Celebrating Cinnamon Bun Day ‘Kanelbullens dag’ with Cinnamon Buns filled with creamy Vanilla Custard

In Sweden we celebrate the Cinnamon Bun Day ‘Kanelbullens dag’. The Cinnamon Bun Day started in 1999 when the Home Baking Council (Hembakningsrådet) celebrated its 40th anniversary. The day was created to celebrate Sweden’s rich tradition of bullar, or buns, and now it has become a tradition held every year on October 4. Enjoy todays Swedish Cinnamon Buns filled with creamy Vanilla Custard… delicious! 😀

Recipe (makes about 50 buns)

Dough

• 500 ml milk
• 50 g fresh yeast
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 200 g butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2.5 teaspoons cardamom
• 1.1 kg plain flour

Filling

• 100 g butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 100 ml granulated sugar

Vanilla Custard

• 250 ml milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maizena (corn starch)
• 0.5 tablespoon plain flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 15 g butter

Decoration

• egg for brushing
• pearl sugar

Vanilla Custard:

Start with making the Vanilla Custard.

Heat up the milk and the vanilla extract in a saucepan. Put aside. Mix the maizena (corn starch) and plain flour. Add the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk it all together.

Add a bit of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk for a bit. Thereafter, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the milk mixture and give it a good whisk.

Put the saucepan on a low heat and heat up until boiling. Whisk all the time.

Add the butter when the cream has thickened.

Allow the cream to cool and put it afterwards into the fridge. Stir once in a while.

Dough:

Heat up the milk to 37 degrees C.

Mix all the ingredients in a kitchen aid and let the mixer work the dough for about 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and firm.

Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes.

Work the dough thoroughly on the baking table.

Cut it into two halves and roll each half out into a rectangular square.

Spread the butter, cinnamon and sugar mixture on the rectangular square of dough.

Roll the dough into a length and cut it into pieces.

Put the pieces of dough in paper cases and allow the buns to rise for about 30 minutes more under a tea towel.

Heat up the oven to 225 degrees C.

Cinnamon buns:

Pipe vanilla custard in the middle of each bun.

Brush the buns with a slightly whisked egg and sprinkle them with pearl sugar.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Happy Cinnamon Bun Day Everyone!  😀