No matter what time of year, Swedes love their cinnamon rolls. It’s the unofficial national dish and among the first recipes you learn as a kid. I like them best served with a glass of cold milk.
Ingredients
• 175 gunsalted butter, chopped
• 500 ml(2 cups) milk
• 50 gfresh yeast or 4½ tsp active dry yeast
• 110 gcaster sugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspcardamom pods
• 900 g(6 cups) plain flour
• 1egg
• pearl sugar, to sprinkle
• cinnamon butter
• 125 gunsalted butter, chopped, softened
• 110 g(½ cup) caster sugar
• 1½ tbspground cinnamon
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Instructions
Resting time 1 hour 10 minutes
To make the dough, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the milk, stir to combine, then let cool to 37°C.
Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Add the milk mixture and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Stir in the sugar and salt.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the cardamom, then stir into the liquid. Add the flour, little by little, and stir until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set the dough aside for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
To make the cinnamon butter, stir the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until a spreading consistency.
Transfer the dough from the bowl to a floured bench top and knock down dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a large 3 mm-thick rectangle. Spread the cinnamon butter evenly over the top. Carefully roll lengthwise to form a cylinder. Cut widthwise into 24 slices and place in paper cupcake cases on a baking tray. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 225°C. Lightly beat the egg and brush over the buns. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
Serve with cold milk.