Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 37 minutes ago
Cinnamon buns are one of Sweden’s most loved pastries – so loved that they even have their own day on 4 October! They are best enjoyed freshly baked, with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Here’s Zofia Selimi’s best tips for perfect buns:
- Use butter at room temperature.
- Don’t add all the flour at once – too much flour makes the buns dry. Instead, add a little at a time.
- Use whole cardamom seeds (crush them in a mortar) instead of ground cardamom – the flavour is completely different.
- Don’t be stingy with the butter.
- Brush the buns with sugar syrup straight after baking.
Excited to make them yourself? Here’s the recipe!
Makes about 24 buns
Ingredients:
50 g fresh yeast
500 ml milk, at room temperature
660-720 g plain flour
1 tsp cardamom seeds (to be crushed)
85g caster sugar
1 egg
125 g butter, at room temperature
A pinch of salt
1 egg, for brushing
Pearl sugar
For the filling:
200 g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
45 g caster sugar
45 g brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
For the sugar syrup:
150 ml water
85g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla sugar
To make the buns:
1. Crumble the yeast into a bowl and dissolve it in the milk. Add sugar, cardamom and egg. Mix in half the flour and work the dough together by hand or in a stand mixer.
2. When the dough has come together, add the butter in small pieces.
3. Work in the rest of the flour and add the salt.
4. Knead the dough for 5–7 minutes in a machine or a little longer by hand, until it’s smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Filling time! Mix the butter, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, caster sugar and brown sugar into a smooth paste.
7. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 3–4 mm thick and 30 × 40 cm in size.
8. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. Fold the dough over twice, then roll lightly to even out.
9. Cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide. Twist each strip, form into a knot and tuck the end underneath. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
10. Leave them to rise until they’ve doubled in size, about 1.5–2 hours.
11. To make the sugar syrup: Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
13. Brush the buns with beaten egg – but don’t add pearl sugar yet.
14. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden brown. Then brush immediately with sugar syrup and sprinkle with pearl sugar. This gives a lovely shine and helps keep the buns moist.
Enjoy! 😋
Music: Cinnamon - Ran the Man / Epidemic Sound
Cinnamon buns are one of Sweden’s most loved pastries – so loved that they even have their own day on 4 October! They are best enjoyed freshly baked, with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Here’s Zofia Selimi’s best tips for perfect buns:
- Use butter at room temperature.
- Don’t add all the flour at once – too much flour makes the buns dry. Instead, add a little at a time.
- Use whole cardamom seeds (crush them in a mortar) instead of ground cardamom – the flavour is completely different.
- Don’t be stingy with the butter.
- Brush the buns with sugar syrup straight after baking.
Excited to make them yourself? Here’s the recipe!
Makes about 24 buns
Ingredients:
50 g fresh yeast
500 ml milk, at room temperature
660-720 g plain flour
1 tsp cardamom seeds (to be crushed)
85g caster sugar
1 egg
125 g butter, at room temperature
A pinch of salt
1 egg, for brushing
Pearl sugar
For the filling:
200 g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
45 g caster sugar
45 g brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
For the sugar syrup:
150 ml water
85g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla sugar
To make the buns:
1. Crumble the yeast into a bowl and dissolve it in the milk. Add sugar, cardamom and egg. Mix in half the flour and work the dough together by hand or in a stand mixer.
2. When the dough has come together, add the butter in small pieces.
3. Work in the rest of the flour and add the salt.
4. Knead the dough for 5–7 minutes in a machine or a little longer by hand, until it’s smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Filling time! Mix the butter, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, caster sugar and brown sugar into a smooth paste.
7. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 3–4 mm thick and 30 × 40 cm in size.
8. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough. Fold the dough over twice, then roll lightly to even out.
9. Cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide. Twist each strip, form into a knot and tuck the end underneath. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
10. Leave them to rise until they’ve doubled in size, about 1.5–2 hours.
11. To make the sugar syrup: Bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
13. Brush the buns with beaten egg – but don’t add pearl sugar yet.
14. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden brown. Then brush immediately with sugar syrup and sprinkle with pearl sugar. This gives a lovely shine and helps keep the buns moist.
Enjoy! 😋
Music: Cinnamon - Ran the Man / Epidemic Sound
