This past weekend I went on my first long bike ride of this year. It was great to be in nature and breath fresh air. I like cities and I also like the huzzle and buzzle of cities but nothing beats the calmness of nature. I can clear my mind and relax in nature; and nature keeps me grounded.
So, last Saturday I bundled up in lots of layers since it is still very chilly outside and I went on a three hour bike ride. At this time of the year there are not many people in the countryside and there are hardly any bike riders which I like. Many people do not favor this time of year because nature seems grey and not very inviting. Years ago, I thought so, too but this has changed a lot. Without questions blooming and green trees look pretty but there is also so much beauty in naked trees. Whenever trees are covered in leaves, no one can see how the trees really look like. Next time you see a naked tree, have a close look and find the beauty in it. 
Of course, I did not leave the house without a snack for my little bike ride. I prepared a big pot of hot tea, wrapped up a freshly baked brioche in a kitchen towel and I prepared a little container with butter and honey. This was my picnic that I had halfway through by bike tour. I could not think of a better picnic food for a chilly February day. A dense freshly baked brioche is such a comforting food. It is my favorite Sunday breakfast treat and my favorite picnic food. This is why I have a few brioche recipes on the blog because I can never get enough of different brioche recipes. The following recipe is a new favorite of mine, besides my chocolate brioche recipe. I hope you like it as much as I do.  



 Makes 9 brioche buns

INGREDIENTS

  • 50 g / 3 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 100 ml / 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon whole milk (3,5 %)
  • 20 g fresh yeast , 3 teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons instant active dry yeast *
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 50 g / 1/3 cup raisins
  • Zest of 1/2 organic / untreated lemon, finely grated
  • 1 egg (medium sized)
  • 260 g / 2 cups and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus some extra for kneading
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk (3,5 %)
  • Almonds flakes
  • Pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the milk and heat until the mixture is lukewarm. 
  • Crumble the fresh yeast into a medium sized bowl. 
  • Pour a little bit of the butter milk mixture to the yeast. Stir until the yeast is dissolved, then add the remaining liquid.
  • Add the pinch of salt, granulated sugar, raisins, and finely grated lemon zest and mix well. 
  • Lightly beat the egg and set one tablespoon aside. Add the egg to the mixture and mix well. 
  • Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together. 
  • * If you use active dry yeast: heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the active dry yeast to a mug and dissolve the yeast with two tablespoons of milk. Melt the butter. Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, add the melted butter, remaining lukewarm milk and dissolved yeast. Proceed as written above. 
  • * If you use instant active dry yeast: mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, then add the lukewarm butter-milk mixture and proceed as written above. 
  • On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add a little bit more flour. 
  • Place the dough back into the bowl; cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a draft-free and warm place until it is doubled in size. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes. I place the dough in the oven and switch the oven to 40 °C / 104 °F.
  • If you make raisin buns without any brioche moulds, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you use brioche moulds, grease and flour the moulds. 
  • Knead the yeast dough again. Divide the dough into nine pieces and form each piece to a ball. 
  • Place the balls onto the baking sheet or into the brioche moulds (place the moulds onto a baking sheet).
  • Cover the buns with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. 
  • Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F. 
  • Mix the remaining egg (one tablespoon) and the milk well. Mix the almond flakes with the pearl sugar,
  • Brush the buns with the egg-milk mixture and sprinkle the top of each bun with the almond flakes and pearl sugar mixture.
  • Bake the buns for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden in color. The buns baked in brioche moulds take a few minutes longer, about 10 to 12 minutes. 
  • The buns taste the very best lukewarm with a little bit of butter and honey. 
  • The brioche freeze well. Heat the frozen brioche buns in the oven at 75 °C / 160 °F. 
1

It has been a while that I shared a recipe that involves yeast. This is a little bit ironic because I like sweet yeast bread a lot. In fact, if I had the choice between cake and sweet yeasted bread, I would choose the sweet bread without blinking an eye. There are always a few Swedish cinnamon buns in my freezer and I eat a Kanelbulle at least once a week. I simply cannot imagine my life without Swedish cinnamon buns, knäckebröd (Swedish crisp bread) and my life would not complete without parsley and lentils.
The hazelnut swirl recipe  - that I am sharing with you today - is a modification of the German Nusszopf. A Nusszopf (it literally means nut braid) is a dense and sweet yeasted bread with a hazelnut filling and the braid is cut into slices. Instead of making a big braided loaf, I opted for swirls. The hazelnut swirls are incredible moist and the hazelnut filling has such a wonderful nutty flavor. If you have some extra time, I recommend roasting the hazelnuts for the nut filling; it makes the filling extra delicious.

