Swedish cinnamon knots
Makes 24 knots · 2 hours 15 minutes · Cream Lux plate and mug
Cardamom dough spread with cinnamon butter, cut into strips, twisted and tied into knots. Serve them warm on cream enamel plates with coffee in enamel mugs.
Swedish cinnamon knots are made from a cardamom-scented yeast dough that is rolled out, spread with cinnamon butter, folded and cut into strips, which are twisted and tied. After a final rise they are brushed with egg, sprinkled with pearl sugar and baked quickly at 225 °C so they stay soft inside.
Ingredients
Makes 24 knots
Dough
- 25 g fresh yeast or 7 g fast-action dried yeast
- 300 ml milk
- 100 g butter
- 85 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- About 540 g strong white bread flour
Filling
- 100 g soft butter
- 85 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
To finish
- 1 egg
- 40 g pearl sugar
Method
- Melt the butter, add the milk and warm to body temperature, about 37 °C. Stir the yeast into a little of the liquid in a large bowl. Add the rest of the liquid, the sugar, cardamom, salt and most of the flour and knead to a smooth dough, about 10 minutes in a mixer. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- Beat the butter, sugar and cinnamon together to a smooth filling.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a rectangle of about 30x60 cm. Spread the filling over the whole surface and fold the dough in half lengthways to give a strip of about 15x60 cm.
- Cut into 24 strips, each about 2.5 cm wide. Stretch and twist each strip, wind it twice around two fingers and tuck the end through the middle to form a knot.
- Place the knots on two baking trays lined with baking paper, cover with a tea towel and prove for about 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 225 °C.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake one tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 8–10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack under a tea towel. Serve warm on plates, with coffee in mugs.
Why it works
Enamelled steel is tough and light, so the plates and mugs work as well for everyday coffee breaks as on a walk in the woods. The cream glaze with its green rim lets the golden knots take centre stage.
FAQ
Can I glaze cinnamon knots with syrup instead of egg?
Yes. Boil 50 ml water with 50 g sugar and brush it over the knots as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle pearl sugar over while the surface is still sticky.
Can you freeze cinnamon knots?
Yes. Freeze them once completely cool. Defrost at room temperature, or warm for a few minutes at 150 °C to freshen them up.
How do you tie a cinnamon knot?
Twist the strip, wind it twice around your index and middle fingers and push the end through the loop. Place the knot end-side down so it doesn't unravel in the oven.
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