Kanelbullar - Cinnamon Buns

It is time to share one of my favorite bun recipes! As they bake a lovely aroma will spread throughout your kitchen. Enjoy them with a cup of coffee or as my children loved them best - with a glass of cold milk.

They can be filled in any way imaginable really, cinnamon, cardamom, apple, almonds, etc. This time, to celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day (fourth of October) I made two different fillings; my son's favorite variation; with lots of cinnamon, butter and sugar. When I bake buns I don't skimp on the good stuff! I also made a new filling with almond paste, cinnamon and apples. I have tried something similar before but these have an added twist. I found the recipe in a magazine. They turned out really tasty but a little on the sweet side as they have both icing, pearl sugar and vanilla custard. I think next time I will skip the pearl sugar.

Freeze any buns you don't want to eat straight away; then thaw them in 100 degree oven (212 F) until they are soft and warm.

My mother's cinnamon buns were truly special. I never feel mine quite live up to hers. But then my daughter tells me she feels the same way about mine! Perhaps for every generation, memories of countless childhood moments of bliss, gobbling up your mother's cinnamon rolls, infuses her baking with a flavor that cannot be created from any earthly spice.

Having said that, there really was something special about my mother's cinnamon buns! I remember once she was baking when the son of a baker friend came over, who had just graduated as a pastry chef. He saw that mother was busy juggling many chores, and so he kindly offered to finish the buns off for her. She had set the dough already and it had finished rising. Imagine my surprise when I sunk my teeth into one and it didn't taste at all as it should! What had happened? Perhaps it was that he brushed the buns after baking as some bakers do. Perhaps my knowing it wasn't mother that had made them took the magic out of them...or perhaps something mysterious happens when we bake for our families and we really impart some of that love and care into the food.

Before you start, the butter our of the fridge in plenty of time beforehand, because it is impossible to spread unless properly softened. I also like the eggs and milk to be at room temperature.


Ingredients:

Dough:


50 g fresh yeast

5 dl milk
2-3 tsp ground cardamom (freshly ground is far superior)
1 tsp salt
200 g butter
1.75 - 2 dl sugar
2 eggs
19 dl plain flour


Filling 1:

3 small baking apples
3 tsp cinnamon
0.5 dl sugar
300 g almond paste
100 g butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla sugar

Vanilla custard:

1.5 dl sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
3 dl milk
3 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla

For brushing the buns:

beaten egg and icing sugar stirred smooth in some water. I used pearl sugar also but that made them too sweet in my opinion.

Crumble the yeast into the bowl of your food processor (fitted with dough hook).
Pour in some of the milk and dissolve the yeast. Add cardamom, sugar, most of the flour and the eggs. Run the machine for a while. Drop in the soft butter spoon by spoon and keep the machine running at medium speed. Leave it running for a few minutes. Now add the salt and work the dough another 10 or so minutes.

Let the dough rest 15 minutes.

Peel and grate the apples. Mix with cinnamon and sugar, let it sit for 10 minutes. Grate the almond paste and stir it smooth with butter and sugar.

Place 60 bun papers on baking sheets.


Turn the dough out onto a worktop dusted with flour. Split it into two parts. Roll one into a rectangle, 55x30 cm. Spread on the almond butter paste evenly. Squeeze the apple mix to get rid of excess liquid and then sprinkle evenly over the almond mixture. Roll the dough square up into a firm roll. Cut into 30 slices and place in the bun papers. Cover with a baking towel and let them rise for one hour.


Now roll out the second dough in the same way for filling number two:

100-150 g butter, softened
1- 1.5 dl sugar
3-5 tbsp cinnamon

Stir the butter smooth and spread it evenly across the dough rectangle. Sprinkle generously with sugar, then cinnamon. You want a nice thick layer or filling. Roll into a long firm roll and cut into 30 slices, place into bun paper cups, let rise an hour.

Set the oven to 225 C degrees (437 F). Make the custard:

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a pot. Add milk and egg yolks. Heat, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick custard. The mixture must not boil! Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let it cool.

When the buns have risen, brush them with a whisked egg and sprinkle with pear sugar. Add a spoonful of custard on the apple buns.


Bake 10 minutes until golden. Just before serving, mix icing sugar and a little water and drizzle across.

I hope you will enjoy these lovely buns!