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Fluffy Swedish Cinnamon Buns

8th October 2021 by Louise
Fluffy Cinnamon Buns
Fluffy Cinnamon Bun- Tangzhong Method

Did you know it was Swedish Cinnamon Bun day Kannelbullensdag on 4th October!  When Swedes, and it seems the rest of the world indulge in even more of these moreish spiced buns than usual. A date I can easily remember because it’s also my niece’s birthday too!

If you follow my blog you’ll know that I have several recipes for flavoured Swedish buns on my site, (the Vanilla Buns are to die for) however I haven’t shared Cinnamon Buns with the tangzhong method before.  These tempting, sweet, enriched, yeasted buns are flavoured with cardamom, filled with a sweet cinnamon butter and then delicately sprinkled with sugar nibs are now my default recipe because they are so fluffy and light.  Adding in this simple step to the process is well worth doing, trust me.

The tangzhong method originates in Japan.  A yeasted bread technique that involves cooking a portion of flour and liquid in the recipe into a thick paste prior to adding the remaining ingredients, resulting in soft, fluffy bread, that stays fresh a little longer.  How does this technique affect yeasted bread dough? What it does is it pre-gelatinises the starches in the flour, meaning they can absorb more water. In reality, flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it does the lukewarm water or milk you’d usually use in yeasted doughs.

For the best results in this recipe, use organic flour if you can, I like Shipton Mill.  When it comes to spices please, I urge you to use freshly ground cardamom in the dough.  You can buy the seeds online and grind them yourself in a pestle and mortar, pre-ground cardamom really doesn’t have the same flavour.

My preference is to use fresh yeast but I know it’s not readily available.  (You could try asking artisan bakeries to sell you some).  Fast action yeast would be my second choice.  I also highly recommend you prove the dough in the fridge overnight.  This gives the dough plenty of time to rest and it is much easier to work with from cold.  Just remember to leave the cinnamon butter at room temperature for easy spreading.  If you have chilled the dough overnight you can speed proving time up by placing the buns in the oven, SWITCHED OFF with a bowl of freshly boiled water, don’t cover them.

If you would like a few tips on how to shape these buns, here is a video. Happy baking!

Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Fluffy Swedish Cinnamon Buns

With the addition of the tangzhong method, this Swedish buns are super light and fluffy.
Prep Time1 hour hr
Cook Time10 minutes mins
proving time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Course: Fika
Cuisine: Swedish
Keyword: buns,, Fika,, Swedish,
Servings: 10 buns

Equipment

  • Rolling pin, pizza wheel

Ingredients

Basic Enriched Dough

    Tangzhong

    • 17 g organic strong white bread flour
    • 85 g whole milk

    Dough

    • cooled tangzhong
    • 300 g organic strong white bread flour
    • 135 g whole milk I always weigh liquid in grams
    • 65 g unsalted butter diced & at room temperature
    • 1 large egg lightly beaten
    • 35 g caster sugar
    • 15 g fresh yeast or 5g fast action yeast
    • 1 ½ tsp freshly ground cardamom
    • ¼ tsp fine sea salt

    Filling

    • 100 g unsalted butter room temperature
    • 45 g golden caster sugar
    • 1 ½ tbls cinnamon
    • 1 tsp plain flour

    To finish

    • Beaten egg with the addition of some milk and sugar nibs

    Instructions

    Tangzhong

    • Place the flour and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk together with a balloon whisk, on a medium heat until it thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl and cover. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, it’s ready to use.

    Enriched Dough

    • Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat to 38°C, (if you are proving the dough in the fridge overnight there is no need to heat the milk) remove from the heat and add the fresh yeast, whisk to incorporate (if using fast action yeast add it to the flour). Place the flour, tangzhong, cardamom, sugar and salt in the bowl of a free standing mixer with the dough hook attached. Add the milk mixture and 3/4 of the egg (save the rest for glazing) with the motor running. Mix until a dough forms on a slow speed.  Once the dough has come together add the butter, increase the pace to medium/high and work the dough for another 5-8 minutes or until it feels shiny and smooth. If it feels really sticky, add no more than 1 tablespoon of flour then scoop it all up into a bowl with a dough scraper.
    • Cover and place in the fridge to prove for up to 14 hours or prove at room for 30-45 minutes or until it's doubled in size.

