Grandmother's celebrated Cinnamon Buns
the most delicious flavour bombs in small knotted buns. The secret ingredient cardamom brings these buns to higher hights.
Equipment
- 1 Pot for melting the butter
- 1 Bowl to mix the dough
- 1 Spoon to mix the mixture
- 1 Dough Scraper/cutter for cutting the dough - can use a knife as well
- Baking Tray
- Baking Parchment
Ingredients
Dough
- 50 g Fresh Yeast or about 12g dry
- 150 g Butter I normally use slightly salted, it works well!
- 5 dl Liquid 500 ml
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1½ dl Caster Sugar ca. 135g
- 13-14 dl Plain / All Purpose Flour ca. 800-860g
- 1 tsp Cinnamon Ground
- 1 pinch Cardamom Ground
Filling
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Caster Sugar
Topping
- Pearl Sugar optional - traditional - topping
- Whisked egg or milk
Instructions
Dough
- Start by melting the butter on low heat on the stove. Add in the cardamom and cinnamon to let the flavour come out properly. Once all butter have melted, take it off the heat and add the liquid to it.This will lower the temperature. Let the melted mixture get to 37 °C (/97 °F - if using fresh yeast - 45 °C /113 °F if you're using dry)150 g Butter, 5 dl Liquid, 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1 pinch Cardamom
- Put the yeast in the bowl and crumble it up.50 g Fresh Yeast
- Add the liquid to the bowl with the yeast and dissolve it in the liquid (temperature need to be correct for the type of yeast used - or it won't rise).
- Add the sugar and salt into the mixture.1 tsp Salt, 1½ dl Caster Sugar
- Add half the flour in and mix it until there are no clumps in the mixture. Add more flour little by little until the dough passes the test - see the notes.Let the dough rest in the bowl for about 30 mins.13-14 dl Plain / All Purpose Flour
- Once the dough is nicely rested, and doubled in size, it is time to kneed it and roll it out to a big rectangle.Butter the rectangle generously. This will make the cinnamon buns soft and juicy. Spread cinnamon generously (almost cover) on top of the butter. Sprinkle in cardamom on top of the cinnamon.Evenly cover the spices with caster sugar.Butter, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Caster Sugar
- Fold the lower third of the rectangle up - covering the middle third. Then fold the upper part down on the middle. Cut into pieces, cut in the middle of the piece, twirl it and make it into a knot ORroll it into a swiss roll and cut pieces/coins
- Place the knots/rolls on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Let it rise for another 20 - 30 mins on the tray. Or until doubled in size.
- In the meantime - heat the oven to 225 °C. ( 437 °F)
- Once the buns have rested, brush them lightly with egg (shiny finish) or milk (matte finish) and finish them off with a sprinkle of pearl sugar (optional).Bake in the middle of the oven for about 10-12 mins.Pearl Sugar, Whisked egg
- Enjoy with a glass of cold milk or with a fresh cup of coffee
Notes
To know when your mixture has had enough flour - test by dipping your finger into flour to lightly flour it. Then poke the finger in the dough. If it comes out sticky with dough it needs more dough. But if it comes out clean without dough sticking to the finger - don't add any more or you risk over-saturating it with flower - and run the risk of dry pastry! It'll get a bit more flour when you roll it out.
Try to keep the buns of a similar size or they will bake unevenly.
It is also one of the best things to bake as a first thing in a new oven - they are very sensitive to unevenness in the heat distribution, so you will see exactly how your oven behaves - and have a tasty reward as well!