CINNAMONBUN WREATH

This is a new take on the Swedish classic; the cinnamon bun or “kanelbullen”. Or really, this is the original version of it, but its gotten a bit forgotten. Instead of making separete buns you make one big one, with the (amazing) perk of beeing so much more moist. Its also quite a impressive centerpiece to a table.

The cinnamon bun was created after the WW1 when the restrictions of butter, sugar and eggs were lifted and has a big part in the Swedish history and our “fika”-tradition. I remember my grandma doing these incredible wreaths with different fillings, almonds, vanilla and cardamom, and I was so pleased when I started my training to be a pastry chef when they thought me how to make and cut these.

Ingredients; 
150 g room tempered butter
0,5 l milk
1 pack of yeast (fresh or dry)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cardamom, ground
700 g flour
150 g g room tempered butter (for filling)
1 g caster sugar (for filling)
1 g ground cinnamon (for filling)
1/2 cup brown sugar or nib sugar (for decoration)

This is how you make it

Put the milk in a pan and heat it up to 37 degrees. Add the yeast to a bowl, pour the milk over it and stir until dissolved. Then add in the butter, sugar and grounded cardamom. Lastly, add in the flour and knead it for at least 10 min, the dough will be sticky but try not to add in any more flour. The dough will absorb most of the liquid when proven. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for about 30 min.

 

After 30 min roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle, the thinner you can make it the more layers with filling it will be. Spread the room-tempered butter all over dough, its easier with a palette knife, but works with a butter knife as well. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over buttered dough.

Start rolling up the dough. Try to make it as tight as possible and at the end pinch the dough together to seal it. Cut the roll in half and shape both to wreaths, making sure to tuck it in properly at the end.

 

Transfer the wreaths to a baking tray lined with baking paper. With a scissor, cut the wreath in an angle, about halfway down. Then lay the cuts in alternative ways.

After you are finished cutting your wreath, put the sides on removable-bottomed pan around it, and some kind of round oven-proof baking mold in the middle (I used my creme brûlée molds). This is totally optional but they make the wreath neater in the end. Let them prove 30 min, and preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

When the wreaths have proven, brush them with egg wash, sprinkle some brown sugar/nib sugar over them. Bake at 225 degrees for about 20-25 min until golden.