Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Central to Swedish life and culture is the custom of Fika (pronounced fee-ka). It means, to drink coffee, take a Fikarest, it is a verb and also a noun. Fika often happens first thing for breakfast and then periodically throughout the day. This sweet, spicy start to the day is created by cinnamon buns known as Kanelbullar which accompany fresh coffee. Today, 4th October happens to be national Kanelbullar Day in Sweden, so why not try this tasty Swedish treat for breakfast yourself. Make a coffee and have a cinnamon bun and have a chat, that is what I did, when last doing Fika with a Swedish person.
These are not just any buns, they are light, twice glazed, cardamon infused buns, made sticky inside by a filling of cinnamon, butter and sugar which meld together. The citrus glaze I have added is optional but I love the syrupy sharpness contrasting against the warmth of the cinnamon. Once you have tried this custom of Fika and as the days draw in to winter and the light is fast fading, you will yearn for some candle flickering, morning starts with a coffee and one of these sensational buns. This Swedish custom is a warm one and one that ought be borrowed to help us through the coming days of winter ahead. Fika was brought about by long Nordic days of darkness and there is much written about the behaviours of those that inhabit countries that spend a proportion of their year in darkness, and this is one behaviour I willingly adopt.
I have made two versions of these buns one is a simple coiled bun and the second is a twisted knot variety. They taste the same, but I like the contrast of shapes, they are not tricky to do. The preparation may take you some time as they are made with yeast which will need to prove for an hour or so depending on the warmth in your kitchen. So as with most yeast baking you operate in small stages. If you think like this you can plan your time around them and do other things whilst waiting. You could even make your dough the night before and have it ready for you in the morning. These buns are worth celebrating. Happy Kanelbullar Day!
Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Makes 18
250 ml whole fresh milk
25 gms fresh bakers yeast
1 tspn sea salt
750 gms plain flour
1 tspn crushed cardamom seeds
125gms caster sugar for the dough 64gms caster sugar for the filling
50 gms powdered icing sugar for the glaze
zest of one unwaxed lemon
1 egg for glazing
2 tbs cinnamon
few slivered almonds
Preheat oven 200C/400F/Gas 6
Melt the unsalted butter with the milk and scald it slightly together over a low heat. Leave it too cool until it reaches blood temperature, test with your finger. You are going to crumble your yeast into it so you do not want it to be too hot, otherwise it will kill of the live cultures present in the yeast. Make sure the yeast has completely dissolved into the milk and butter liquid. Sift in the dry ingredients into the liquid and stir it into a moist dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough. It will take a good ten minutes of kneading and turning to achieve a glossy dough where the glutens in the wheat have stretched. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place and wait for it to prove, around 45 minutes. It will double in size. Whilst the dough is rising you can prepare the filling. Mix together some warm butter with the caster sugar and the cinnamon to form a thick paste. Leave to one side until needed.
When the dough has doubled put onto a flour surface and knead it back down, this process is called 'punching down'. Knead for a further few minutes and form into a ball. Next roll the dough out into a rectangle shape about 3/4 cm thick. Onto this rectangle spread with a spatula or your fingers the cinnamon sugar paste. Covering it as best you can. Then take the top and fold it into the middle and the bottom end and fold this into the middle. Give it a further roll into a neater rectangle. Slice in half. The first side is going to be your coiled buns. Roll the end up like a swiss roll and cut at an angle 9 segments. Place these into muffin cases onto a cookie tray. The next section cut into 9 strips. On each of these strips cut up the centre but not fully. Twist each of these legs and turn them into knots. Do this with all the strips placing them into muffin cases on a cookie tray. Let your buns now rest for 30 minutes and they will double in size. Make a glaze from a beaten egg and brush over the buns so they have a shiny finish. I sprinkle a few slivered almonds over a few of them. Place into your hot preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Put on a cooling rack and let rest for ten minutes or so. Whilst they are cooling down take the juice of one lemon and the icing sugar and put it over a low heat to melt together. Brush over the cinnamon buns and allow to set. Once cool serve with a strong hot coffee and chat about the weather.
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