This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Ultra soft and buttery buns scented with cardamom and filled with cinnamon sugar filling with their beautiful twisted shape and dotted with pearl sugar. They are dreamy and delicious! These kanelbullar can also be baked using sourdough sweet stiff starter.
I know there are so many different cinnamon buns out there, if you must squeeze in one more, make it kanelbullar! It worth trying. This recipe also gives you ultra-soft and airy crumbs. The overnight version tastes even better and the buns stay soft for days.
What is kanelbullar?
Kannelbullar is a Swedish cinnamon cardamom buns. The buttery sweet dough is scented with cardamom, which really kicks things up a notch for me. I’m a HUGE fan of cardamom. I love the warm, spicy and strong aroma of cardamom. If you are not a fan, you can certainly skip or reduce the amount. Kannelbullar has a beautiful twisted shape and dotted with Swedish pearl sugar on top. The buns are filled with buttery cinnamon sugar filling.
No sour sourdough kanelbullar
Because I use sweet stiff starter on pretty much all of my bake when it comes to enriched dough, the fermentation time is cut short significantly and it yields bread that is not sour, yet it still gives you that nice complex aroma and taste that is signature of sourdough. I just love it! I’m a huge fan of using sweet stiff starter. You don’t need to maintain one. I usually built a sweet stiff starter using my regular starter. Once you use a sweet stiff starter, there’s no turning back!
How to make kanelbullar
1. If you use sourdough, prepare the sweet stiff levain the night before. Mix all ingredients for sweet stiff starter. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap or a lid. It takes about 7-10 hours to triple
2. I use approximately 5-6 cardamom pods. I use a pestle to crack the shells and then get all the seeds out and coarsely grind them with the pestle. You can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder to do so. It gives a really good and more intense cardamom aroma. Alternatively, you can always use store-bought ground cardamom too for convenience
3. If you use active dry yeast, dissolve active dry yeast in the milk in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy. If you use instant yeast, you can skip this step
4. Add milk, sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. Add the flour. Use the dough hook to stir the mixture a bit so the flour won’t fly around when you start the mixer. Knead on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes and then increase to speed 2 and knead for 3 minutes and then speed 4 for another 3 minutes or until it forms a dough that clears the side of the bowl, but not smooth yet
5. Add the softened butter in 3 batches. Once all the butter is in, increase speed to to 4 and knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is elastic, smooth, and satiny.
6. Lightly oil the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until double in volume. if it’s colder, it may take longer to proof the dough. For sourdough version, bulk ferment for 2 hours. The dough may not reach double in volume and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to double
7. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and set aside
8. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knock out all the gas, round it up into a dough ball, cover with a cling wrap to prevent them from drying. Rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten. Roll the dough out into a roughly 14 x 18-inch rectangle with the same thickness throughout if possible
9. Spread the filling evenly on the surface using an offset spatula. 
10. Fold the dough in half on the long side
11. Use a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife to cut into 10-12 strips 
12. Take one strip and twist it several times 
13. Then coil it on the side and tuck the tail to the bottom
14. Arrange the shaped dough on a large baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Allow about 2 inches between the dough
15. Cover the doughs and put in a warm place. This may take 40 minutes to 1 hour or longer for it to be puffy and almost double in size. For sourdough version, allow about 2-3 hours for the dough to be puffy. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven, 15 minutes before the end of final proofing. Lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C if you have a convection oven
16. Mix egg with the milk and brush the dough well on all sides. Sprinkle with pearl sugar and chopped almonds if you want (I didn’t do the almond). 
17. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake the loaves for 15 minutes, or until nicely golden brown. Cool on a rack, covered with a kitchen towel for a soft crust
18. Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack, cover with a clean kitchen towel for a soft crust. They can be served warm or room temperature
How to make ahead
You can prepare the dough the day before and bake it a next day. The cold fermentation really gives the dough that complex flavor and the end result is bread/buns that stay soft for days.
