kanelbullar - swedish cinnamon buns

it wasn't in my stars to know how to make yeast based breads and pastry. i somehow made a few good yeasted things - probably out of sheer luck…? but there is definitely no consistency in my skills. but hey, there is always the lucky punch. if you really want to know: i'm a bit of a lucky devil… since i was little, i've always always kind of gotten what i wished or hoped for. mostly more than that. only recently, i scored a really nice vintage shelf for my dining room, that will make the perfekt home for my soupière and tableware collection (i'll show you once i have it, for sure). it was hard to get, that shelf. let's just say it must have been my lucky stars to help me with such a deal. so i guess every once in a while i get lucky with baking, too… shall we take our chances?

kanelbullar - swedish cinnamon buns

rezept auf deutsch auf si style

ingredients for the dough:

300 g flour

20 g fresh yeast

100 ml milk

60 butter, melted

70 g sugar + 1 tsp.

1 egg

1 tbsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. salt

ingredients for the filling:

100 g butter, room temperature

2/4 cups sugar

4 tbsp. cinnamon

1 egg for the glaze

coarse decorating sugar

directions:

for the dough, sieve thte flour in a bowl and add sugar, salt and cardamom. melt the butter, then let it cool a bit. add the cold milk, so that the liquid is only hand warm (not too hot not too cold). dissolve the yeast in a bit of the milk butter liquid with a teaspoon of sugar. make a well in the flour mix, then pour the yeast into the well and cover lightly with flour. let steep for about 10 minutes, until bubbles form. then pour in the milk and egg. now work the dough with an electric stand mixer (it helps to attach the dough hook, ahem) or else, should you not be so lucky (in this case i am not, sighs) work it with your hands, i.e. with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes (snooooze), until your dough is elastic. i found that i had to leave the dough in the bowl for it, because it's a rather moist dough (and so it should be). but if you have to, add some more flour in the process. 

let the dough prove in a warm place, covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 30 minutes. remove from the bowl, dust your work surface with flour and roll dough out into a slim, long rectangle, to about 1 cm thick. spread the butter evenly on top, then dust with the sugar and cinnamon. now fold twice, towards the middle, so that you have three layers (like you would with a business letter, somehow). cut width wise into 2cm wide stripes. cut these again, now lengthwise, but leaving the top of the legs uncut. it has to look like a pair of trousers. if you have no clue what i'm talking about, watch this. now twist the legs, then knot them (messily). proceed until all the kanelbullars are knotted. 

place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. cover with kitchen towels and let prove again for for 1.5 hours until doubled in size. preheat the oven to 220c / 430 f. brush with egg wash and sprinkle with decorating sugar if you want.

revision: of course you need a baking time! thank you for pointing this out, fellow foodie sweets. okay, here goes: bake for 9-11 minutes (depending on size of the buns and on the exact heat of your oven. and how doughy and chewy you like your buns, mind. mine took around 10 minutes in a rather hot oven). then eat (while they're still warm, because you can). xx