The quintessential fika companion
Cinnamon buns can be found all over Scandinavia but no country does it better than Sweden. Denmark, Iceland, and Norway make a simple and boring roll. Finland’s version, korvapuusti, is a runner-up with its interesting angled cuts. In Sweden, the bun is intricately knotted, resulting in the most aesthetically-pleasing variant.
Kanelbullar: the zenith of cinnamon buns
The Swedish cinnamon bun is called kanelbulle (singular) or kanelbullar (plural). It uses the same cardamom-tinged dough as other Nordic countries. The main difference is in its shape. At the better bakeries, the dough is braided and knotted. It results in a more airy bake. Also unique to Sweden, the kanelbullar are finished off with a sprinkling of crunchy white pearl sugar.
Sweden has a social ritual called fika. It’s essentially a coffee break with snacks. Kanelbullar is a popular option to accompany fika. If you consume them fast enough, you get cinammon and cardamon flavoured coffee, kind of like Indian chai.
As expected, the highest concentration of bakeries is in Stockholm. So, I set off on a quest to find the best kanelbullar in the city.
Continue reading “In search of the best kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) in Stockholm”
