Have you ever tasted cinnamon rolls? The Kanelbull are the typical cinnamon swirls of Northern Europe and North America! If you’ve been to Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, or Belgium, you have surely enjoyed the cinnamon roll or, if you haven’t left Italy, you have surely ordered them at Ikea!
The Kanelbull recipe or cinnamon rolls goes viral every autumn on the web. Instagram and TikTok are already saturated with this recipe! So, why did I make it too? I’m not crazy, I’ll never be considered by the algorithm, the reason is different. I celebrated my 40th birthday on vacation between Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Malmö). And I can’t tell you how many cinnamon swirls I devoured! Definitely more than one a day and without any shame! So I immediately decided that, on the first free day, I would make this delicious and fragrant leavened cinnamon.
I took my trusty mixer, all the necessary ingredients, and many hours to spend in the kitchen for the preparation and leavening of the Swedish cinnamon swirl. Their origins are shrouded in mystery, but there are already mentions in the Middle Ages. Kanelbull originated in Sweden and are now spread all over the world. Americans then made them a must in their pastry, calling them cinnamon rolls!
I recorded for you a video recipe with step-by-step instructions to prepare cinnamon rolls with me! I hope it helps you! You’ll find the link to the channel below the first photo of this recipe!
I leave you with other cinnamon recipes that I have made over the years: from filled cinnamon apple heart cookies, to pumpkin and cinnamon shortcrust pastry without butter that you can use to make cookies or tarts. You’ll find some themed recipes, like the Halloween sweet coffin with cocoa and cinnamon, a fragrant and delicious plumcake to transform for this occasion. You’ll also find the Christmas tree with hazelnut cream and cinnamon and the Christmas cookies recipe shortcrust pastry without butter with cinnamon which last year achieved more than 34,000 views on the YouTube channel!
Each link below is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read! Remember that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Bea’s Recipes with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat!
Let’s move on to the cinnamon rolls cinnamon swirl recipe!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Swedish
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, Christmas
- Energy 584.40 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 89.83 (g) of which sugars 36.63 (g)
- Proteins 12.63 (g)
- Fat 20.97 (g) of which saturated 12.59 (g)of which unsaturated 7.91 (g)
- Fibers 6.60 (g)
- Sodium 148.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to make cinnamon rolls
- 1 3/4 cups Manitoba flour (strength W500)
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1 egg (at room temperature)
- 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
- 3/4 cup milk (at room temperature)
- 1 packet vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.42 oz fresh yeast
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter (maximum 50 grams)
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Tools to prepare cinnamon rolls recipe cinnamon swirls
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Cling film
- 1 Tea towel
- 1 Food scale
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Stove
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Tablespoon
- 2 Small bowls
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Silicone rolling pin
- 1 Wooden board
- 1 Oven
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Parchment paper
Recipe steps for cinnamon rolls or Kanelbull
The butter must be softened to room temperature, so take the indicated amount at least 30 minutes before starting the Kanelbull recipe!
Weigh and measure all the necessary ingredients for making the cinnamon swirls and place them on the work surface near the stand mixer. Pour the amount of milk into a small saucepan and heat slightly on the stove. It should not come to a boil, you only need to warm the milk. Crumble the yeast into the milk and, with a tablespoon or a whisk, help it dissolve. Pour a couple of tablespoons of the indicated amount of flour and continue stirring. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
After this short period of time, we can proceed. Pour the milk with yeast into the mixer bowl. Sift and add the two flours, then start the machine. Add the egg yolk first, and then the whole egg once the first is incorporated into the dough. Both should be at room temperature. Now a pinch of salt and let the mixer work the dough.
Gradually, piece by piece, add the butter. Do not rush this step. Each piece of butter should be well incorporated into the dough. If necessary, turn off the mixer and scrape the dough off the hook multiple times so that the stand mixer can work it even better. After finishing the butter, quickly work the dough on a wooden surface or a lightly floured work surface. Create a nice ball and, after dusting the mixer bowl with flour, place the dough inside. Cover with cling film and a tea towel.
Let it rise for two hours on the kitchen counter or in a place where it doesn’t experience temperature changes. After the first hour, remove the cling film and cover the bowl only with the tea towel.
After this time, we can proceed with the preparation. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt in a bain-marie the indicated amount of butter for the filling. Take a small bowl and pour in the amount of brown sugar. Add the two tablespoons of cinnamon and then the melted butter. Mix everything with a teaspoon. You should achieve a granular and sticky mixture. Set aside and proceed with the dough.
Dust a wooden surface or, as in my case, a silicone baking mat with flour. Take the silicone rolling pin. Create a rectangle with the brioche dough that we made and that is now well risen. Spread the mixture of sugar, butter, and cinnamon evenly over the surface of the brioche. Roll from right to left and create a nice roll. Seal the two ends well with your fingers.
With the help of a dough scraper, cut many cinnamon brioche rolls and place them in a rectangular baking pan (mine is 28×22 cm). Dust the surface with cinnamon and brown sugar and bake in a well-preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes. My rolls were perfectly baked at 25 minutes in a static oven at 350°F. Let them cool slightly on the kitchen counter while we prepare the final glaze.
Take a small bowl, pour in the powdered sugar and add the amount of water. Mix everything with a teaspoon and then distribute over the cinnamon rolls. If you want a thicker glaze than mine, add more powdered sugar while preparing the glaze.
Mine is very light, almost invisible in color if you look at the photos because I don’t particularly like sugar in general and especially powdered sugar. The glaze should be added when the Kanelbull are still warm, so that it can flow and solidify thanks to the heat emanated by the swirls. Therefore, prepare the glaze when the cinnamon rolls are still in the oven.
All that’s left is to wish you a good appetite and remind you that I’m waiting for you every day here on my cooking blog with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one! Maybe “quick” for this recipe is not the term to use, I always close my texts with these three words, but I assure you they are delicious and that the challenges of leavening can be tackled even if you’re a beginner in the kitchen!
Tips, variations, and storage for cinnamon swirls
Tips: before making the cinnamon rolls I recommend reading the recipe a couple of times and taking the time to watch the video recipe. There are steps that need to be well understood before execution. I have highlighted the critical points in each step and, if you have questions, I will be happy to answer. You can send an email to lericettedibea@gmail.com or through the blog’s social profiles.
Variations: if you don’t like brown sugar, you can use white sugar to prepare the filling with butter and cinnamon. Please, don’t change anything else, you might compromise the recipe. As indicated, if you want a whiter and thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar.
Storage of Kanelbull: you can store the cinnamon brioche swirls in a cake container for a couple of days. They will remain soft and fragrant as freshly baked.
