October 4: Kanelbullens Dag

Celebrate the Day of the Cinnamon bun, Kanelbullens Dag! 

  • Classic cinnamon buns for October 4th - "kanelbullens dag", the Day of the Cinnamon Bun.
  • October 4 is "Kanelbullens dag," the day of the cinnamon bun. This means that in stores all over Sweden, you can get your fill of the warm, freshly baked bun that may very well be Swedish in origin (at least several internet sources say it is so). In Sweden, ”kanelbullens dag” was launched in 1999 by Kaeth Gardestedt, who at that time was project leader at Hembakningsrådet, a historic organization of yeast-, flour-, sugar-, and margarine producers.

  • "Fina kanelbullar" (Fine cinnamon buns). Photo: Agneta Thorsén. Recipe courtesy of: www.hembakningsradet.se
  • The purpose of the day is to draw attention to the rich Swedish tradition of baking buns, especially cinnamon buns, as well as increase the consumption of yeast, flour, sugar and margarine. The day is observed with ads in shops and restaurants. "Kanelbullens dag” is also popular among Swedes from Paris and New York to New Zealand, and in most places where Svenska Kyrkan (the Swedish Church) can be found.

  • Jubilee buns - a cinnamon heart for October 4th. Photo: Agneta Thorsén. Recipe courtesy of: www. hembakningsradet.se
  • October 4 was chosen so as not to compete with other days known for food traditions, such as ”semlor,” crayfish, or "surströmming.”

  • Old favorite again. Singer and entertainer Pernilla Wahlgren brings us the best "don't have time to bake buns" choice: The "kanelbullesockerkakan", the cinnamon bun pound cake. Yummy and fast! Photo: www.pernillawahlgren.se
  • When the ”Kanelbullens dag” was first launched in 1999, October 4 was also the International Children’s Day, and a thought with ”Kanelbullens dag” was that it could also be a day of caring.

  • Make your own cinnamon buns and invite friends and family to join you on October 4! We gathered some new (and old) favorite recipes: the classic, the fine, a jubilee variety and a quick version that's just as good ...

  • Classic cinnamon buns
    40-50 buns
    Ingredients:
    2 cups milk
    50 g fresh yeast
    6 oz sugar
    0.5 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon cardamom, ground
    6.3 cups flour
    125 g butter (at room temperature)
    1 egg (for brushing)
    nib sugar (for decoration)

  • Filling:
    125 g butter
    6 oz sugar
    2 Tablespoons cinnamon, ground

  • Warm the milk until it’s 37C or 98.6 F. Crumble the fresh yeast into a big bowl, pour the milk over it and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add sugar, salt, cardamom, and most of the flour (save some for later though). Also add the butter in dots. Work into a smooth dough, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes. While dough is rising, prepare the filling by mixing the ingredients for filling in a small bowl. Take the dough and put it on a surface with some flour, and work it. Knead it, and roll it out to a large rectangle. Spread the filling on top of this rectangle, and roll it up into a long roll. Cut this roll into pieces about 1 inch long, and put them into baking cups placed on a baking plate. Again let rise under a tea towel for 30 minutes, while you pre-heat the oven to 482F. Brush the buns with a beaten egg and drizzle nib sugar on top. Bake in the middle of the oven 8-10 minutes.

  • ”Fina kanelbullar” (Fine cinnamon buns)
    This recipe, which yields around 40 buns, comes from baker and teacher Robin Edberg. You add the butter to the dough in small pieces, and the filling includes, apart from sugar and cinnamon, also almond paste. The bread crumbs prevent the filling from ”running” during baking.

  • Ingredients
    75 g fresh yeast
    2 cups milk
    about 7.5 – 8.5 cups flour
    200 g butter
    1 cup sugar
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 Tablespoon cardamom

  • Cinnamon filling
    100 g almond paste
    100 g butter
    5 oz sugar
    2.5 Tablespoon bread crumbs
    1 Tablespoon water
    1 Tablespoon cinnamon, ground

  • Glaze
    1 egg
    a pinch of salt
    0.5 teaspoon water
    nib sugar

  • Pull out all ingredients, it is important they are at room temperature. Crumble the yeast into a mixer or a big bowl. Warm the milk, and pour the it over the yeast (the milk should be no more than 37 degrees C or 98.6 F). Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add most of the flour, the butter (in pieces), sugar, egg, cardamom, and salt. Work into a dough. If needed add more flour. When the dough is smooth, it is done. Let it rise under a tea towel about 30 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, make the filling by mixing ground almond paste and butter, bread crumbs, water, and cinnamon. Put the dough on the table, knead it and divide it into two parts. Roll each part out until you have a long rectangle and spread out the filling on top of it. Now roll it all up into a long roll. Brush the edge with a little water so that the roll sticks together a bit better. Cut into 0.7-1 inch pieces. Put these pieces on baking-papered baking plates, again let rise under a tea towel 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 482 F. Beat egg, salt and water. Brush the buns with this mixture and drizzle nib sugar on top. Let bake for about 5-10 minutes.

  • ”Jubileumsbullar” (Jubilee buns)
    Makes 24 buns
    Two dozen cinnamon buns create a heart – make it for a special occasion.

  • Ingredients:
    75 g butter
    3 cups flour
    6 oz sugar
    2 pinches salt
    1 teaspoon cardamom
    25 g fresh yeast
    1 cup milk (warm at make sure it is at 37 degrees C or 98.6 F)

  • Filling:
    50 g butter (room temperature)
    2 Tablespoons sugar
    1 Tablespoon cinnamon
    0.5 Tablespoon bread crumbs
    Brush with 1 egg and decorate with nib sugar

  • Bring out all ingredients as they need to be at room temperature. Cut the butter into slices and put into a big bowl. Measure up the flour (and save some for later) and pour it into the bowl along with sugar, salt, cardamom, and crumbled yeast. Pour the milk on top. Work into a smooth dough on a floured surface, let this rise under a tea towel for 30 minutes. Bring out the dough again onto a floured table or other surface, knead it, and roll out into a rectangle (approximately 10X19 inches). In a small bowl, mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, and bread crumbs. Spread this on top of the rectangle in a thin layer. Roll the rectangle into a long roll, and cut into 24 pieces. Put these pieces on a baking plate (covered with a baking paper) and form the shape of a heart, but loosely. Let rise under a towel, 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 437F. Brush the cinnamon bun heart carefully with the egg, and drizzle nib sugar on top. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes.

  • And if you’re out of time, but still want the taste of ”kanelbullar”, then try Pernilla Wahlgren’s faster version of it:
    The Cinnamon Bun Pound Cake
    Ingredients:
    ¾ cup butter
    ¾ cup sugar
    2 eggs
    1 cup sour cream
    1½ cups flour
    2 teaspoons vanilla
    1 Tablespoon baking powder
    1 pinch of salt

  • Filling:
    ⅓ cup sugar
    3 Tablespoons cinnamon

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. In one bowl, stir butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and thereafter the sour cream. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients, and then add to the butter batter.
    Mix the filling ingredients separately.
    Butter a cake pan. Pour in half of the batter, then half of the filling mixture, pour in the rest of the batter and top it with the rest of the filling mix.
    Put 2 Tablespoons of butter in small dots on top and bake the cake for 45-60 minutes.
    Recipe: www.pernillawahlgren.se