Swedish buns, called kanelbullar in Sweden, are really the original cinnamon roll! They’re often filled with cardamom and cinnamon, and are shaped differently than a cinnamon roll in the States, but the yeasted dough filled with warm spices and butter is very much the same. This recipe is adapted from @true_north_kitchen, who had the brilliant idea of adding a traditional Asian technique to the dough: tangzhong! This is when some flour and liquid, usually water or milk, are cooked together before they’re added to the rest of the dough, which makes it so that the starches in the flour can absorb more liquid overall. This technique has all kinds of great benefits, the most important of which is that the resulting dough is SUPER moist and tender, and stays that way for days after baking! I chose to fill my rolls with rich, slightly bitter dark chocolate, and then drizzled with white chocolate after they’re baked for extra sweetness and to make them even more beautiful! These are perfect for breakfast, dessert, or even a snack since they aren’t overly sweet. You know how much I love any kind of roll or bun, and these are no exception!
Swedish Dark Chocolate Rolls with White Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
For the Tangzhong
- 5 tablespoons water
- 5 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 tablespoons flour
For the Dough
- 3 ¼ cup flour (416 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (52 grams)
- 1 (¾ ounce) packet instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup milk, slightly warmed
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg, room temperature
For the Filling
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 5 ounces good quality dark chocolate, at least 70%, finely chopped
For Assembly
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 3 ounces white chocolate, melted
Instructions
- For the Tangzhong
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens to a very thick roux consistency, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- For the Dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer and flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon whisk to combine.
- Fit stand mixer with dough hook attachment, then add milk, butter, egg and cooled tangzhong to dry ingredients. Mix on medium low speed until combined, scraping the bowl when needed. Knead for 4-5 minutes on medium speed, or until smooth and elastic, and the dough clears the sides of the bowl. If the dough sticks to the sides, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
- Transfer to oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rise in a warm place for 1-1 ½ hours, or doubled in size.
- While dough is rising, make the filling. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until fully combined. Set aside at room temperature.
- Once dough has risen, line two sheet trays with parchment and set aside.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 16×20 inches. Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, spread a thin layer of the butter and sugar mixture, leaving a ¼ inch edge clean of the filling. Evenly sprinkle chopped chocolate all over the butter and sugar mixture. Then using the longest length of the dough as a starting point, fold the dough into thirds. Lightly roll the dough out again, to roughly 19 x 6 inches.
- On the long side, cut into 12-14 pieces, each piece will be about 1 ½ inches wide. Cut each dough strand almost completely in half lengthwise, leaving a ½ inch tab uncut at the top.
- Transfer cut dough to prepared baking sheets and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for ten minutes.
- Once dough pieces are chilled, work with one piece at a time and unfurl each strand, making one long piece. Twist the ends in opposite directions, exposing filling. Roll around 2-3 fingers, like wrapping a cord, then tuck extra ends underneath the bun. Add 6 buns to each pre-lined sheet tray and cover with oiled plastic wrap and rise in a warm place until slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.
- While buns are rising, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Once risen, brush tops of buns with egg and bake for about 16 minutes, or until the tops of the buns are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and leave on tray to cool for 5 minutes. Then using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over each bun.
- Serve slightly warm. Buns keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