    Filling

    • Combine all of the filling ingredients and set to one side.
    • Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. The dough: on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into 75x30cm, dust with more flour if you need to. Spread the cinnamon butter on approximately half of the surface. Fold the dough in half, then roll again gently to make an approximate rectangle measuring 40x23cm.
    • Cut the dough into roughly 2cm wide strips, I find a pizza wheel good for this job. Twist each strip several times, wrap around your 2 fingers then tuck the ends underneath. Continue with the rest of the strips.
    • Arrange the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if they’re too crowded, use 2 sheets), keeping as much space between them as possible. Cover and prove for 30–45 minutes or until approximately doubled in size.
    • Brush the buns with beaten egg and a little milk and shower with sugar nibs. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
    • Best eaten on the day of baking however they freeze incredibly well, just warm them in the oven after defrosting.

    Notes

    *Here is a video to demonstrate how to shape the buns.

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    Category: Autumn, Baking, Fika, Nordic, Spring, Summer, WinterTag: baking, fika, nordic flavours, scandinavian, scandinavian flavours, swedish
    Previous Post:Fermented Green TomatoesFermented Green Tomatoes
    Next Post:Swedish Apple Cake (Äppelkaka)Swedish Apple Cake

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie

      14th January 2023 at 7:22 pm

      5 stars
      Live in Norway. Have both bought and myself baked countless number of cinnamon buns and have no reservations about saying that your dough recipe is the absolute best! We also made the cardamom and chocolate buns, which were incredible. This dough is so soft and fluffy, and deliciously buttery. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!

      Reply
      • Louise

        15th January 2023 at 8:57 am

        Katie, I’m delighted to hear this and thank you for taking the time to comment :-))

        Reply
    2. Tricia Smith

      19th February 2023 at 12:07 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this dough. Very soft and fluffy. Not too sweet. I formed them into cinnamon rolls as I was pressed for time.

      Reply
      • Louise

        19th February 2023 at 1:53 pm

        Very happy to hear you like this recipe. You can’t beat a traditional cinnamon roll :-))

        Reply
    3. Kay

      28th May 2023 at 4:34 pm

      If you wanted to have them ready to bake early in the morning, could you leave them in the fridge already shaped, then take them out to prove first thing? Would you shape them on the day of making the dough in this case?

      Reply
      • Louise

        28th May 2023 at 4:58 pm

        Hi Kay,
        I would suggest doing the first prove at room temperature, then shape, cover and put in the fridge overnight. They will take a while to prove so put them in the oven, switched OFF with a bowl of boiling water at the bottom, this will speed things up. Then bake as instructed.

        Reply

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    Recipe Rating




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1 large onion, finely sliced
Olive oil for frying
1.5 tsp za’atar
0.5 tsp sumac
S & P
Soft cheese, ie. Camembert, Brie, Tallegio

Brioche (Enriched Dough)
400g strong white flour
220ml milk, warmed
6g fast action yeast
30g butter, room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
6g fine sea salt
Beaten egg for glazing
Sesame seeds 

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350g pumpkin, roast & skin
150g dried whole yellow peas (or split) soaked overnight
1/2 small onion, finely chopped 
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander 
1/4 tsp ground cardamom 
1/2 tsp baking powder
sunflower oil for brushing

Serve with herby Greek yogurt, (I added chopped dill)

12 croquettes 

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1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch ground allspice
A pinch chilli flakes
small handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
small handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
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1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 
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1 tsp cream cheese, full-fat

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(Serves 2-3)

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