Swedish Cinnamon Buns

I might have mentioned here once before that I like to go to Sweden someday. I want to spend a day in Ikea just to marvel at how everything is (probably) exactly the same as back home. I want to spend hours browsing in local homewares and handcraft stores, and fill my suitcases with little treasures. And I look forward to have a fika everyday, and have a pastry, or a piece of cake, or a sweet bun with my coffee. For now though, I guess these cinnamon buns will just have to do.



Swedish Cinnamon Buns
(Adapted from The Guardian)

Makes 12

Buns
300ml whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
50g butter, roughly chopped
425g plain flour
7g fast action yeast
60g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 egg, beaten lightly

Filling
75g butter
50g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 egg, beaten lightly
Pearl sugar to sprinkle (Or use silvered almonds like I did if you can't find pearl sugar)

To make buns:
Put the milk and ground cardamon in a small saucepan and bring to just below the boil. Take off the heat, stir in the butter and leave to infuse until the milk mixture is just warm (about 38C).

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with hook attachment. Add warm milk mixture and egg to flour mixture. Knead on low speed until you get a smooth pliable tacky dough, about 10 minutes. The dough is ready when it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Resist adding more flour to the mixture.

Lightly grease your hands, and shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and cover with cling wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature (somewhere draught-free and not too cold) until doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your room, it can take anything between 30 mins to 1 hour. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step.

Meanwhile, make filling:
Melt butter and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine dark brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.

When the dough is ready, deflate the dough, cover with cling wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle roughly 60 x 25cm. Generously brush melted butter over the dough. Sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the dough, from the longer side, tightly like a swiss roll. Position it on its seam. Cut and discard the ends. Cut roll into 12 equal slices.

Line standard cupcake/muffin pan with paper cases. Place rolls in paper cases. Cover loosely with cling wrap. Let the dough proof for the second time until double in size, about 30 mins to 1 hour. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for baking.

Heat the oven to 180C fan-forced. While waiting for the oven to heat up, brush top of each roll lightly with the beaten egg and sprinkle over silvered almonds. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: This is best serve while the buns are still warm.