This summer, my husband and I were lucky enough to travel to England, Norway, and Sweden. While we were in Stockholm, we took a ferry to one of the thousands of small islands that make up the archipelago. On that small island, we found our way to a small bed and breakfast run by the lovliest woman, where we had booked a cinnamon bun making class.
Now, I don't know if you know this... but Swedish cinnamon buns are a national treasure. They are in every bakery, coffee shop, and school cafeteria and according to just about every Swedish person, they are FAR superior to the American version. The one big difference, the Swedish people add a heaping helping of cardamom to their dough!
After the baking class, we left with a bag of 20 cinnamon buns in hand and the recipe to make them at home! While this is not the exact recipe from the bed and breakfast, I have adapted into a babka dough that can be fried to make cinnamon bun sufganiyot! I hope you enjoy!
Dough
1/2 Cup milk (or milk alternative), warmed
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
1/2 Teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablsepoon (freshly) ground cardamom
2 Cups all purpose flour
7 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
Filling
1/2 Cup salted butter, room temperature
2 Tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
3-4 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Begin by making the dough. Whisk egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until smooth and slightly pale in color. Whisk in warmed milk and yeast until combined.
Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix in the flour and cardamom until almost fully mixed. Add butter about 1 tablespoon at a time (make sure it’s at room temperature!) and mix until incorporated. The dough should be smooth and slightly sticky.
Turn out the dough and knead for just a few minutes until very smooth. Transfer to a greased bowl and let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours until doubled.
While the dough is rising, make the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Once the dough has doubled in size, place on a floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. The dough should be as thin as you can get it. This ensures the most swirls inside the bread.
Using an offset spatula spread the filling over the dough in a thin layer. Starting on the edge furthest from you, fold the dough in three toward you.
Cut the dough into 16 even strips and roll according to the video below:
Pour a neutral oil (I use canola) into a Dutch oven until there is 2-3 inches in the pot. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry 5-6 doughnuts at a time, so as not to lower the temperature of the oil.
Fry until the outside is a deep golden brown. Take out of the oil and immediately roll in cinnamon sugar (if desired).
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