flipKanelbullar — Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns
Kanelbullar — Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns
Why this dish? Fika — the coffee break with a sweet treat — is a Swedish institution that punctuates every day. For a globe-trotting diva like Nilsson, who remained deeply attached to Sweden, the kanelbulle evokes reunions with her homeland, far from the strict vocal diet of performance nights.
Soft, yeasted dough perfumed with cardamom, rolled around a cinnamon-sugar butter, and topped with pearl sugar. The great classic of Swedish coffee, celebrated every October 4 on 'Cinnamon Bun Day'.
Ah, fika! In Sweden we never skip the afternoon coffee, and it needs its bun. The trick is freshly ground cardamom in the dough — that's what sings under the cinnamon. On singing days I denied myself so many things, no spices or dairy, so believe me, on my days off I didn't hold back from a good warm kanelbulle! You roll them tight, let them rise well, and the house smells wonderful all the way up to the attic.
- •Wheat flour — as much as the bowl holds (dough base)
- •Fresh yeast — a piece (leavening)
- •Milk — warmed (dough liquid)
- •Butter — a good lump (richness for dough and filling)
- •Ground cardamom — generously (signature fragrance)
- •Cinnamon — for the filling (filling spice)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Kanelbullar — Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns
Soft, yeasted dough perfumed with cardamom, rolled around a cinnamon-sugar butter, and topped with pearl sugar. The great classic of Swedish coffee, celebrated every October 4 on 'Cinnamon Bun Day'.
Why this dish? Fika — the coffee break with a sweet treat — is a Swedish institution that punctuates every day. For a globe-trotting diva like Nilsson, who remained deeply attached to Sweden, the kanelbulle evokes reunions with her homeland, far from the strict vocal diet of performance nights.
Ah, fika! In Sweden we never skip the afternoon coffee, and it needs its bun. The trick is freshly ground cardamom in the dough — that's what sings under the cinnamon. On singing days I denied myself so many things, no spices or dairy, so believe me, on my days off I didn't hold back from a good warm kanelbulle! You roll them tight, let them rise well, and the house smells wonderful all the way up to the attic.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — as much as the bowl holds (dough base)
- Fresh yeast — a piece (leavening)
- Milk — warmed (dough liquid)
- Butter — a good lump (richness for dough and filling)
- Ground cardamom — generously (signature fragrance)
- Cinnamon — for the filling (filling spice)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 600 g (base)
- Fresh baker's yeast — 25 g (leavening)
- Milk — 250 ml (liquid)
- Soft butter — 75 g (dough) + 75 g (filling) (richness)
- Sugar — 75 g (dough) + 75 g (filling) (sweetness)
- Ground cardamom — 2 tsp (signature fragrance)
- Ground cinnamon — 2 tbsp (filling)
- Egg — 1 (for glaze) (finish)
- Pearl sugar — for sprinkling (crunchy decoration)
Method
- Warm the milk, dissolve the yeast, then mix with flour, sugar, cardamom, and soft butter; knead into a smooth dough.
- Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes until doubled.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread with soft butter mixed with sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll tightly into a log, cut into pieces, and place in paper cases.
- Let rise for another 30 minutes, brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Bake at 220°C for about 10-12 minutes until golden; enjoy warm with coffee.
How it was made : The kanelbulle spread in Sweden in the 1920s, when sugar, butter, and colonial spices (cinnamon, cardamom) became affordable for households. Cardamom, brought by long-standing Scandinavian trade routes, distinguishes Swedish pastries from their cousins.
The contemporary twist : Shape into a knot (knut) rather than a snail, in the style of contemporary Stockholm bakeries, with a pinch of sea salt on the pearl sugar.
Birgit Nilsson · Charactorium
