tapped.
7. 7
   Remove from the oven and scatter pearl sugar over each bun while still hot. Transfer to a wire rack. The buns are ready to serve when the pearl sugar has set and the crumb, tested by gently pressing the side of a bun, yields softly and springs back — airy and pillowy, not dense.