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5.0 from 15 votes

Cinnamon Bun Recipe (Korvapuusti from Finland)

This Finnish Cinnamon Bun Recipe is so important to Finnish Culture, and is a tasty treat you MUST try! Luckily, these beautiful bakes are easy to make at home if you follow the instructions below. Get ready for a taste of Finland!

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Additional Time
2 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs
Servings: 14 Cinnamon Buns
Calories: 284 kcal
Course: Dessert , Breakfast , Snacks
Cuisine: Finnish

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 package/2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast ​
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cardamom freshly ground
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ Swedish Pearl Sugar
Filling Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup melted butter

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a small bowl, heat the milk until lukewarm. Then, add the yeast into the milk along with 1 tsp sugar. Allow to rise for about 10 minutes or until bubbly.
  2. Once risen, in the bowl of a stand mixer combine the milk/yeast mixture, the rest of the sugar, and the melted butter.
  3. Use a whisk to stir in salt, cardamom, and one egg.
  4. Lock your bowl into the standmixer and attach the dough attachment. Add the flour into the bowl and turn to medium speed. Allow the mixture to combine, then continue kneading on medium speed until it is smooth, shiny, and has lost most of its stickiness (about 4-5 minutes). You can also knead by hand if you’d prefer.
  5. Spray a bowl with nonstick spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise in a warm, dark place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size. See notes below for instructions on how to rise the buns in the Instant Pot.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix to combine.
  7. When the dough has finished rising, punch it down, then divide it into equal halves.
  8. Use a rolling pin to roll each half into an 8x14 inch rectangle.
  9. Melt the butter in the microwave, then use a pastry brush to brush the butter over each half. Then, use your hands to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on each square until a full layer covers it
  10. Roll the pastry up from the small side until a snake is formed (make sure that this is still long enough to get 7 2-inch triangles from. If not, you can roll up from the long side).
  11. Once rolled, use a knife to cut the dough into 7 different 2-inch triangles per roll (14 total).
  12. Grease a cookie sheet lightly and place the cinnamon rolls on the sheet, seam side down. Use your finger to press into the center of the roll so that the sides bulge out.
  13. Cover them with a towel and allow them to rise for another 1 hour, until doubled again.
  14. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  15. One risen, whisk an egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush each roll with egg. Then, sprinkle some swedish pearl sugar on each roll.
  16. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve plain or with cinnamon roll icing. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe from The Spruce Eats.
  • Ingredients 
  • I always use whole milk when baking bread/dough
  • I love working with Pearl Sugar because it adds such a different texture than what I’m normally used to (like in these
  • Belgian Liege Waffles
  • !) I buy my
  • Swedish Pearl Sugar on Amazon
  • .
  • Cardamom
  • ,
  • salt
  • ,
  • cinnamon
  •  
  •  
  • Tools
  • Making bread is so much easier when you don’t need to knead the dough. I prefer to use my
  • KitchenAid stand mixer
  • with the dough hook, but if you don’t have a KitchenAid, kneading with your hands will work just fine. 
  • I didn’t have a rolling pin when I made this recipe (still packed from moving) so I used a bottle of wine, which worked wonderfully. A rolling pin is preferable, though, and this
  • Granite Rolling Pine
  • is the one I normally use. 
  • I didn’t have a pastry brush when I made this recipe so I just used a spoon. Since then, I have bought
  • this pastry brush
  • and love it. 
  •  
  • Expert Tips 
  • If you don’t have Swedish Pearl Sugar and don’t want to buy it, you can use crushed up sugar cubes or just omit them altogether. 
  • If you omit the sugar, you can also add a cinnamon roll icing recipe to the top of your Cinnamon Buns. It’s delicious! 
  • For best results activating your yeast, rise it in a warm place. For example, in the oven with the oven light on is a great option. 
  • You can rise the dough in the Instant Pot for a faster rise time! Grease the liner, and put the dough in the liner. Turn the pot to Yogurt and top it with a glass lid. Rising in the Instant Pot typically takes about half the time as rising on the counter
  •  
  • Tips for Activating Your Yeast 
  • Make sure not to make your milk too warm. Milk any warmer than about 108 degrees could kill the yeast. Make sure it’s warmer than room temperature but not scorching. 
  • Adding a bit of sugar for the yeast to eat will allow it to rise faster. 
  • Adding salt to the milk will kill the yeast, so make sure that you’re not adding any salt to the milk at the beginning of the recipe