Makes 12 to 15 swirls

YEAST DOUGH

  • 50 g / 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup milk, preferable whole milk
  • 30 g fresh yeast / 3 1/2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast / 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 
  • 85 g / 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
  • 1 pinch of salt 
  • 1 egg (medium size) 
  • 365 g / 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt the butter. Add the milk to the melted butter and heat until the mixture is lukewarm. It is important that the mixture is lukewarm and not hot, otherwise the dough might not rise. 
  • Crumble the yeast into a medium-large sized bowl. Add about two tablespoons of the lukewarm butter-milk mixture to the yeast and stir with a (wooden) spoon until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the rest of the liquid to the yeast mixture, the sugar, salt and the egg and mix well. Add the flour and mix again until the dough comes together. Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough until the dough is smooth. Personally, I prefer kneading yeast dough by hand instead of using a kitchen machine since I think it makes a moister yeast dough. If you are not picky like me, feel free to knead the dough in a kitchen machine. 
  • If you use instant active dry yeast: mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, then add the lukewarm butter-milk mixture and proceed as written above. 
  • If you use active dry yeast: heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the active dry yeast to a mug and dissolve the yeast with two tablespoons of milk. Melt the butter. Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, add the melted butter, remaining lukewarm milk and the dissolved yeast. Proceed as written above.
  • Place the dough back into the bowl, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm and draft free place. I heat the oven to 50 °C / 125 °F, switch the oven off and place the bowl in the warm oven. Let the dough rise for about 40 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size. In the meantime, prepare the hazelnut filling.

FILLING

  • 125 g / 3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon hazelnut flour *
  • 65 g / 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar 
  • 40 g / 1/2 cup bread crumbs 
  • 165 g / 3/4 cup heavy cream 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 1 tablespoon rum, optional 
  • Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 
* I roast whole hazelnuts in the oven (150 ° C / 300 °F for 15 to 20 minutes), remove the skin by rubbing them in a kitchen towel, then grind the roasted hazelnuts. It takes some extra time but you will be awarded by the incredible nut smell.

ASSEMBLING

  • 1 egg (small size) 
  • 35 g / 1/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • On a floured surface knead the dough again. Roll out the dough to the size of 35 cm / 14 inches  x 40 cm / 15 inches.
  • Spread evenly the hazelnut filling onto the dough. Roll up the dough from the thicker side. Cut the roll into 12 pieces (each piece should be about 2 cm / 0.8 inch thick). 
  • Place the swirls on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Make sure that there is enough space between each swirl. Cover the baking sheets with kitchen towels and let the swirls rest for 15 minutes in a warm and draft free place. 
  • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F.
  • Brush the swirls with egg wash. Sprinkle the top of each hazelnut swirl with chopped hazelnuts.
  • Bake the hazelnut swirls for 12 to 15 minutes until golden in color. 
  • Let the swirls cool on a wire rack. 
  • Enjoy the hazelnut swirls on the day of baking. But the swirls freeze very well and taste just as delicious reheated in the oven.
1


Since I have a weakness for all things sweet I try to keep my breakfast, lunch and dinner relatively healthy. In fact, I really like vegetables, whole grains and such a lot and I could not live without these foods. Breakfast food is a little bit difficult for me because I am not a big breakfast person and most of the time I am not hungry at all in the moning but I try my best not to skip breakfast and have a healthy breakfast. However, once a week I indulge in a not so healthy breakfast which is sometimes a croissant, one or two of my oatmeal cookies (my recipe is here) and sometimes it is a chocolate brioche which recipe I want to share with you today. 
There are different opinions which ratio of egg, butter and flour makes the best brioche dough. I cannot give you an answer because I am no a brioche expert but most of the time a brioche contains a lot of butter and eggs which gives the yeasted bread a very rich texture. But there is one thing that is imprortant to me when making brioche (and making yeasted dough in general): it is kneading the dough with my hands and not using any kitchen machine. I think it really makes a difference. 


The brioche recipe  - that I am sharing with you today - is a brioche with less butter and eggs than a classic brioche - maybe it is not considered as a "real" brioche -  but I really like the consistency of this chocolate brioche. The brioche is rich but not too rich, dense but not too dense and moist at the same time and the chocolate chips gives the bread sweetness as well which makes it, at least for me, the perfect indulgent breakfast treat. I could not think of a sweeter start to the morning than a brioche fresh out of the oven or a defrosted brioche heated in the oven, cooled down for a few minutes, with a little bit of butter. It is so so delicious and it is really hard to resist a soft and warm yeasted bread in the morning. I recommend picking your least favorite day of the week and have a chocolate brioche for breakfast and I assure you that it will be a good day.

NOTE: I used for this recipe brioche moulds that are 7 cm / 2.75 inches in diameter in size. If you do not have any brioche moulds on hand you can use a muffin tin instead but make sure that you grease the muffin well, so the brioche won't stick to the pan. Sometimes I also make a big brioche instead of petite brioche. I use a 18 cm / 7 inches brioche mould.
The big brioche keeps fresh for several days (store the bread in a plastic bag), whereas the small brioches taste the very best fresh out of the oven or on the same day but heated in the oven for a few minutes. The petite brioches freeze very well. Defrost the brioches in the oven at 75 °C / 160 °F for 10 to 12 minutes. Bon apétit.
Makes 10 petite brioches or one big brioche (see my note above)

INGREDIENTS

  • 35 g / 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 15 g fresh yeast / 1 3/4 teaspoons instant active dry yeast / 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 
  • 1 egg (medium size)
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 45 g / 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 300 to 325 g all-purpose flour
  • 85 g / 1/2 cup chocolate chunks, semi sweet

