Flavors · Sweden

Kanelbulle

Sweet yeast bread flavored with cardamom, rolled with butter, sugar and cinnamon, and topped with pearl sugar. It is the pastry most associated with fika, the coffee break, and even has its own day in the Swedish calendar, Kanelbullens dag, on October 4.

Traditional sweet from Sweden

Also known as: Kanelbullar (plural), bulle, kanelsnurra

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Sweden
Sweden
Kanelbulle — Sweden
Kanelbulle
Kanelbulle — Sweden
Kanelbulle
Kanelbulle — Sweden
Kanelbulle
Kanelbulle — Sweden
Kanelbulle

Kanelbulle — Sweden

The kanelbulle is the most traditional companion to fika, the coffee break with something sweet that is part of daily life in Sweden, at home and at work. It is a yeast dough enriched with milk, butter, sugar and ground cardamom, rolled out into a sheet, spread with a butter, sugar and cinnamon paste, rolled up and either sliced or twisted into knots.

After proofing, the buns are brushed with egg and topped with pärlsocker, the white pearl sugar that does not melt in the oven. The cardamom in the dough and the pearl sugar on top give the Swedish kanelbulle a flavor and appearance different from cinnamon buns in other countries.

According to Hembakningsrådet, the Swedish home baking council, kanelbullar were common in bakeries in the 1920s but only became a homemade treat in the 1950s, when ingredients became more accessible.

In 1999, when Hembakningsrådet turned 40, it created Kanelbullens dag, the day of the kanelbulle, celebrated on October 4. The date, chosen in autumn so it would not clash with other food festivals, quickly entered the Swedish calendar, and bakeries, cafés and homes across the country bake and sell kanelbullar on that day.

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Where it comes from

Sweden
A national pastry, the centerpiece of fika; it has a national day, October 4, created in 1999.

Ingredients

Wheat flour, milk, yeast, butter, sugar, ground cardamom and salt; filling of butter, sugar and cinnamon; egg for glazing and pearl sugar (pärlsocker) on top.

How it is eaten

With coffee or tea, as part of fika, preferably the same day it was baked.

When it is eaten

Daily fika, at home, at work and in cafés; Kanelbullens dag is celebrated on October 4.

Your questions

Questions about Kanelbulle

When is Kanelbullens dag?

On October 4. The date was created in 1999 by Hembakningsrådet, the Swedish home baking council.

What distinguishes the Swedish kanelbulle?

Cardamom in the dough and pearl sugar, pärlsocker, on top.

What is fika?

The coffee break with something sweet, a daily custom in Sweden. The kanelbulle is the most traditional accompaniment.

Flavors of Sweden

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