  • Just as yeast won’t activate if the milk is too warm, it also won’t rise if the room is too cold. You can leave it in the oven with the light on for the perfect temperature to allow for rising. 
  • After about 10-20 minutes you should see your yeast starting to rise in your milk, which means it’s time to add it to the dough.
  •  
  •  
  • Milk: I always use whole milk when baking bread/dough
  • Sugar: I used white granulated sugar for the dough and brown sugar for the filling. You can use white granulated sugar for the filling if you’d prefer.
  • Swedish Pearl Sugar: I love working with Pearl Sugar because it adds such a different texture than what I’m normally used to (like in these Belgian Liege Waffles!) I buy my Swedish Pearl Sugar on Amazon.
  • Home/Pantry Staples: Eggs, All purpose Flour, Unsalted Butter, Active Dry Yeast
  • Spices: Cardamom, salt, cinnamon 
  • Mixing Bowls 
  • Stand Mixer (Optional): Making bread is so much easier when you don’t need to knead the dough. I prefer to use my KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook, but if you don’t have a KitchenAid, kneading with your hands will work just fine. 
  • Rolling Pin: I didn’t have a rolling pin when I made this recipe (still packed from moving) so I used a bottle of wine, which worked wonderfully. A rolling pin is preferable, though, and this Granite Rolling Pine is the one I normally use. 
  • Pastry Brush: I didn’t have a pastry brush when I made this recipe so I just used a spoon. Since then, I have bought this pastry brush and love it. 
  • Baking Sheet
  • Dish Towels: I use these to cover my dough when it’s supposed to be rising. You can use any (clean) dish towel you have on hand. I like these ones.
  • If you don’t have Swedish Pearl Sugar and don’t want to buy it, you can use crushed up sugar cubes or just omit them altogether.  If you omit the sugar, you can also add a cinnamon roll icing recipe to the top of your Cinnamon Buns. It’s delicious!  For best results activating your yeast, rise it in a warm place. For example, in the oven with the oven light on is a great option.  You can rise the dough in the Instant Pot for a faster rise time! Grease the liner, and put the dough in the liner. Turn the pot to Yogurt and top it with a glass lid. Rising in the Instant Pot typically takes about half the time as rising on the counter
  • If you don’t have Swedish Pearl Sugar and don’t want to buy it, you can use crushed up sugar cubes or just omit them altogether. 
  • If you omit the sugar, you can also add a cinnamon roll icing recipe to the top of your Cinnamon Buns. It’s delicious! 
  • For best results activating your yeast, rise it in a warm place. For example, in the oven with the oven light on is a great option. 
  • You can rise the dough in the Instant Pot for a faster rise time! Grease the liner, and put the dough in the liner. Turn the pot to Yogurt and top it with a glass lid. Rising in the Instant Pot typically takes about half the time as rising on the counter
  • Make sure not to make your milk too warm. Milk any warmer than about 108 degrees could kill the yeast. Make sure it’s warmer than room temperature but not scorching.  Adding a bit of sugar for the yeast to eat will allow it to rise faster.  Adding salt to the milk will kill the yeast, so make sure that you’re not adding any salt to the milk at the beginning of the recipe Just as yeast won’t activate if the milk is too warm, it also won’t rise if the room is too cold. You can leave it in the oven with the light on for the perfect temperature to allow for rising.  After about 10-20 minutes you should see your yeast starting to rise in your milk, which means it’s time to add it to the dough.
  • Make sure not to make your milk too warm. Milk any warmer than about 108 degrees could kill the yeast. Make sure it’s warmer than room temperature but not scorching. 
  • Adding a bit of sugar for the yeast to eat will allow it to rise faster. 
  • Adding salt to the milk will kill the yeast, so make sure that you’re not adding any salt to the milk at the beginning of the recipe
  • Just as yeast won’t activate if the milk is too warm, it also won’t rise if the room is too cold. You can leave it in the oven with the light on for the perfect temperature to allow for rising. 
  • After about 10-20 minutes you should see your yeast starting to rise in your milk, which means it’s time to add it to the dough.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 284kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 48g (16%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 42mg (14%) Sodium 244mg (10%) Potassium 98mg (3%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 20g (40%) Vitamin A 267IU (5%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 54mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 14Cinnamon Buns

Amount Per Serving

Calories 284

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 284kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 244mg 10%
Potassium 98mg 2%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 20g 40%
Vitamin A 267IU 5%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 54mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.