DIRECTIONS

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the milk to the melted butter and heat the mixture until it is lukewarm. Make sure the mixture is lukewarm and not hot, otherwise the yeast won't rise.
  • Crumble the fresh yeast* into a bowl. Pour a little bit of the butter milk mixture to the crumbled yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Whisk the egg in a cup; put aside two tablespoons of the whisked egg for the egg wash (keep it in the fridge until you brush the brioche with the egg wash). Add the remaining egg wash along with the remaining butter milk mixture, salt and sugar and mix well. Add most of the flour and mix with a spoon. As soon as the dough comes together transfer the dough to a well floured surface and knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour to the dough. 
  • Place the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel
  • *If you use instant active dry yeast: mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, then add the lukewarm butter-milk mixture and proceed as written above. 
  • If you use active dry yeast: heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the active dry yeast to a mug and dissolve the yeast with two tablespoons of milk. Melt the butter. Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, add the melted butter, remaining lukewarm milk and the dissolved yeast. Proceed as written above.
  • Let the yeast dough rise in a draft-free and warm place for about 40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. 
  • Grease and flour brioche moulds or a muffin tin. 
  • Knead the dough again on a well floured surface. If the dough is sticky add a little bit of flour to the dough. Incorporate the chocolate chunks into the dough. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and form each piece into a ball. Place the balls into the greased brioche moulds or muffin tin. If you make one big brioche, form one bif ball out of the yeast dough and place it into the brioche mould. 
  • Cover the moulds with a kitchen towel and let the brioches rest for 15 minutes. 
  • In the meantime preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F. 
  • Brush the brioches with the egg wash. 
  • Bake the petite brioches for 8 to 10 minutes; the big brioche for 20 to 25 minutes. The brioches brown quickly so keep a close eye while the brioche are in the oven. After 5 or 6 minutes in the oven the brioche are golden in color, cover the brioches with aluminium foil and bake them for another few minutes. If you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean, the brioches is done. 
  • Let the brioches cool for a few minutes; unmould the brioches and enjoy while the bread is still warm. 


It is finally March and it is a step closer to spring. As I write these lines it is pouring rain and on the first day of March I woke up to the most beautiful winter wonderland of this winter season; spring seems far, far away. Eventually spring will arrive. I do not mind the winter time, the cold and the darkness but during the winter months it is very difficult to go on little bike tours in the countryside. I miss my bike outings a lot and I cannot wait for my first bike adventures of the year.
On my bike rides I always take a thermos jug with tea and a snack with me. Last year I often had a little lemon cake (here is my recipe) or a cardamom bun as a snack on my little bike adventures. Cardamom buns, kardemumma bullar, are a classic Swedish sweet bread. Sweet yeast buns are called släta bullar which can be translated as plain buns. Sometimes raisins are added to the buns which I like and always add to my släta bullar. I also sprinkle my cardamom buns with pearl sugar because it gives the buns a crunchiness but traditional Swedish buns are without pearl sugar. 
While I am dreaming of spring and riding my bike in the countryside I am enjoying a bun inside, listening to the rain drops that are knocking against my window and light a candle. I am looking forward to wood anemone flowers which start blooming in the spring time. Wood anemone flowers, vitsippor in Swedish, can be found a lot and often you can find a "carpet" of vitsippor in the woods. Whenever I see wood anemone flowers I know that spring finally arrived.







NOTE: The cardamom buns freeze very well; I always have a few buns in the freezer. It is very convenient because any time you can take a bun or two out of the freezer and defrost the buns. I warm the buns in the oven (at 75 °C / 165 °F) for a couple of minutes. The cardamom buns also taste the very best when they are still warm.
If you do not like raisins you can replace them with dried cranberries.



Makes 12 cardamom buns

INGREDIENTS

  • 35 g / 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 15 g fresh yeast / 1 3/4 teaspoons instant actice dry yeast / 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 50 g / 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 50 g / 1/3 cup raisins (or dried cranberries), optional
  • 250 g / 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 egg (small size)
  • Pearl sugar, optional

