Swedish Traditions – The Cinnamon Roll

Today is not an ordinary day. No, it’s the Swedish Cinnamon Roll Day. Or maybe you know it as the cinnamon bun. A dear child has many names.

So, 4 October is the Swedish Cinnamon Roll Day. This day has been celebrated since 1989 and the aim is to commemorate the most popular pastry in Sweden. Actually. Finland has this day, too, so it’s not only Swedish. Nonetheless, we can stick to Sweden for now.  If you ever visit Sweden, you’ll notice that this pastry really plays a central role when it comes to local traditions.

In Sweden, you can have a cinnamon roll almost anywhere and at any time.  At my work, we usually have a “fredagsfika” on Fridays at 2 pm. Fika is really a coffee break (with or without the coffee) with good company. People make them at home or at cafés.Jesper eats these pastries for breakfast!

The Swedish Cinnamon Roll: Make It Yourself

My plan was to make some rolls today but it is kind of hectic as I’m not at home. But I can still share a good recipe with you and make the rolls in the evening instead. The Swedish Cinnamon Roll Day has an entire website dedicated to it, and that’s also where I found this great recipe. I would like to emphasize that I have borrowed the entire recipe + instructions from that website. I don’t want to take the glory for these treats. At this point, I should probably also tell you that making cinnamon rolls is an art and I think that most people have their own way of doing them.

20 rolls

75 g butter, room temperature
7 ½ dl flour
½ dl white baking syrup
2 ml salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ packet (25 g) yeast, crumbled
2 ½ dl milk

Filling:
50 g butter, room temperature
2 tablespoon unrefined sugar, granulated
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ tablespoon breadcrumbs

Glaze:
1 egg
pearl sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Powerfully process the dough with a machine for at least 5 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth. Let it rise under plastic for 30 minutes.

Stir together the filling.

Take the dough out and roll it flat. Spread the filling on top of it. Roll the dough into a long roll and cut it into 20 pieces.

Put the pieces on baking paper on a baking plate. Let it rise for about 30 minutes. Turn the oven on 250°C.

Whisk an egg and carefully brush it on the buns and sprinkle pearl sugar on top. Bake in the oven for around 5-7 minutes.

So, tell us. Have you tried the Swedish cinnamon roll? Or are you thinking about making it?

Happy Baking!