Kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns)
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Kanelbullar
Soft, cardamom-scented yeast buns swirled with cinnamon butter and sprinkled with pearl sugar — the centrepiece of the Swedish coffee break, fika.
Kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns) is a Swedish pastry from Sweden, ready in about 2 hours 12 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, cardamom and cinnamon. It serves 20 and is rated intermediate to cook.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 12 min
- Serves
- 20
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 202
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To finish
Method
Step 1
Stir the yeast and a pinch of the sugar (opens in a new tab) into the warm milk (opens in a new tab). Mix the flour, remaining sugar, cardamom (opens in a new tab) and salt, add the milk and knead for 5 minutes, then knead in the softened butter (opens in a new tab) until smooth and elastic.
Step 2
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled.
- 1 min
Step 3
Beat the filling butter (opens in a new tab) with the brown sugar (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab). Roll the dough into a 30 × 50 cm rectangle, spread with the filling and roll up from the long side.
Step 4
Cut into 20 slices and place them in paper cases or on lined trays. Cover and prove for 30 minutes. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab).
- 5 min
- 220°C
Step 5
Brush with beaten egg (opens in a new tab), sprinkle with pearl sugar (opens in a new tab) and bake until golden. Cool on a rack.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Sweden · Well documentedAlso popular in Finland, Norway, DenmarkMore food from Sweden
- Dish
- Snack · Breakfast · Pastries · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, buttery
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- All-purpose flour · Cardamom · Cinnamon · Milk · Dried yeast · Sugar
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
202 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 59 g · recipe makes 20
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 7%
- Carbohydrate 58%
- Fat 36%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 202 kcal | 342 kcal |
| Protein | 3.5 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.2 g | 49.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 28.2 g | 47.6 g |
| Sugars | 9.6 g | 16.3 g |
| Added sugars | 8.9 g | 15 g |
| Fibre | 1 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 8 g | 13.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.9 g | 8.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 29 mg | 50 mg |
| Sodium | 126 mg | 212 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.5 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 61 mg
- Calcium
- 30 mg
- Iron
- 1.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 8 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 70 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 83 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Grind cardamom seeds freshly — pre-ground loses its aroma quickly.
Common mistakes
- Overbaking dries the buns; take them out as soon as they're golden.
Serve with
- Serve with coffee for fika.
Storage
- Keep in an airtight tin for 2 days or freeze for 2 months.
Reheating
- Warm from frozen in a low oven for 5–8 minutes.
Variations
- Kardemummabullar: Filled with cardamom sugar butter instead of cinnamon and twisted into knots.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Structure
For the dough
- Milk, lukewarm250 ml · 258 g
- Dried yeast1 piece · 7 g
- Sugar75 g
- All-purpose flour500 g
- Cardamom, freshly ground1 tsp · 2.1 g
- Salt0.5 tsp · 3 g
- Butter, softened75 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 30 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 30 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 12 min at 220 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
- Start to finish: about 2 h 12 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Milk | Other liquid | 258 g | 51.5% |
| Sugar | Sugar | 75 g | 15% |
| Butter | Fat | 75 g | 15% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
| Salt | Salt | 3 g | 0.6% |
| Cardamom | Other | 2 g | 0.4% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- —
- With milk, eggs…
- 44.8%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Salt 0.6% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
- Sugar 15% — an enriched, sweet dough; rises more slowly and browns quickly.
- Fat 15% — a rich, tender dough.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
You might also like
Korvapuusti (Finnish cinnamon rolls)
Finnish · 2 h 12 min · 240 kcal · Contains egg
Kıymalı pide
Turkish · 2 h · 699 kcal
Kleicha
Iraqi · 1 h 45 min · 133 kcal · Contains egg
Melktert
South African · 3 h 35 min · 357 kcal · Contains egg