DIRECTIONS

  • Crumble fresh yeast * into a big bowl. 
  • Melt butter in a small pot; add the milk and heat until the mixture is lukewarm (not hot, otherwise the yeast will "die" and your dough won't rise). 
  • Add a little bit of the milk mixture to the crumbled yeast and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the remaining liquid, salt, sugar, cardamom and raisins and mix well. Add most of the flour (save 2 tablespoons) and stir with a big (wooden) spoon until the dough comes together.
  • * If you use instant active dry yeast: mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl and then add the lukewarm butter-milk mixture and proceed as written above. 
  • If you use active dry yeast: heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the active dry yeast to a mug and dissolve the yeast with two tablespoons of milk. Melt the butter. Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, add the melted butter, remaining lukewarm milk and the dissolved yeast. Proceed as written above.
  • Transfer the dough to floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. 
  • Let the yeast dough rise in a draft-free and warm place (I place my bowl in the oven which I preheated to 35 °C / 95°F). Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size which takes about 30 to 40 minutes. 
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  • Knead the dough again on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Form each piece of dough to a ball. 
  • Place the balls onto the baking sheets. Make sure that there is enough space between each ball. Cover each baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Let the buns rise again for 20 minutes in a draft-free and warm place (I let the buns rise in the oven again). 
  • Preheat the oven to 220 °C / 430 °F. 
  • Beat the egg with a teaspoon of lukewarm water. Gently brunsh the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle the buns with bearl sugar (if you like).
  • Bake the buns for 4 to 6 minutes or until the buns are golden in color. The buns brown very quickly, so make sure you are in the kitchen while the buns are in the oven. 
I have not been in the mood to bake lately, hence the hiatus on the blog. 
A while ago I was making little chocolate mousse gâteaux but I was not happy and it felt more like a chore. Then I was making several different apple cakes and again, it was a burden and not something that I enjoyed. It was such a strange feeling and I thought this might be the beginning of the end and I am loosing interest in baking. I was confused and I also could not figure out what caused the lack of interest in baking. I decided to take a break from baking and I tried not to stress about it. My baking break lasted for 22 days, then all of a sudden I was itching to bake again. I decided to make a batch of Swedish cinnamon buns, Kanelbullar, which is one of my favorite food of all time. I prepared the yeast dough for the buns and it filled me with lots of joy. When I was about to prepare the cinnamon filling I realized that I was out of cinnamon and I was mad at myself. For a moment I thought to make a quick trip to the grocery store but it was pouring rain but then I saw next to the empty cinnamon jar a jar with vanilla beans and I thought why not making a vanilla filling instead of a cinnamon filling. In retrospect I am so glad that I was running out of cinnamon because I probably never considered making a vanilla filling. I love the combination of vanilla and the cardamon flavored yeast dough. These vanilla buns are so delicious  - so fluffy, moist and such a heavenly vanilla flavor - and the smell of the buns are irresistible. I love them. 


By the way, today - October 4th - is Kanelbullens Dag, Cinnamon Bun Day, in Sweden. This national day was invented in 1999 by the Hembakningsrådet which is the Home Baking Council in Sweden. Lots and lots of kanelbullar are sold and eaten on this days. Many bakeries have special kanelbullar offers. Since October 4th is a Sunday this year most bakeries had special offers yesterday since most bakeries are closed on Sundays (but pastry stores are open on Sundays).
I do not care much about those new holidays but in the case of cinnamon buns I make an exception and take this holiday very seriously and I bake lots and lots of buns. 
Happy Kanelbulle Day!


 Makes 16 to 18 buns

INGREDIENTS

Yeast dough

  • 75 g / 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 250 ml / 1 cup whole milk
  • 30 g fresh yeast / 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast / 3 1/2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 75 g / 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 425 - 450 g / 4 cups pastry flour or 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Filling

  • 75 g / 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room-temperature
  • 50 g / 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 25 g / 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Glaze

  • 50 g / 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 -3 tablespoons granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Fresh Yeast

  • Crumble fresh yeast into a big bowl.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan. Add milk. The butter milk mixture should be lukewarm , not hot. This is important because otherwise the yeast will "die" and the dough won't rise.
  • Add little bit of the milk mixture, about two to three tablespoons to the crumbled yeast and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the remaining milk mixture, granulated sugar, salt. cardamon and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
  • Add most of the flour (set aside about three tablespoons) and stir with a big, preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together.

Active dry yeast

  • Heat milk until lukewarm. Mix dry yeast with two tablespoons of lukewarm milk in a mug.  Melt butter.
  • Mix sugar, salt, cardamon, dissolved yeast mixture, remaining milk and melted butter. Add most of the flour (set aside about three tablespoons) and stir with a big, preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together.

Instant active dry yeast

  • The yeast does not have to be dissolved in any liquid.
  • Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add milk to the melted butter and set aside.
  • Mix most of the flour (set aside about three tablespoons), dry yeast. sugar, salt and cardamon. Add butter milk mixture and stir with a big, preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together.
  • Place the yeast dough onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too sticky add more flour to the dough.
  • Place the dough into a big bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a draft-free and warm place. I place my bowl in the oven and switch the oven to 40 °C / 100 °F ( make sure that the oven is not too hot). Let the dough rise until it has roughly doubled in size which takes about 30 to 45 minutes. It depends on how warm or cold your place is.
  • Prepare the filling.
  • Split vanilla pod lenghtwise and scrape out the seeds (use the tip of your knife or the dull side of the knife). Don't throw away the empty vanilla pod. Fill a jar with granulated sugar and add empty vanilla pods and after a week you have vanilla sugar.
  • Combine softened butter, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar and the seeds of vanilla. Mix all ingredients until it resembles a paste.
  • Prepare two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Take the dough out of the bowl and knead the dough again on a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle (45 cm x 45 cm / 18 inches x 18 inches). Spread the vanilla paste onto the rectangle evenly and roll it into a tight roll.
  • Cut roll into 16 to 18 pieces (each piece should be 1.5 cm to 2 cm / 0.6 inch to 0.8 inch). Place the rolls onto the baking sheet. Make sure that there is enough space between each roll.
  • Cover each baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Let the rolls rise again in a warm and draft-free place for about 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 225 °C / 430 °F.
  • Bake the rolls for 5 to 7 minutes until they are slightly golden in color.
  • While the buns are still warm brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
  • The vanilla buns taste the best when still warm. You can also freeze the buns. I always have some buns in the freezer and thaw them up in the oven.
2

