As I’ve shared in many previous posts, over the past few years ever since going vegan I’ve committed myself to perfecting the cinnamon bun recipe, or kanelboller as we call them in Norwegian. After all, I’m Scandinavian and there was no way I was forsaking cinnamon buns just because I gave up eggs and dairy!
It’s not enough for me to make a ‘decent’ kanelbolle, I wanted to create one that would wow people to say “now this is even better than the traditional version I grew up eating!!”
I think I’ve succeeded with the recipe I’m sharing with you all today. The inspiration to further test these cinnamon buns came from my sister Agnes, who recently came to visit in New York for a week. While she was here, she whipped up crescent rolls (horn), breakfast rolls (rundstykker) and cinnamon rolls (kanelboller), because… well, that’s what Norwegians do when on vacation! hahaha…
This version is based on my grandmother’s recipe but I took the liberty of making a few tweaks. You can play around with it to see which version you like best but in essence, my grandmother would use fresh, compressed yeast, something that can be difficult to find available in regular grocery stores here. I use dry yeast in my dough.
She would further melt the butter and heat it up to anywhere between 100-120℉ (37-48℃) and then mix in the fresh yeast, add milk, and then at last the dry ingredients.
In my updated recipe I like to add all the ingredients except the butter, and I don’t heat up the milk, I just add it cold from the fridge and then knead the dough for a few minutes and at the end add in diced-up cold butter and knead for another 10 minutes. I find that the dough gets smoother and more flavorful this way, while my grandmother’s dough might be a tad fluffier.
You can also use this base recipe for so many other Norwegian buns, and do them up a little differently to be ‘kanelsnurrer’ (cinnamon twist). The special ingredient is of course cardamom, which gives it that special Scandinavian touch. Otherwise, the options are endless!
Regardless of the method, this should have plenty of sugar and a moderate amount of sugar. Scandinavian pastries are never over-the-top sweet, but rather doughy and even sometimes a tad savory. This is what makes them so irresistible in my opinion, as they could double as both a “coffee cake” or even breakfast, as well as dessert. Let’s just say… It will be hard to have just one!
NORVEGAN KANELBOLLER 2.0
900 grams (5 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
150 grams (¾ cups) granulated sugar
1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoon) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
5 dl (2 cups) non-dairy milk like soy, almond or cashew milk
¼ cup Just Eggs (can be omitted)
150 grams (5 ¼ oz) non-dairy butter, cold and diced (I like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Artisan butter)
Filling:
150 grams (5 ¼ oz) vegan butter
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
150 grams (¾ cups) brown sugar
Non-dairy milk for brushing the dough
Pearl sugar or demarara sugar for sprinkling on top
Combine all the ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes. Add in the diced butter and knead for another 10 minutes until the dough releases from the edges of the bowl and is smooth and firm.
Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and rest until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
While the dough is rising, combine the filling in a small bowl and mix together with a fork until smooth. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450℉ (225℃).
Tilt the risen dough onto a clean work surface dusted with flour, and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until you have a rectangle of about 24×20 inches (60x50cm). Spread the filling on the surface evenly. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up tightly until you have a nice, tight link and cut it into about 20-24 pieces, about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) in size.
Place the pieces on the prepared baking sheet, brush with a little of the non-dairy milk, and sprinkle with pearl or demerara sugar. Bake in the middle of the oven, one tray at a time, for about 10 minutes until golden on top. Let cool on a rack and try… to wait until they cool a little before digging in!
Norvegan Kanelboller 2.0
Ingredients
Buns
- 900 grams (5 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 150 grams (¾ cups) granulated sugar
- 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast or use 50 grams fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 dl (2 cups) non-dairy milk Soy, almond or cashew milk
- ¼ cup Just Eggs *can be omitted
- 150 grams (5 ¼ oz) non-dairy butter, cold and diced I like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Artisan butter
Filling
- 150 grams (5 ¼ oz) vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 150 grams (¾ cups) brown sugar
- Non-dairy milk for brushing the dough
- Pearl sugar or demarara sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes. Add in the diced butter and knead for another 10 minutes until the dough releases from the edges of the bowl and is smooth and firm. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and rest until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
- While the dough is rising, combine the filling in a small bowl and mix together with a fork until smooth. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ (225℃).
- Tilt the risen dough onto a clean work surface dusted with flour, and roll out the dough with a rolling pin until you have a rectangle of about 24×20 inches (60x50cm). Spread the filling on the surface evenly. Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up tightly until you have a nice, tight link and cut it into about 20-24 pieces, about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) in size.
- Place the pieces on the prepared baking sheet, brush with a little of the non-dairy milk and sprinkle with pearl or demarara sugar. Bake in the oven, one tray at a time, in the middle rack for about 10 minutes until golden on top. Let cool on a rack and try… to wait until they cool a little before digging in!
0 Comments