Swedish for a Day

My family isn't Swedish (just Norwegian, German, and most of the rest of Northern Europe) at all, but you'd never know it from our holiday menu. Every Christmas Eve we have Swedish meatballs and Swedish sausage to go with our lefse and pickled herring, and this Christmas Day I made kanebullar, Swedish cinnamon rolls, to go with our traditional present-opening feast of a breakfast.

The kanebullar were mostly for my sister Kathleen, who studied abroad in Stockholm and occasionally has pangs of Scandinavian homesickness that require a trip to the closest IKEA cafeteria. She swears the cinnamon rolls there are the best you've ever tasted.

I decided that one of my presents for her would be to try and recreate these miraculous Swedish rolls in the comfort of our own home. My ally in this attempt was Beatrice Ojakangas, a widely published cookbook author (and Minnesotan!) whose book Scandinavian Home Baking seems to be the definitive English work on the subject.

The recipe was surprisingly simple- a yeasted dough enriched with eggs and melted butter rests overnight (growing enormously in the process), and can be made into rolls the next morning. There is no kneading required, and the process of rolling out and shaping the rolls can be done quite quickly if you have all your ingredients assembled. The recipe makes about 32 rolls, more than you might want in one sitting, so I recommend assembling all the rolls and then freezing whatever portion you aren't planning to bake and eat right away. Yeasted enriched dough should hold up well for at least several weeks, and can either be defrosted first or baked straight from its frozen state.

One word of caution on the rising process - make sure that your dough is rising in a space that is an appropriate temperature. On Christmas I was able to leave the dough in the garage overnight, but by New Year's it had gotten so cold that the dough froze before it rose all the way - I probably should have made space for it in the refrigerator. The dough recovered a little bit the next morning, but never got quite as light and fluffy as the Christmas version.

Ojakangas suggests a cornet shape, looking like a croissant, for these rolls, but Kathleen assured me that real Swedes serve cinnamon rolls in the traditional spiral shape. I split the difference by making about half of each shape once the dough had risen in the morning. The risen dough is rolled out, slathered with a really delicious butter/cinnamon sugar mixture, and cut into the appropriate shape.

We enjoyed these Christmas morning along with our presents, and they were as appreciated as the gifts under the tree. Though delicious enough to make any morning feel like a special holiday, they were so simple and quick that I'd make them on an ordinary weekend.

Kanelbullar (adapted slightly from Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Scandinavian Baking Book)

for the dough

1 1/2 c. scalded milk

1/2 c. butter

3 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 pkg dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

1/4 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)

6 c. flour (I used 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 whole wheat)

for the filling

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

glaze

1 egg

2 tbsp. milk

pearl sugar or coarse sugar

To make the dough, bring the milk just to boiling in a small pot. Pour into a large bowl with the butter and stir until butter is melted. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water, let stand for 5 minutes. Mix eggs, sugar, and salt into the liquids in the large bowl. Add yeast once the mixture has cooled slightly. Mix in the flour to make a smooth but thick dough.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. The dough should rise substantially. When you are ready to make the rolls, prepare a clean, floured surface. Divide the dough into four parts, rolling each about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Once the dough is rolled to the correct softness, brush with softened butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. To make a cornet shape, roll the dough into either a circle or a rectangle. Cut long skinny triangles/wedges, and roll from the base towards the point. Curl the ends together.

For a more traditional spiral shape, roll the dough into a long rectangle before applying the filling. Roll it up, then cut 1-2 inch slices. Lay on the flat side.

Once the rolls have been shaped, arrange them on a cookie sheet (greased or with parchment paper), and cover loosely with saran wrap. Let them rise for about 45 minutes or until slightly puffy. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the milk and egg for the glaze together, and brush on the rolls. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Enjoy!