It has been a while that I shared a recipe that involved a yeast dough. Today I like to introduce you to a recipe of sweet buns filled with a vanilla custard which is a Swedish classic. These vanilla buns are called krämbullar or vaniljbullar in Swedish. Bullar mean buns in Swedish (singular is bulle), kräm means cream and vanilj - you can probably guess - means vanilla. 
I make kanelbullar which are another Swedish classic - my blog post about these delicious buns is here - every week and there are always a few bullar in my freezer but I do not make vaniljbullar on a regular basis. This has changed a bit since I rediscovered my love for vaniljbullar about a month ago and now I have to restrain myself of not making these buns too often. 
There is nothing more comforting than a soft and fluffy yeast bun with a creamy vanilla custard in the middle of the bun. The yeast dough is flavored with a hint of cardamon which is a very common spice in Swedish baking. Sometimes lots of cardamon is added to the buns which I think can be overpowering. I prefer the subtle taste of cardamon in the vanilla buns. 
These Swedish vanilla buns are a wonderful way to welcome the fall season which is approaching fast. They will fill your home with an irresistible and comforting smell on chillier fall days. 









NOTES:

Yeast

There are different kinds of yeast available. For instance you can use active dry yeast, instant active dry yeast or fresh yeast.
I personally prefer using fresh yeast. In Sweden there are even two types of fresh yeast: one for bread and one for sweet bread. A while ago I learnt that fresh yeast is not common or available in every country. I was not aware of this fact and I will update the recipes on my blog that involves yeast and convert the amount of fresh yeast to dry yeast. In my recipe direction below I explain how to use each type of yeast.

Cardamon

Cardamon is one of the most expensive spices (saffron is the most expensive spice, followed by vanilla and cardamon). You can buy cardamon pods or cardamon powder. Cardamon seeds that are grounded looses its flavor quickly, so ground or cardamon powder that you buy has less flavor.
For baking I don't mind the less cardamon flavor (in cooking I prefer cardamon pods) and I use cardamon powder that I buy at the spice store.
If you only have cardamon pods on hands you can, of course,  also make your own cardamon powder. Crush the cardamon pod (use green cardamon) and remove the seeds from the shell. Place the seeds with a little bit of sugar in a mortar and pound the seeds with a pestle until you have a powder. You do not need to add sugar but I think it makes it easier to ground the cardamon seeds.
Makes 14 vanilla buns

INGREDIENTS

Dough

  • 30 g fresh yeast / 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast / 3 1/2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
  • 50 g / 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 200 ml / 3/ 4 cup and 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 75 g / 1/3 cup and granulated and 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamon powder
  • 375 g / 3 cups all-purpose flour

Vanilla Custard

  • 30 g / 2 large egg yolks 
  • 45 g / 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 15 g / 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 125 ml / 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 10 g / 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Topping

  • 40 g / 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 40 g / 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Fresh Yeast

  • Crumble the fresh yeast into a big bowl. 
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan, add milk. The mixture should be lukewarm. This is really important because otherwise the yeast will "die" and the dough won't rise. 
  • Add little bit of the milk mixture (about two tablespoons) to the crumbled yeast and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the remaining milk mixture, sugar, salt and cardamon and mix until well combined. 
  • Add most of the flour (set aside about two tablespoons) and stir with a big. preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together. 

Active dry yeast

  • Heat the milk until it is lukewarm. Mix the dry yeast with two tablespoons of lukewarm milk in a mug. Melt the butter in the remaining lukewarm milk. 
  • Mix sugar, salt, cardamon, dissolved yeast mixture and butter-milk mixture. Add most of the flour (set aside about two tablespoons) and stir with a big. preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together. 

Instant active dry yeast

  • The yeast does not have to be dissolved in any liquid. 
  • Melt butter and add milk to it, set aside. 
  • Mix most of the flour (set aside two tablespoons), dry yeast, sugar, salt, cardamon. Add butter-milk mixture and stir with a big. preferable wooden, spoon until the dough comes together. 
  • Place the yeast dough onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too sticky add more flour to the dough.
  • Place the dough into a big bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a draft-free and warm place. I place my bowl in the oven and switch the the oven to 40°C / 100 °F (make sure that the oven is not too hot). Let the dough rise until it has roughly doubled in size which takes about 30 to 45 minutes. It depends on how warm or cold your place is. 
  • In the meantime prepare the vanilla custard. 
  • Pour milk into a saucepan. 
  • Split vanilla pod lenghtwise and scrape out the seeds (use the tip of your knife or the dull side of the knife). Add the vanilla seeds and the empty vanilla pod to the milk. Bring vanilla milk to a soft simmer. Set aside and remove the empty vanilla pod. 
  • Whisk egg yolks and sugar until well combined, then add corn starch and whisk until smooth. Slowly pour the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk. 
  • Pour the mixture back to the saucepan and over medium heat - whisk continuously - bring to a boil. You will notice that the custard thickens. Cook the custard for one minute, continue to stir. Now you should have a thick custard. Remove saucepan from the stove. Add butter cubes to the vanilla cream and stir until smooth. Place the vanilla custard into a flat bowl, cover the surface with clingwrap which prevents skin forming. Let cool completely. When the custard is completely cooled, fill it into a piping bag, no nozzle is needed. I place the piping bag into a very tall glass and then fill the bag. That is easier than holding the piping bag in one hand and trying to fill it with the other hand. 
  • Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  • Take the dough out of the bowl and knead the dough again on a floured surface. 
  • Divide the dough into 14 pieces and form each piece of dough to a ball. 
  • Place balls onto the baking sheets. Make sure that there is enough space between each ball. Flatten each ball into a disc (they should look like big cookies). Cover each baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Let the buns rise again in a warm and draft-free place for about 20 minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 225 °C / 440 °F.
  • Gently press an indentation in the middle of each bun and pipe vanilla custard into the indentation.
  • Bake the buns for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly golden in color. 
  • While the buns are still warm, brush the buns with melted butter and dip the edges of the buns into sugar. 
  • The vanilla buns taste the very best while still warm. 
  •  You can also freeze the buns. I recommend freezing the buns in a freezable box (do not stock the buns on top of each other). Let the buns defrost at room temperature.