If you use commercial yeast: Once you are done preparing the dough, transfer to a lightly oiled container with a tight-fitting lid. Mark the container where the dough is so you know when it has doubled in volume. Let it sit at a warm place for about 20 minutes. Cover it tightly and put the container inside the fridge, preferrably the coldest part of your fridge to let the fermentation goes slowly. The dough will gradually doubles in volume. Simply take the dough out from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping and continue with the rest of the instruction in the recipe card.
If you use sourdough starter: Once you are done preparing the dough, transfer to a lightly oiled container with a tight-fitting lid. Mark the container where the dough is so you know when it has doubled in volume. Let it sit at a warm place for until it has doubled in volume. Cover it tightly and put the container inside the fridge, preferrably the coldest part of your fridge. The dough shouldn’t rise anymore, maybe a tiny bit, but not much. Simply take the dough out from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping and continue with the rest of the instruction in the recipe card.
Did you make this Swedish kanelbullar recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Kanelbullar (Swedish Cinnamon Cardamom Buns) – with sourdough option
Ingredients
If using commercial yeast:
- 350 gr all-purpose flour
- 5 gr salt
- 200 gr milk
- 60 gr sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 6 gr instant yeast
- 54 gr softened butter
If using sourdough:
Prepare sweet stiff levain:
- 65 gr active starter (100% hydration)
- 195 gr all-purpose flour
- 90 gr water
- 30 gr sugar
Dough if using sourdough:
- 125 gr all-purpose flour
- 5 gr salt
- 75 gr milk
- 60 gr sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 54 gr softened butter
Filling:
- 75 gr softened butter
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- â…› tsp salt
- 65 gr brown sugar
Instructions
- If you use sourdough, prepare the sweet stiff levain the night before. Mix all ingredients for sweet stiff starter. Cover loosely with a plastic wrap or a lid. It takes about 7-10 hours to triple
Prepare the dough:
- I use approximately 5-6 cardamom pods. I use a pestle to crack the shells and then get all the seeds out and coarsely grind them with the pestle. You can use a coffee grinder or spice grinder to do so. It gives a really good and more intense cardamom aroma. Alternatively, you can always use store-bought ground cardamom too for convenience
- If you use active dry yeast, dissolve active dry yeast in the milk in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy. If you use instant yeast, you can skip this step
- Add all of the sweet stiff starter if you are doing sourdough version, milk, sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. Add the flour. Use the dough hook to stir the mixture a bit so the flour won't fly around when you start the mixer. Knead on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes and then increase to speed 2 and knead for 3 minutes and then speed 4 for another 3 minutes or until it forms a dough that clears the side of the bowl, but not smooth yet
- Add the softened butter in 3 batches. Once all the butter is in, increase speed to to 4 and knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is elastic, smooth, and satiny.
First proofing:
- Lightly oil the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until double in volume. if it's colder, it may take longer to proof the dough
- For sourdough version, bulk ferment for 2 hours. The dough may not reach double in volume and that's okay. It doesn't have to double
- See my post above on how to make ahead if you want to bake the next day
Prepare the filling:
- Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and set aside
Shaping:
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knock out all the gas, round it up into a dough ball, cover with a cling wrap to prevent them from drying. Rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten
- Roll the dough out into a roughly 14 x 18-inch rectangle with the same thickness throughout if possible
- Spread the filling evenly on the surface using an offset spatula. Fold the dough in half on the long side
- Use a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife to cut into 10-12 strips. Take one strip and twist it several times and then coil it on the side and tuck the tail to the bottom.
- Arrange the shaped dough on a large baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Allow about 2 inches between the dough
Final proofing:
- Cover the doughs and put in a warm place. This may take 40 minutes to 1 hour or longer for it to be puffy and almost double in size. For sourdough version, allow about 2-3 hours for the dough to be puffy. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for a conventional oven, 15 minutes before the end of final proofing. Lower the temperature by 20 F or 15 C if you have a convection oven
Baking:
- Mix egg with the milk and brush the dough well on all sides. Sprinkle with pearl sugar and chopped almonds if you want (I didn't do the almond). Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake the loaves for 15 minutes, or until nicely golden brown
Cool down:
- Allow the buns to cool for 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack, cover with a clean kitchen towel for a soft crust. They can be served warm or at room temperature
