Donal's Family Kitchen

Swedish Cinnamon Buns

Name: Swedish Cinnamon Buns
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 80g unsalted butter; 250ml whole milk; 500g strong white bread flour; 1 x 7g sachet of fast-action yeast; 50g caster sugar; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 2 tsp ground cardamom; 1 large free-range egg plus 1 large yolk, beaten together; 1 beaten egg, for glazing; 1 tbsp demerara sugar; For the filling; 150g unsalted butter, softened; 100g soft light brown sugar; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

These make an amazing breakfast. If you want to do an overnight dough, cover and chill once they are in the baking tin. The next morning remove from the fridge and allow to sit in a warm place for an hour until puffy before baking. If you do have any left over you can wrap in foil and then warm through the next day.

Donal SkehanFrom the series · Donal's Family Kitchen

135 min totalServes 12Medium

Time135 min

Serves12

SkillMedium

ShowSuper Food In Minutes

Method

Gently melt the butter and milk together in a pan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Set aside until lukewarm (about 40°C/100°F).

Mix the flour, yeast, caster sugar, salt and cardamom together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the beaten egg and yolk followed by the warm milk and butter mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix until you have a slightly sticky dough.

When the dough has taken shape, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and springy. (Alternatively knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 4-5 minutes.) Dust with flour if you find the dough too sticky.

Transfer the dough to a clean greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

For the filling, beat all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth paste.

When the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl and tip onto a lightly greased work surface. Roll into a rectangle 45 x 30cm (17 x 12in) and about 5mm (¼in) thick. Spread the filling all over and then, starting from one long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Use a sharp knife to slice into 12 equal-sized pieces.

Lightly grease a roasting tray that is about 25 x 20cm (10 x 8in) and place the rolls in, cut-side up. Cover with lightly greased cling film and leave to rise for around 30 minutes in a warm place until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180° fan/400°F/Gas 6. Brush the buns with the egg, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Leave the buns to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool a little before serving.

Cook's notes

Let the milk and butter cool to lukewarm (around 40°C) before mixing — too hot and you'll kill the yeast, too cold and the dough won't rise.
Knead a full 10 minutes by hand (or 4–5 in a stand mixer) until the dough is smooth and springy; that's what gives the buns their soft, pull-apart texture.
Get ahead for a treat brekkie: chill the shaped buns in their tray overnight and bake them fresh the next morning — there's something really satisfying about a fresh bake for breakfast.
Don't rush the second prove — the buns should look visibly puffy before they go in, or they'll bake up dense.
There's no icing here, so the egg glaze and demerara sugar are the finish — brush generously just before baking and let the oven do the caramelising.

Serve with Best eaten slightly warm with a good strong coffee — the classic Swedish fika. They need nothing else, though a little salted butter is never unwelcome.

Make ahead & storage They're at their absolute best the day they're baked. Keep leftovers in an airtight tin for up to 2 days and warm briefly before eating, or freeze once cool for up to a month and refresh in a low oven.

Recipe by Donal Skehan · From the series Donal's Family Kitchen · Photography © Appetite Media
Published 13 July 2026 · Updated 15 July 2026

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

373kcal

6gprotein

48gcarbs

17gfat

Approximate — calculated from the ingredient list using USDA food data. A guide, not a medical figure.

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