Swedish Cinnamon Buns (KANELBULLAR)

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These buns are traditional Swedish cinnamon buns called “kanelbullar”. Of course for our recipe it has been adapted to be refined sugar free. This recipe is made with a tasty, soft and chewy cardamom dough, a buttery cinnamon-coconut sugar filling, and twisted into perfect little knots

SWEDISH CINNAMON BUNS INGREDIENTS:

To make this Swedish cinnamon buns recipe (kanelbullar), you will need the following ingredients:

• Milk: diluted cream for this recipe, but regular milk or plain non-dairy milk (such as almond milk or oat milk) would work too.
• Butter: A little butter is needed for the dough and some more to spread across the filling. Keep butter at room temperature for this recipe.
• Flour: I just used regular all-purpose flour.
• Yeast: I used fast action dried yeast in order to mix directly into the dough.
• Coconut nectar/ coconut sugar: In the filling, since a dry form of sugar is required, I used coconut sugar. Also, you can sprinkle some on top, although, due to the easily dissolving nature of this nectar, it may not show up on the finished product as much as regular sugar. Sometimes I substitute honey for the coconut sugar in the dough mix.
• Ground cinnamon and cardamom: Outside of the clearly different shape of these buns, what also distinguishes them from regular cinnamon buns is the infusion of cardamom. Trust me — Don’t substitute it! I ground my cardamom pods, but feel free to use store-bought ground cardamom as well. (The flavor will be more potent and you will also have the classic black flecks of seeds in your buns.)
• Vanilla extract: I mean, what recipe is complete without it.
• Fine sea salt: To bring out all of these delicious flavors.
• Egg wash: An egg plus a tablespoon of water whisked together, which will help the coconut sugar to stick to the tops of the rolls
  

  HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON BUNS

  1. Heat the milk and butter. Heat the milk and butter together until they are warm to the touch. This is to help your yeast activate.
  2. Mix the dough. In a separate large mixing bowl, briefly whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, coconut sugar/honey, yeast, ground cardamom and salt), add the milk mixture, stir until combined, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes.
  3. First dough rise. Smooth the dough into a ball, cover it in a greased bowl, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
  4. Mix the filling. Meanwhile, stir together the filling ingredients in a separate mixing bowl until evenly combined.
  5. Roll out the dough. Next, the fun part! Turn the dough out onto a large floured work surface and roll it into a 22 x 15-inch (55 x 38-cm) rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly across the dough.  Fold the left third of the dough in towards the center, and fold the right third of the dough over that towards the center, like you’re folding a business letter. Then gently run the rolling pin over the dough to press out any big bubbles, and roll the dough out a bit more so that it forms a 15 x 8-inch (38 x 20-cm) rectangle.
  6. Form the buns. Using a pizza cutter, pastry cutter or a knife, slice the dough into even 2 x 20-cm long strips. Take one strip and twist it several times, gently stretching it as you do so until it nearly doubles in length. Grab one end of the twisted strip and loosely wrap the dough around two fingers twice, like a bandage. Then loop the rest of the dough perpendicularly around the dough so that it forms a knot, and tuck the loose end in at the bottom. Transfer the dough to a large parchment-covered baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining dough strips. Once you’ve done a couple, it’s easier to get the hang of it.
  7. Second dough rise. Loosely cover the dough buns with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for 45-60 minutes.
  8. Brush and sprinkle. Heat the oven to 375°F. Brush each bun with the egg wash, then, if using, sprinkle with coconut sugar.
  9. Bake. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the rolls reach your desired level of golden brown. Transfer to a wire baking sheet and let cool for 5 minutes. Then serve warm and enjoy!! These rolls are best enjoyed the day that they are baked. Of course leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or sealed then frozen.