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A good cinnamon roll is a wonderful thing, one of the highlights of the whole world in fact, but not easy to find. The Lidl ones taste alright but the texture is pretty fake; Asda now do them but they don't taste of much; and the Waitrose ones are ok but not exactly right, they don't have the right icing on.
The ones from Starbucks in the rest of Europe are fantastic, still bready but half way to being a cinnamon Danish, however for some reason in the UK we get a sort of cinnamon Chelsea bun with orange icing on top. Not bad, but not really a cinnamon roll. So really it has to be home made, which is a bit of a faff.
Where do you get yours?
Cinnamon Swirl or Cinnamon bun? I've always liked the ones from asda, morrisons do an okay cinnamon swirl but best are home made.
Waitrose baked products are generally the best supermarket ones IMO.
I can't tell you where I source them, because then you'll all want one. They're like crack; a bit moreish.
Cinnabon are interesting, in the total overload of frosting sense. There are a few Asda's with their concessions in.
Ah kanelbullar, an awesome import from Sweden.
The m&s ones are the best i have found, gails are way too buttery/fatty and are also insanely expensive
I should send some pictures of the kanelbullar at my old local bakery, you all would drool to death. Sadly, we left town and I now have to rely on my GF to make them. Luckily they are _almost_ as good as the ones we used to be able to get. We are still trying to work out what the traditional way of making them is, the rolled sort, or the plaited/flat type.
Also: Kardemumma = Good. Kanel = Better.
If you really need a fix, Ikea do them here by the bag. They are not amazing, but they are better than nothing.
What was I thinking looking at this thread. That's all I'll be thinking about now for days.
A place in dunkeld does awesome ones and cardamom buns too. My wife forces me to do a pilgrimage there once in a while. A Swedish place in Edinburgh is great too.
The best one she's ever had is when we were in Norway. Nothing else has come close in her quest so far.
She's tried making her own to various recipes,but again the fall short of her Norwegian ideal. I think she's just romancing about them, as to me they're all ok, but not something I get excited about.
Now talk to me about pies....
Waitrose baked products are generally the best supermarket ones IMO.
This.
And I even have a son who is the baker at our Tesco...ahem.
As Willard said, IKEA is the place to go for a "proper" Kanelbullar, with cardamom in. Cooking instructions seem a bit off, we cook for longer at a lower temperature and they come out great. An occasional weekend breakfast treat for the family. The kids prefer the IKEA ones to any of the other ones you can get anywhere else but I'll eat anything that claims to be a cinnamon bun.</p>
Cardamom buns are delicious.
Cinnamon buns also, but all that frosting!
The last one I had was at the Little Fika cafe in Whaley Bridge. It's a Swedish-inspired coffee house and very good.
This is how I use up leftover pizza dough. Roll it out, whizz together some butter, sugar, cinnamon - spread over, roll it up, cut into slices, into the oven for 20 mins or so.
Right, I'm going to go and find a very specific book for you lot in the GF's cookbook shelf. It contains _the_ classic recipe for kanelbullar.
back in a jiffy.
My wife is following this thread through me now 😂 Awaits the recipe!
Anywhere near Ludlow or Shrewsbury? My favourite cafes, CSON’s (both locations) & the artesian bakers, in the middle of Shrewsbury do ones to die for. Theirs are more flaky pastry than dough.
I make my own (dough based) very occasionally but it’s a faff, & so ridiculously calorific, it’s not good for any one’s health, will see whose recipe I use..
Right...
Vetebullar (grunddeg)
150 g margarin eller smör
5 di miölk
50 g jäst
½ tsk salt
1-1 ½ di socker
1 ½ tsk kardemummakärnor eller 2 tsk malen kardemumma
ca 1,3 liter vetemiöl
Smält matfettet i en kastrull. Häll i mjöl-ken. Varm tills alltsammans är ljummet, ca 37°C.
Lös upp jästen i degbunken i lite av deg-spadet. Tillsätt resten av spadet och sedan salt, socker, nystött eller malen karde-mumma och drygt ⅔ av mjölet.
Arbeta degen sa att den blir blank och smidig. Tillsätt ytterligare möl men spar
1-2 di till utbakningen. Degen är färdigar-betad när den släpper degbunkens kanter.
Strö lite möl över vtan sa att den inte tor-kar. Täck med bakduk. Ställ degen drag-fritt. Jäs den till dubbel storlek.
Arbeta degen nagra minuter i bunken.
Stjälp upp den pa mjölat bakbord. Knada i resten av mölet. Degen är färdigknadad när den släpper bakbord och händer. Skär man ett snitt i degen, ska den ha jämn po-right. Är den storbläsig, har man knadat för lite. Baka ut degen till bullar, se resp recept.
Now, that's the "generic" wheat bun recipe and can be modified for just about any type of sweet bun/bulle/you name it.
She generally gets the good kanel, mixes it with butter and sugar and then paints it onto a flat-rolled thin layer of that dough, sprinkles more kanel over that, then rolls it up and cuts into sections before letting it prove and baking with a milk wash and pärlsocker over the top.
