Icelandic Cinnamon Buns – two recipes!

Súkkulaðisnúðar, or cinnamon buns, are very popular in Iceland and the Nordic countries. Every Icelander will tell you that the Icelandic version is the best (because it is!). The buns themselves are softer than the Nordic variant (a bit like the American cinnamon rolls), and we put chocolate on top. Some people cut it down into quarters and eat it like that; others put butter on it! Yet others roll it out in bits and eat. You do you; it’s all good! If you want an example of a different kind of Icelandic pastry, we recommend you check out the blog post about our delicious kleinur!

This is what you need for súkkulaðisnúðar:

Ingredients

• 700 gr. (25 ounces) soft wheat
•  1 ½ tsp salt
•  4 tsp dry yeast
•  80 gr. (3 ounces) sugar
•  4 dl lukewarm water
•  1 dl vegetable oil

Filling

•  3 tbsp sugar
•  3 tbsp brown sugar
•  1 tbsp cinnamon

Icing for súkkulaðisnúðar

• Icing sugar
• Cocoa
• Milk

(it is better to have it on the thicker side)

Method

1. Put all the dry ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix a little with the hook.
2. Add the liquid and knead in the mixer, first very gently but then increase the speed slightly. Here the key is to knead the dough for a long time; five minutes is good – keep track of time.
3. Then let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes and put a damp kitchen towel over it. 
4. Then take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured tabletop.
5. Flatten it into a reasonably good rectangle and sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough (note that no butter goes under the sugar).
6. Then roll up the dough lengthwise and cover the edge by brushing it with water.
7. Cut the strip into suitable rolls and arrange it on a plate.
8. Preheat the oven to 50° C (122° F).
9. Spray the rolls with warm water and place them in the oven. Let them rise in the oven for 45 minutes. Spray the buns once or twice during this time.
10. Take out the rolls and preheat the oven to 220° C (428° F).
11. Then bake them for about 10-12 minutes – depending on the oven. Just keep an eye on them.

Finally, place the icing on top of the rolls after cooling.

Cinnamon buns recipe number two!

Why have one recipe when you can have two? These two recipes are slightly different, so we recommend you try them to compare. We promise you, though, that both are delicious!

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour (Which is about a kilo of Flour)
• 8 Tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 cup sugar (120 grams)
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon
• 2 cups milk (Half a liter)

Method

1. To start the dough, add the wet ingredients first, starting with milk, sugar and butter. You need to feed the yeast with something through the sugar.
2. Once you’re done mixing, add the yeast and wait for it to bloom. Dry yeast doesn’t need a lot of time for this to happen.
3. Once you see this pattern on your mixture, add four cups of flour. Stir it until it’s combined.
4. To make everything easier, use a stand mixer with the kneading hook for 20 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
5. Once the dough is smooth, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour—preferably in a warm place. Look at it from time to time to see if it has doubled in size.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll the dough into a large rough rectangle at least 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick.
7. To create the filling, add 120 grams or 1/2 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons of butter, and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and then mix it together.
8. Spread the filling on the dough and fill it evenly.
9. Roll up the dough into a log and cut it about 4 centimeters or 1 and a 1/2 inches thick.
10. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes until golden brown.
11. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, heat about 1 cup of chocolate to top it off.

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