Swedish cinnamon rolls: the traditional kanelbullar recipe
There's one scent that, more than any other, says "well-deserved break": that of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven. In Sweden, this moment even has a name, fika, a coffee and pastry break that no one skips. It's precisely this atmosphere that inspired our Nordic Sweetness candle, and its character, Alva, the baker preparing her kanelbullar in a snowy cottage. Here's her recipe, in an easy-to-follow version for you to make at home. 🍯
Fika, a Swedish habit to adopt
In Sweden, fika isn't just a coffee break; it's a true social and personal ritual, often taken twice a day. You stop, put on the kettle or coffeemaker, and pull out something sweet, almost always kanelbullar. This concept is very similar to what we advocate at Les Fondeurs d'Histoires: taking the time to slow down, even for just a few minutes.
Ingredients for about 12 rolls
For the dough
- 500 g flour
- 250 ml lukewarm milk
- 50 g melted butter
- 80 g sugar
- 1 sachet active dry yeast (7 g)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 100 g soft butter
- 80 g sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 egg, for glazing
- Pearl sugar, for topping
Step-by-step preparation
- Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk and let rest for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom.
- Add the egg, melted butter, then the milk-yeast mixture. Knead for about 10 minutes, until you get a soft and elastic dough.
- Cover and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in volume.
- Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 5 mm thick.
- Mix the soft butter, sugar, and cinnamon, then spread evenly over the entire surface of the dough.
- Roll the dough up lengthwise, then cut into sections about 3 cm long.
- Place the rolls on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with pearl sugar, and bake at 180°C for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.
Tip: for even softer rolls, take them out of the oven as soon as they just start to brown, rather than waiting for a dark color.
Tip: cardamom is the Swedish signature of this recipe. If you don't have any, the recipe also works without it, but you'll lose that characteristic floral note.
Our candles are poured in 100% vegetable wax, a blend of soy, rapeseed, and coconut. Unlike paraffin, it burns cleaner and more faithfully renders gourmet notes like those of Nordic Sweetness, without altering the cinnamon scent.
Once your rolls are out of the oven, only one thing is missing to recreate the exact atmosphere of Alva's cottage: light a cinnamon candle next to your cup.
To extend the fika
Nordic Sweetness
Discover the candle →
Want to know how a candle like this is born, from the idea to the workshop in Loctudy? We tell you all about it here.
