Kanelbulle

A kanelbulle is a sweet, yeasted cinnamon bun flavoured with cardamom, and it is the pastry Swedes most often eat with coffee.

Fika is the Swedish custom of pausing during the day for coffee and something sweet, and the kanelbulle is its best-known treat. Bakeries sell it by the piece, and it is baked at home for visitors as often as it is bought. The cardamom in the dough gives the bun its character, and it is what most distinguishes it from a plain cinnamon roll.

What it really is

A soft yeast dough made with wheat flour, milk, butter, sugar and ground cardamom is rolled into a rectangle and spread with softened butter, sugar and cinnamon. It is rolled up, cut into slices, and each slice is shaped into a knot or a coil. The buns are left to rise and then baked until golden. Many bakers finish them with pearl sugar, though plain buns are also common. The result is sweet without icing, with the cinnamon and cardamom carrying most of the flavour.

How it's served

• Warm or at room temperature, with a cup of coffee during fika.
• Whole, on a plate or in a paper case, and eaten by hand.
• Plain or with pearl sugar on top, usually on its own rather than with cream or extra filling.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the flour as wheat flour, and flag WHEAT and MILK, since both are in the dough and the filling is made with butter.
• Say that the dough is spiced with cardamom, because some guests avoid it.
• Ask the kitchen whether egg is used in the dough or as a glaze, since many recipes include it and it is not always named.
• State whether the bun has pearl sugar, and sell it by the piece, with its weight if you sell by size.
• Treat any dairy-free version as a separate item, because the butter and milk are part of the classic dough.