It is no secret that I bake a lot. I try out new recipes, I create my own recipes and every now and then I try to recreate cakes from bakeries and pâtisseries. I go through phases where I make a ridiculous amount of financiers, all different kinds of chocolate cakes or French pastries. At the moment I am in a tartlet phase: in the last two weeks I made more than hundred tartlets. Is there anything better than making the filling for tartelettes au citron or making dozens of plum marzipan tartlets? I do not think there is. Just typing these words I want to run  into my kitchen and make more plum marzipan tartlets. I am not sure if I am "halvgalen" (little bit crazy) or maybe I am already "galen" (completely crazy).



And then there are kanelbullar which are probably one of the best invention of humanity besides the invention of the bicycle. I might be in a tartlet phase or in a financier phase but I am always in a kanelbullar phase. I never get tired of making and eating kanelbullar. I make kanelbullar at least twice a month.
Kanelbullar - kanel means cinnamon and bulle (bullar is plural) means bun in Swedish - are one of the most popular pastries in Sweden. I do not know anyone who does not like a bulle and every single bakery, grocery store, café or the smallest train station kiosk sell kanelbullar (and coffee as well). It is a staple food.


A while ago I escaped the city life and I travelled to Sweden and visited Alingsås which is the hometown of my mom and my uncle is still living there. It is a little picturesque city - half an hour from Gothenburg - with beautiful little wood houses, little cute cafés and the city is surrounded by the most beautiful nature. Whenever I travel to Sweden I am most of the time outdoors. I hop on a bike and cycle to one of the countless lakes that the city is surrounded by, breath the fresh and clean air, read Swedish (cook)books that I borrow from the local library, snacking on a kanelbulle or a wienerbröd (Danish pastry) and soak in the beauty of the nature and the silence. I am surrounded by no noise of cars, no human being far and wide but instead I listen to the rustling of tree leaves in the wind and the chirping of birds.

While I was in Sweden one morning I got up very early and decided to stroll around the city. It was early in the morning and the city was completely empty. While walking through the little cobblestone alleys I did not meet a single person. I was soaking in the calmness and looking at all the beautiful wood houses. And then all of a sudden it happened: I was surrounded by the irresistible smell of cinnamon and cardamon. Obviously the Café Ringen (see the photo above) around the corner was making kanelbullar. 
On my way home to my uncle's house I reflected on the power of smell. It is amazing how closely smell is connected to memories, experiences or childhood. Strolling around the city early in the morning and smell of cinnamon and cardamon from the café are one those moments that I cherish a lot. 

This is the entrance of the rådhus (city hall). Fun fact: The wife of the opera composer Donizetti Viginia Vasselli was a guest in Alingsås  and she stayed  a few nights at the rådhuset.
On that day I could not resist and made a batch of kanelbullar for my uncle. And there again was this incredible smell of cinnamon and cardamon in the air and it made my uncle's kitchen smell heavenly. My uncle freezed a few bullar and gave some of my kanelbullar to an acquaintance who really liked my kanelbullar. Hearing this made me, of course, very happy. 
Over the years I have perfeced (at least I think so) my kanelbullar skills and I am very pleased how my bullar turn out every single time I make a batch. 
I think it is time to share my Swedish cinnamon bun recipe with you dear readers!

Makes 15 kanelbullar

INGREDIENTS

Dough

  • 75 g unsalted butter
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • 30 g fresh yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
  • 400 - 450 g all-purpose flour

Filling

  • 75 g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Decoration

  • 1 egg (small)
  • Pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add milk to the melted butter. The mixture should be lukewarm. It is really important that the mixture is lukewarm because the yeast does not like cold and too hot ingredients. :-)
  • Crumble the yeast into a big bowl. Add a little bit of the butter milk mixture – about 2 tablespoons – to the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the rest of the milk mixture, salt, sugar, cardamom and mix well, Then add most of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. 
  • Place the dough in a big bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm and draft-free place for 30 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size. I always place my bowl in a oven (I switch the oven to 45 °C) and let it rise there. 
  • In the meantime combine softened butter, sugar and cinnamon and mix until it looks like a paste. 
  • Place the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll out the dough into a square (45cm x 45 cm). Spread the butter paste onto the square evenly and roll it into a tight roll. 
  • Cut the roll into 15 pieces (each piece should be 3 cm thick). Place the rolls onto two baking sheets. Make sure that there is enough space between each bun. 
  • Cover the baking sheets with kitchen towels and let the buns rise in a warm and draft-free place (I place the baking sheets again in the oven and let kanelbullar rise at 45 °C) for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 225 °C. 
  • Beat the egg with a teaspoon of lukewarm water. Brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar. 
  • Bake for 6 to 7 minutes until the rolls are golden in color. The kanelbullar brown quickly, so make sure you are in the kitchen while the bullar bake in the oven. 
  • The bullar taste best fresh out of the oven but you can freeze them as well.


