During our trip to Copenhagen last summer we were introduced to marvelous Danish pastries. I wrote a blog post a while ago about them. These pastries are truly exceptional; crunchy and tasty. They are a perfect breakfast companion with a good cup of coffee. However, you also quickly notice that they are very filling and you don’t feel hungry for quite a while afterwards. The reason is a large quantity of fat in the recipe. The fat is what gives a Wienerbrød dough its wonderful crunchy texture. In a Danish pastry recipe the ratio of butter to dough weight is usually about 1:1 which makes each Danish a caloric bomb, albeit a delicious bomb. Surprisingly the Danes seem to be all fit and trim, oblivious to a high caloric intake funneled through their favorite daily desserts. Perhaps all that nation wide biking culture has something to do with that.
Irregardless I am still in love with my flavorful Danishes and will keep baking them whenever I miss them.
Today’s recipe is also of a Danish origin and the pastry is known as “Kanelsnegle Danish Cinnamon Rolls”. For a change Kanelsnegle Danish Cinnamon Rolls recipe uses only 75g of butter and still yields 16 delicious cinnamon rolls. They are also quick and simple to bake what makes them a perfect candidate for a common, homemade morning dessert.
There are many recipes of cinnamon rolls and I like this particular one for its exceptional fragrance, soft bun texture and balanced sweetness. I find cinnamon rolls from our coffee shops to be far too sweet and for that reason normally avoid them altogether.
I baked Kanelsnegle on Sunday for breakfast and it was an instant hit with my family. By the end of the day there were only few rolls left.
You can reheat them in a microwave the following day and they are equally as delicious – that is if they survive to see the following day.
The recipe has been adapted from “My Danish Kitchen” blog.
The recipe has been adapted from “My Danish Kitchen” blog.
| Prep Time | 15 min |
| Cook Time | 12-15 min |
| Passive Time | 60-90 min |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 25 g yeast fresh (a half measure if using active dry yeast)
- 250 ml milk cold
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cardamom ground
- 400 g all purpose non bleached flour
- 1 egg lightly beaten for brushing cinnamon rolls
- vegetable oil to oil the bowl
- 75 g butter tempered to room temperature
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 50 g marzipan
- 60 g confectioner's sugar
- 1/2-1 tbsp hot water
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Glaze
|
|
- Brake cardamom pods, remove seeds and grind them in a mortar with pestle.
- In a medium size mixing bowl dissolve yeast in a cold milk. Gently stir in sugar, salt, oil and cardamom.
- Add flour to the bowl and mix with a spoon until is fully hydrated. Turn the dough over to a dusted counter and kneed for 3-5 min. It is a very wet, sticky dough and it is easier to kneed it with a help of a bench scraper. Don't be concerned about sloppy, wet dough, it will become easier to work with after a rest.
- Put the dough into an oiled bowl and toss it around until is fully coated. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30-60 min. or until it doubles in size.
- Break marzipan into small pieces and using a fork, incorporate into a tempered soft butter.
- In a small bowl add sugar, cinnamon and butter mixture. Mix well until fully incorporated. The filling should have a texture of a soft spread. If it is not, heat it up for a few minutes on a stove, over medium heat. Stirring constantly, heat it up to no more than what is required to obtain a soft, paste like texture.
- Butter a 30 cm (12") round baking pan and dust with flour.
- Dust the counter with flour. Turn the dough to the counter, dust liberally, and roll it out into a rectangular shape 40 x 50 cm (~15" x 19").
- Using an offset spatula spread the cinnamon filling uniformly across the whole dough surface.
- Starting with a rectangle longer side, carefully roll the dough into a log.
- Using a sharp knife cut the dough first in half, then in quarters and keep dividing until you end up with 16 slices with even width.
- Place the slices into the baking pan arranged in concentric circles. Cover the baking pan with a clean kitchen towel, place in a warm location and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.
- With the rack positioned in the middle preheat the oven to 220 ºC ( 425 ºF).
- Brush the cinnamon rolls with lightly beaten egg.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool off in the baking pan for 5-10 minutes before glazing.
- To make a glaze start with adding 1/2 tbsp of hot water to confectioners’ sugar. Mix it up and if it is too thick, keep adding water in 1/2 tsp increments until you've obtained the desired consistency. Spoon the glaze over the cinnamon rolls.
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