Norway’s Best Kanelboller (Cinnamon buns)

Kanelboller, or cinnamon buns, are a Norwegian classic that often gets overlooked these days in favor of fancier cream filled cinnamon rolls or twisted kanelsnurrer.

And I completely understand this, because sometimes kanelboller can be boring, or even dry and flavorless. But when done right, I’d argue that kanelboller are the very best buns in Norway – and so also the world, because no one bakes buns better than Norway.

There are a few secrets to baking the perfect kanelboller, and luckily for you I have lived in Norway long enough to learn them.

This kanelboller recipe doesn’t skimp on flavor, and every time I make these I’m reminded how much I love kanelboller.

Tips

FIrst of all, you need to have enough butter in the dough. This is not the place to be cutting calories!

While usually it’s best to add butter to dough towards the end of kneading, in this case you should add in the melted (and cooled to room temperature) butter at the beginning. And do make sure the butter mixture has cooled to lukewarm before adding the yeast, otherwise you might kill the yeast. You should be able to comfortably put your finger in the mixture without it feeling hot.

And then of course I always have to mention the importance of freshly ground cardamom.

You can use ground cardamom for this recipe, but if you have a mortar and pestal I highly recommend grinding cardamom seeds instead, as freshly ground seeds are much more flavorful. If you only have ground cardamom, I would double the amount in the recipe.

You can knead the dough by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook. I knead it by hand for about ten minutes. I find this dough quite easy to knead by hand, so don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a mixer!

Wait until the dough doubles in size before rolling it out. This will ensure that it’s elastic enough to roll out without breaking. If you’re using dry instead of fresh yeast the rising time might be a bit longer, but that also depends on how warm of a room the dough is rising in as well.

I like to roll the dough into a square, or even a tall rectangle, so that I can roll the dough many times, giving the kanelboller many spirals.

Make sure the butter is nice and soft when mixing it with the cinnamon and sugar, otherwise it will be hard to spread. If it isn’t soft you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

If you like a very sweet cinnamon roll, you can add more sugar to the butter. You can also use brown sugar instead of white sugar, if you prefer.

Roll the rectangle from the bottom up into a long cylinder. Use a knife to cut thick (1 – 2 inch) slices out of the cylinder. This should make about 18 – 20 buns.

Set the buns spaced apart on baking sheets (I use two pans) and cover with a cloth. Let the buns rise again for 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step! It’s important for these buns to have a second rise before they go in the oven.

Then I brush the buns with the egg wash right before putting them in the oven.

You need to be very careful not to over bake your kanelboller, because then they will dry out. Try to bake these for the shortest time possible, while still ensuring the middle cooks through. You can bake them in smaller batches if you’re unsure, and then increase the time if the first batch is still doughy.

Bake the kanelboller for 10 – 12 minutes, until the tops and bottoms are golden brown. Again, be careful not to over bake these. I bake mine for exactly 10 minutes, but baking times can vary from oven to oven.

If you’re planning on freezing these, freeze them as soon as they’ve cooled. Then you can either pop them in the oven for a few minutes or defrost them and toast them and they’ll taste freshly baked.

You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.