The book is "Sju Sorters Kakor" and is _the_ definitive book on cakes, cookies, buns, etc. Worth learning Swedish for.
As an alternative, I found this recipe somewhere on the internet when I first moved here and it also works well. It's the reason we have two different types of flour in the pantry:
Kanelbulle
Dough
• 100g butter
• 250ml milk
• 1 tbsp honey (mild)
• 1 egg
• 500g Manitoba Cream
• 1 & 1/2tsp ground cardamom seeds
• 1tsp salt
• 7g yeast that works
Filling
• 100g light brown muscavado sugar
• 6tbsp decent ground cinnamon
• 60g very soft butter
Method
• Put the butter, milk and honey into a small saucepan and heat gently until melted (melt the butter first, then add the milk and honey). Leave to cool slightly before beating in the egg. Mix the flour, cardamom and salt together well. Add the dried yeast and mix thoroughly.
• Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to form a rough dough. Knead for 5-10minutes until soft and elastic. Put the dough in a large, greased bowl and leave to rise until doubled in size (1-1.5hrs).
• Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Thin the edges.
• Mix the sugar, cinnamon and butter together to make the filling mixture. If it isn't coming together very easily put it in the microwave for 10seconds to soften the butter further. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, making sure it reaches right into the edges.
• Shape the rolls as wanted. Put the buns on a greased tray and cover with a tea towel/clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled in size (45min-1hr).
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brush the risen buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with parlsocker before baking for 20-30minutes (depending on the size of the buns).
I don't know the exact name for them but I like ones based on a more croissant style pastry/dough. Pump Street bakery in Orford do a fantastic one.
Oh yeah I forgot about the IKEA kanelbullar. Finnish korvapuusti are similar but on their side. It means 'slapped ear' apparently.

That style has more fat and sugar, I think ends up more crunchy and sticky than the more bready kind.
I’m not sure Google translate can quite handle that recipe.. shovels & mothballs?
Wheat buns (basic dough)
150 g margarine or butter
5 di miolk
50 g of yeast
½ tsp salt
1-1 ½ teaspoons of sugar
1 ½ tsp cardamom seeds or 2 tsp ground cardamom
approx. 1.3 liters of wheat beer
Melt the shortening in a pan. Pour in the milk. Warm until everything is lukewarm, about 37°C.
Dissolve the yeast in the dough bowl in a little of the dough scoop. Add the rest of the shovel and then salt, sugar, freshly ground or ground cardamom and about ⅔ of the flour.
Work the dough until it is shiny and smooth. Add additional moth but spare
1-2 di to the baking. The dough is ready-baked when it leaves the edges of the dough bowl.
Sprinkle some mothballs over the water so it doesn't dry out. Cover with a baking sheet. Set the dough draft-free. Let rise until doubled in size.
Work the dough for a few minutes in the bowl.
Turn it upside down on a floured board. Knead in the rest of the flour. The dough is finished kneading when it releases from the backboard and hands. If you cut an incision in the dough, it should have an even po-right. If it is puffy, you have kneaded too little. Roll out the dough for buns, see the respective recipe.
Ah yes, maybe the OCR on my phone was a little sensitive...
- di == decilitres
- Miolk == mjölk/milk
- vetemiöl == vetemjöl/wheat flour
- tsk == tesked/teaspoon
I think that "moth" is translate suggesting flour (mjöl) and not a flying insect. This is, after all, a sweet bun, not a meat pie. The recipe is also using mjöl to prevent drying out of the dough and for lining the baking tray. I really should translate the whole thing properly for people...
Ah, so Manitoba cream is a strong (bread) flour. I did wonder where the flour was in that recipe 😂
Greggs.
I really should translate the whole thing properly for people…
Yes please 😁
Anyone in Lancaster?
Get to Filbert's Bakery on a Saturday morning (be early because they always sell out).
Best cinnamon buns in the world (and I include Sweden) and there's even a (not quite as good) vegan option.
Do it, you won't be disappointed.
APF (does this post have too many brackets in it?)
Immediately prior to opening this thread I was sitting in my hotel room debating what to do with the rather wet rainy day in Copenhagen I find my self with.
Now I shall be mostly eating cinnamon buns from various bakeries. I'll report back if I'm not sick.
@dangeourbrain My sister has reported that the pastry game in Copenhagen is very good. As a public service, I suggest you validate this information for us.
@dangeourbrain I was there a few weeks ago, my recommendation would be Rug - the most amazing pastry I’ve ever had in my life! You can sit at the counter & watch the chefs prep them which is cool! V good coffee also.immediately prior to opening this thread I was sitting in my hotel room debating what to do with the rather wet rainy day in Copenhagen I find my self with.
for the OP, stop messing around with Lidl/Asda would be my recommendation & find a proper bakery.
I'm rather partial to a Gail's cinnamon bun, but they are just in the SE UK I think.