 If you read my blog for a while you know how much I like gugelhupf. There are not only many gugelhupf recipes on my blog but I also wrote about the history of the gugelhupf (read it here) and about the Austrian Franz-Joseph gugelhupf (read it here).
A few Sundays ago I was craving a gugelhupf and I made a very traditional Alsatian gugelhupf which consists of a yeast dough with almonds and raisins. The gugelhupf or kouglof how the French call this sweet bread was good but it was not good enough that I would make it a second time. For my taste it was a little bit too salty and a little “tasteless”. Ever since I made this Sunday gugelhupf I was craving a gugelhupf that was a little bit sweeter and flavored with orange. In the end I made gugelhupf with caramelized almonds, chocolate chunks and orange zest which combines my favorite foods in one yeast bread. I love almonds, I love oranges (and everything that is orange flavored) and I love chocolate (who does not), so I name this gugelhupf “Marianne’s Gugelhupf”.

Makes 5 little gugelhupfs * (ø 12 cm /  height 5 cm)

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 ml lukewarm whole milk
  • 15 g fresh yeast
  • 225 g all-purpose flour
  • 75 g softened unsalted butter
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of orange zest (finely grated)
  • 75 g almonds
  • 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of almonds flakes
  • 50 g semisweet chocolate (roughly chopped or use chocolate chips)
  • 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
  • Some extra flour for kneading the dough
  • Powdered sugar for decoration
* You can also make a big gugelhupf instead. Double the recipe and bake the gugelhupf for 20 to 25 minutes. If the surface of the gugelhupf color too quickly, cover with aluminium foil.

DIRECTIONS

  • Crumble yeast into a big bowl. Add two tablespoons of the lukewarm milk. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the rest of the milk and about a third of the flour and mix well. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm and draft-free place.
  • In the meantime whisk butter and sugar creamy; then add one egg yolk at a time. Add salt and orange zest and stir well.
  • Add this mixture and the rest of the flour to the yeast dough and mix well.
  • On a well-floured surface knead the dough until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
  • Place the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
  • Roughly chop the almonds. Add chopped almonds and powdered sugar to a pan and cook at high temperature. As soon as the powdered sugar starts melting lower to medium heat. Stir constantly, so the almonds do not get burned. As soon as the powdered sugar is completely melted, stir for two minutes, remove from the stove. Place the almonds on parchment paper and let it cool. If the almonds chunks are big, chop them into smaller pieces but wait until the almonds are completely cooled.
  • Butter and flour gugelhupf moulds. Sprinkle the bottom of each mould with almond flakes.
  • Take the risen dough out of the bowl and knead the dough again on a well-floured surface.
  • Roll the dough into a square (about 1 cm thick). Sprinkle the square with almonds and chocolate. Roll the square into a roll and cut the roll into five pieces. Place each roll into a gugelhupf mould.
  • Brush the surface with melted butter and cover the moulds with a kitchen towel. Let the gugelhupfs rest for 20 or until the dough has risen to the edge of the moulds.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  • Bake the gugelhupfs for 9 to 11 minutes.
  • Let the gugelhupfs cool for 15 minutes. Unmould the gugelhupfs and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • Enjoy. The gugelhupf tastes the very best while lukewarm.

3
I have a weakness for sweet yeast bread and buns. It is my favorite weekend breakfast and my favorite afternoon tea snack. I love the moment when I take out the bread out of the oven and I love the smell of freshly baked bread. It is such a beautiful moment. Every single time I am looking forward to this moment. This is probably one of the reasons why I like making sweet yeast bread so much.
Whenever I make sweet yeast buns I follow a routine. Most of the time I make it on Sunday mornings. After I take the bread out of the oven I let it cool for a little while - I think homemade bread tastes best when it is lukewarm - and in the meantime I always make a big pot of tea. 
When I made these orange chocolate brioche the other day I prepared a pot with Earl Grey tea. The bergamot flavor of the Earl Grey tea was the perfect combination to the orange flavored brioche with chocolate in the middle. I cannot think of a better way to start a day.
Makes 10 to 12 brioches

INGREDIENTS

  • 450 g all-purpose flour
  • 25 g fresh yeast
  • 75 g confectioners' sugar
  • 75 ml lukewarm whole milk
  • 125 g unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of orange zest, finely grated
  • 125 g semi-dark chocolate (I use 55%)
  • 1 egg
  • Pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS

  • Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. 
  • Crumble the yeast into the well. Add half of the confectioners' sugar and half of the lukewarm milk. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Dust the sponge with flour and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the spomge rest in a draft-free place for 15 minutes. 
  • I wrote a little advice post about yeast dough which you can read here.
  • Melt the butter and let it cool down.
  • Mix mleted butter, rest of the milk, rest of the confectioners' sugar, eggs, pinch of salt and orange zest. 
  • Add the mixture to the sponge and mix all ingredients well. 
  • Knead the dough on a well-floured surface until the dough is smooth. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm and draft-free place for 45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
  • Grease and flour brioche moulds. You can also use a muffin pan.
  • Break the chocolate into pieces or chop the chocolate roughly. 
  • Knead the dough again and divide the dough into 10 to 12 pieces [it depends on the size of your brioche moulds and muffin moulds]. 
  • Flaten each dough piece and place a few chocolate pieces in the middle. Form each piece into balls.
  • Place each ball into the moulds. Place brioche moulds onto a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and let the brioches rise in a wram and draft-free place for 30 minutes or until the brioches are roughly doubled in size. 
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  • Brush the brioches with beaten egg. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.
  • Bake brioches for 10 to 12 minutes. If the brioches color too quickly, cover the brioches with aluminium foil.I have a weakness for sweet yeast bread and buns. It is my favorite weekend breakfast and my favorite afternoon tea snack. I love the moment when I take out the bread out of the oven and I love the smell of freshly baked bread. It is such a beautiful moment. Every single time I am looking forward to this moment. This is probably one of the reasons why I like making sweet yeast bread so much.
  • Whenever I make sweet yeast buns I follow a routine. Most of the time I make it on Sunday mornings. After I take the bread out of the oven I let it cool for a little while - I think homemade bread tastes best when it is lukewarm - and in the meantime I always make a big pot of tea. 
  • When I made these orange chocolate brioche the other day I prepared a pot with Earl Grey tea. The bergamot flavor of the Earl Grey tea was the perfect combination to the orange flavored brioche with chocolate in the middle. I cannot think of a better way to start a day.

Saffron equals Christmas season. I blame lussekatter for it - a sweet yeast bun which is traditionally eaten on December 13 in Sweden.
I make lussekatter every year but this year I became a little bit adventurous. Or maybe I was seduced by the heavenly smell of saffron which might be a little bit dangerous because it is the most expensive spice in the world. Every time I use up a little sachet of saffron I sniff on the empty sachet and I can never get enough of this smell.
Oh and the shining yellow color of saffron! Nature has so many beautiful colors to offer. Sometimes I look star at a beautiful apple or a pomegranate I am unable to bring myself to eat the fruit because it looks too pretty to eat. 
Wait a second, I think I got sidetracked again: lets talk about saffron and baking. The last couple of days I was in the kitchen and making saffron bread buns, Swedish snurror with an orange vanilla filling and this morning I made saffron brioches and I want to share my recipe with you. I love brioches (I make them often on weekend mornings) and this morning I decided to make the brioche with a touch of Christmas and added saffron and raisins. Fresh out of the oven with a little bit of butter, this was today's Sunday breakfast. So scrumptious!
Maybe I should not mention that I have yet to make lussekatter for Santa Lucia which is next Friday. You will find me in the kitchen at 5 am and baking countless of fresh lussekatter which I will give away. I know, I know I am crazy but I am really looking forward to it: getting up early in the morning while it is still dark, quiet in the house, sneaking off to the kitchen and surrounded by the smell of saffron. This is what makes me smile.
PS: Have a look at the last picture of this post. This is a birthday card that my very sweet friend Shangching made for me. It is such a special card and I think she knows me too well that I like brioche. Shangching also has a blog about ink, stationary and you can admire her beautiful handwriting. Read her blog here.


Makes 8 to 10 Brioches

INGREDIENTS

  • 375 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g fresh yeast
  • 50 g powdered sugar
  • 50 ml whole milk, lukewarm
  • 85 g unsalted butter
  • 0.5 g saffron, ground
  • 2 eggs, medium size
  • 2 pinch of salt
  • 75 g raisins
  • 1 egg yolk

DIRECTIONS

  • Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle.
  • Crumble the yeast into the well. Add 1 teaspoon of the powdered sugar and two tablespoons of lukewarm milk. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Dust the sponge with flour and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the sponge rest for 15 minutes.
  • Melt the butter and let it cool down. Add the rest of the milk and saffron and stir until the saffron is dissolved.
  • Add the saffron mixture, the rest of the powdered sugar, eggs, salt and raisins to the sponge. Mix all ingredients well; then knead the dough on a well-floured surface until the dough is smooth. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour to it.
  • Place the dough back to the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm and draft-free place for 45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
  • Grease and flour brioche moulds or a muffin pan.
  • Knead the dough again and divide the dough into 8 to 10 pieces.
  • Divide each piece again into a big and a small piece (1/4 of the piece). Form each piece into a ball. Place the bigger ball into the brioche mould or muffin pan. Make a little well into the ball and place the smaller ball into the well.
  • Place the brioche mould on a baking sheet.
  • Mix the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water. Brush the brioches with the egg yolk mixture. Cover the brioches with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
  • Bake the brioches for 8 to 9 minutes. After 3 to 4 minutes in the oven, cover the brioches with aluminium foil (because the brioches color quickly).
1