Cinnamon Bun Day is an annual celebration day in Sweden and Finland, established in 1999 by Kaeth Gardestedt. She was the project manager for the Home Baking Council, which was an association of yeast producers, flour manufacturers, sugar producers, and margarine makers, formed in 1959. Its purpose was to increase interest in home baking, and they chose to highlight the cinnamon bun in particular. The reason Cinnamon Bun Day falls on October 4th is because they wanted the day to occur in the autumn, but it couldn’t compete with other traditions such as apple festivals, goose dinners, crayfish parties, or fermented herring. Cinnamon Bun Day is also celebrated among Swedes around the world, for example in New Zealand and in many locations within the Church of Sweden abroad.
The origin of the cinnamon bun
“After the First World War, there was a desire to diversify wheat bread. The wheat dough was rolled out and sprinkled with almond and butter filling. Cinnamon mixed with sugar was sprinkled on top, then rolled together and baked after rising. Cinnamon had been used to flavor bread in Sweden since the 1500s, but not combined with sugar. This delicious, moist pastry quickly won a place in the hearts of the people. The cinnamon bun has become the most popular Swedish pastry.”
Carl-Bertil Widell, “En sockerbagare här bor i staden”.
The first description of something we would recognize as a cinnamon bun can be found in Husmoderns 1000 recept by Kerstin Wenström, from 1924. There, “snäckor” (scrolls) are described, which consist of rolled-out wheat dough that is “lightly sprinkled with flour and then with well-mixed cinnamon and sugar.” Roll up the dough, cut into slices, brush with egg, and then pop them into the oven. However, modern bakers and cinnamon bun lovers might react to the absence of butter – just cinnamon and sugar might make it a bit dry…
It takes a few years before filled buns catch on – for example, Prinsessornas kokbok from 1932 and 1934 mentions wheat bread, but it’s still smooth buns or coffee rings that are favored. When Stora Kokboken is published in 1946, buns with both butter and cinnamon have made their appearance – “finer wheat bread” can now not only be made into loaves and rings but also shaped into “delicious coffee buns.”
Bun-facts
- About seven million buns are consumed on Cinnamon Bun Day.
- 76% buy their cinnamon buns, while only 24% bake them themselves.
- Younger people usually eat two or more buns on Cinnamon Bun Day.
- The word “bulle” has been part of the Swedish language since the 17th century. It roughly means “something swollen or round.”
- Cinnamon, in turn, has been present in Old Swedish, derived from the German word “Kaneel” or the French word “canelle.” These words originally stem from the Latin “canna,” meaning reed, a description of cinnamon’s appearance.
Cinnamon effects
- In a study by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, researchers asked shoppers in malls for help with simple tasks. The shoppers who smelled the scent of cinnamon buns in the background were more helpful than those who were not exposed to any scent.
- Dr. Alan Hirsch’s study in Chicago was somewhat bolder—an instrument was attached to the male test subjects’ genitals to measure blood flow. The results showed that the scent of cinnamon buns was more stimulating than other scents, such as Chanel No. 5 or flowers.
Recipe Cinnamon bun
Ingredients:
- 5 dl milk
- 50 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 dl sugar
- 2 tsp freshly ground cardamom (optional)
- Approx. 14 dl wheat flour, preferably special (possibly a little more)
- 150 g room temperature butter
Filling:
- 200 g room temperature butter
- 1.5 dl sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- Optional: vanilla sugar or cardamom
For topping: egg, pearl sugar, or chopped almonds, and optionally sugar syrup
- Warm the milk to finger temperature (not hotter, as the yeast will die).
- Crumble the yeast into a mixing bowl and dissolve it in a little bit of the milk. You can do this by hand, but be prepared to knead vigorously.
- Add the rest of the milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, and about 13 dl of the flour. Add the butter in small pieces.
- Mix on low speed or knead by hand until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. This takes about 8–10 minutes. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough is ready when you can stretch a small piece between your fingers without it breaking; this indicates the gluten has developed.
- Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 30 minutes, until it doubles in size.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing the butter, sugar, and cinnamon (plus vanilla sugar or cardamom if desired).
- Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s smooth. Divide the dough in half and roll it out. For cinnamon rolls, aim for a rectangle with a short side of about 25 cm. If you want to make twists, roll it longer and fold it over two or three times.
- Spread the filling generously over the dough. For cinnamon rolls, cut or snip the dough into slices about 1.5 cm thick. Place the slices on a greased baking sheet or in paper molds, and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. You should get about 12 buns per baking sheet. Let them rise for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250°C while the buns rise. If you want to brush the buns with sugar syrup, bring 1/2 dl sugar and 1/2 dl water to a boil, along with a pinch of vanilla powder.
- Brush the buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar or almonds.
- Lower the temperature to 225°C and bake the buns for about 5–8 minutes. Keep an eye on them towards the end. How do you know when the buns are done? They should have a nice golden color on both the top and bottom, and should not feel too doughy. If the buns are still undercooked but browning too quickly, you can cover them with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- If you want to brush with sugar syrup, do it immediately after the buns come out of the oven.
- Enjoy! The classic way is with a glass of cold milk, but feel free to enjoy them however you like.
Recipe from “Vår kokbok”.