Don’t diss the Lidl, for cheap but reasonable fresh baked good, as they’re not terrible & can be found in most (medium sized) towns, unlike good bakers. Their bite sized pizzas are better than many shop bought sandwiches, but no their Cinnabun’s aren’t fantastic
Now I shall be mostly eating cinnamon buns from various bakeries. I’ll report back if I’m not sick.
If you need to finish the job a visit to Tivoli Gardens will sort that.
I thought this was going to be a thread about getting frisky with CinnamonGirl and her bottom.
I love these ones
Inspired to earn some bollan points with Mrs L I've just cycled 14mile rou d trip to the nearest Lidls.... There were none there! 😭😂
I did have one of their pizzas before the return trip 😋
In Oxford, Hamblin on Iffley Road do excellent cinnamon (and cardamom) buns and Proof Social Bakehoue in Kennington do great cinnamon rolls, which are also sometimes available at other Tap Social venues in town.
@prettygreenparrot The Scandi cinnamon buns usually have no frosting, that's some N.American or Anglo-Saxon bastardisation of them.
I've used a version of this for my cinnamon buns (perfect for your fika needs) https://sweden.se/culture/food/cinnamon-buns
This one for the cardamon buns https://swedishfood.com/swedish-food-recipes-biscuits-cakes/509-cardamom-buns?expand_article=1
Note the comments about there being loads of different equally good recipes for Cinnamon and that Cardamon buns are twisted not rolled.
Anyone in North Wales/Llanberis looking for a bun fix head to Caffi Fran, thank me later.
The German Zimtschneke do have icing on. (Cinnamon snail)
The jus-rol have the advantage of being fresh which helps a lot. If you want a lovely almond croissant we've just invented a great way to use up leftover marzipan in their plain croissants (just put a thin sausage of it in the middle of each one before baking).
I'm not ashamed to admit to being quite partial to the Starbucks cinnamon rolls, perhaps due to spending a decade in Japan where it really was a nice cafe (smoke free for starters). There's also a decent one just outside Dumfries which is a convenient stop for us on a regular route.
@molgrips those would be German/Saxon then not Scandi as originally posited.
Fat Batard in Peebles. Washed down with a rolo doughnut.
Ah, brings back memmories of my time in Stuttgart. Most every lunch hour would find me down town in my favourite bakery purchasing a Schwaebishe Schneckennudeln. Nom Nom.
Recipe below, as it is very easy (as are most Schwabian dishes as they are too busy working to cook!)
https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/228291093672222/Schwaebische-Schneckennudeln.html
Cinnabon - like overly sweet crack...
M&S ones are the best of readily available varieties in my opinion. Gail's are good if you live within reach, as are Lagkagehuset. Times like this I miss living in DK (kanelsnegle)!
Another vote for M&S. I don't mind saying as we arrive upon opening so no chance of missing out!
Pippin ( https://www.lovepippin.co.uk/) are decent if you're in the Bristol/Swindon area.
Cinnamon Cafe in Windsor - the clue is in the name. And they are massively bike friendly to the extent of having tools available and the offering a discount for cyclists. Only downside is that they're smack in the middle of Windsor so the traffic is meh.
I can recommend the ones at branches of 200 Degrees - 500+ calories of sticky goodness.
This seems like a good place to drop this Ryan gosling quote from a barbie & Ken movie interview
“The Ken thing is tough. It’s a bit like that Pillsbury – go with me on this – Cinnabon mix. You know, like, once you open that canister, like it all just – it’s very hard to – once you open it, you’re making Cinnabons, you know? And you’re loving it. You are loving making Cinnabons.”
Click for more of these gems:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/11/ryan-gosling-ken-barbie-movie-quote-quiz
The Vegan Cinnamon Swirl from Loaf in Bristol (redfield, bedminster and beacon) is a thing of majesty - even to us non-vegans.
Had one for my lunch, as it happens.

<p style="text-align: left;">As an alternative I can whole heartedly recommend the Cardamom Buns from the Dunbar Community Bakery (if it's still going)</p>
Another vote for Triangle Bakehouse... not too sweet, unlike some of the options mentioned.
Lovingly artisan bakery in Kendal and maslin bakery in honiton, Devon both have kannelbular to die for. I think maslin might just have the edge though!
I’m rather partial to a Gail’s cinnamon bun, but they are just in the SE UK I think
Manchester too. Not yet been in.
I’ve had cinnamon buns in Denmark Sweden and Norway and all were good but…
…I’ve honestly never had one as good as our local bakery on Askew Road in Shepherd’s Bush
they are not too sweet and are made out of a slightly chewy pastry (almost sour dough like).
awesome
Just realised or YT recipe informed me we're, well at least hungrymonkey (going by the picture) and I, are mixing up cinnamon flavoured cruffin's with cinnamon buns. Controversially, I believe it because their better..
This is the recipe I used as part of my Swedish themed Christmas menu a couple of years back. Went down universally well.
https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/how-to-make-the-best-ever-real-scandi-cinnamon-buns
I have a secret source on Deeside that does fantastic Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls along with superb coffee. But I'm not divulging as it's already getting busy and stocks are getting low when I visit!
