Kanel Snegle/Kanelbullar - Swedish Cinnamon Snails/Buns

After baking a 100% wholewheat bread, for this month's of We Knead To Bake, a monthly baking event by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen,we are baking the humble cinnamon buns or cinnamon snails. Kanel Snegle/Kanelbullar,this Swedish cinnamon buns are tremendous and they have spices like cardamom and cinnamom. Cardamom is used in the dough and cinnamon is used inside the snails/buns as filling. Actually cinnamon snails are the coiled shaped buns while twiste buns are twisted dough and rolled up on depends upon the shape you go for. This Swedish Kanel Snegle/Kanelbullar are traditionally made on 4th October every year in Sweden to celebrate the day of Cinnamon buns but you can find them in bakeries throughout the year there.

Aparna suggested us to make both snail shaped cinnamon rolls and the twisted once,since i want to try the both shapes, i prepared the both the snails and twisted buns. Seriously i loved making this Swedish cinnamon buns at home since cinnamon buns are our family favourite. I prepared the starter, which is quite important for making this bun the day itself Aparna posted the challenge in our group and i prepared the next day this both shaped buns with cinnamon and almond powder filling. If you want to stick with the usual cinnamon filling you can skip the almond powder addition here.And one of the best part of these buns,you can freeze them very well, just heat them in microwave oven and enjoy with your cup of tea.If you are planning to make this cinnamon buns, just start making the starter before a day.

Starter:
1cup Warm Milk
2tsp Instant yeast
2cups All purpose flour

Dough:
All the starter
2cups All purpose flour
3/4tsp Salt
6nos Cardamom (powdered)
2tsp Lemon zest
1/3cup Caster sugar
60grms Butter (room temperature)

Filling:
75gr Butter (soft at room temperature)
1/2cup Light brown sugar
2tsp Cinnamon sugar
1/3cup Coarsely grounded almonds

Topping:
1/4cup Milk
Sugar pearls or large sugar crystals

Mix all the ingredients for the starter into a sticky dough, arrange it in an oiled bowl, cover it loosely with a wrap and arrange in fridge.

This starter will rise a bit, so use a container that have enough space for this.

Next day before baking, bring your starter to the room temperature (remove it about 30minutes before).

Tear the starter into large pieces, drop it in a processor bowl, now sift together the flour, cardamom powder, salt into the bowl.

Add in the lemon zest, sugar and run the processor till well mixed.

Add the soft butter and knead well until you have a smooth,elastic dough. (if the dough is dry add little milk or if its wet add little flour)

Turn the dough to a floured surface and roll it as a rectangle shaped disc. meanwhile make the filling with soft butter, sugar, cinnamon and almond powder.

Spread the filling over the dough or over half of it, fold the dough over half and cut into 20no long strips or else tightly roll the dough as jelly/swiss roll style and cut into 20equal pieces, place the cut side down on the white cupcake cased.

If you want to make the twisted buns, take a strip, stretch it and twist the legs,shape them as desired. Place them in white cupcake cases.

Let them rise for about 15minutes,they will looks puffy but not swollen up, brush the nails/buns with milk, sprinkle the sugar pearls.

Bake them at 400F for about 15minutes till the crust turns golden brown.

Let them cool completely on wire racks.

Serve them warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
I prepared both shapes with the measurement given by dividing the dough into two halves.

I got 10 cinnamon snails and 10cinnmon buns out of them.

If you want to stick with one shape, just go ahead with the whole dough.