Cinnamon buns are a big thing around here, in Northern Europe, but also in my family. I seem to make them for every special occasion and at least once or twice a month otherwise, but I’ve never shared my standard recipe here on the blog. This is my personal favourite, with an even mix of cardamom alongside the cinnamon, coconut sugar, and maple syrup or honey to add a little extra caramel flavour and that trademark stickiness. These cardamom knots have been universally adored by anyone I’ve ever given them to so I hope that if you add them to your kitchen, your friends and family will love them just as much.
Usually when I have posted a cinnamon bun recipe, it’s been more of a creative take on a standard recipe. There are chocolate orange and date cinnamon buns, an apple cinnamon bun cake, and a pumpkin spice version all floating around. They’re all great and I love them, but this is the recipe I turn to the most, and I hope it can become a staple that you return to as often as I do.
When I make them I follow a loose recipe, starting with a certain amount of milk, oil, and yeast, then adding flour while kneading until the dough reaches the right consistency. I’ve outlined that below alongside a more concrete recipe, but the important thing to note is that the dough shouldn’t be sticky any longer once it’s ready to go for its first rise. It should be soft but shouldn’t stick to your finger if gently poked.
The whole point here is to be a little messy when you’re making these, so don’t worry if some of the filling comes out when you’re folding/twisting/rolling – I always use any that gets squished out to coat the rolls a little more before setting them out for their second proof. Some of the filling will melt out as they have their second rise, as well, but that caramelizes as they bake and it’s all around a good thing.
And if they look like too complicated of a shape, it’s really pretty straightforward and I explain in the recipe notes, but you can also make standard rolls instead. They’ll taste just as good. Due to the shape and general nature of sweet yeast doughs, these are best eaten the day they’re made, still warm from the oven if you can!
I’ve included recipe instructions assuming that most people don’t have a stand mixer, but if you do, guidelines for that are under the tips. The trick with spelt is to avoid over-kneading because it’s lower in gluten, but you can also make these with regular wheat flour and they’ll turn out perfectly.
Since I wasn’t able to photograph how to form the buns, here’s a link to a recipe with a similar shape so that you can see what I mean by folding into thirds and cutting. Really twist as much as possible to get that beautiful pretend lamination here, it’s part of what makes these knots so delicious. If you’re really interested maybe I’ll pull myself together and make a video for these at some point.
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Vegan Cinnamon Cardamom Twists
A healthier, vegan version of Swedish cinnamon or cardamom rolls - folded, twisted, & knotted to create a beautiful layered bun. These are made with spelt flour, coconut oil, and coconut sugar.
Ingredients
- 500 ml / 2 cups nondairy milk, oat, almond, etc.
- 70 grams / 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast*
- 800 - 900 grams / 5 - 6 cups light spelt flour**
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Filling
- 70 grams / 1/4 cup soft coconut oil
- 50 grams / 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup or runny honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat on low-medium until warm but not boiling. Whisk in the coconut oil and maple syrup, then pour this mixture into a large heatproof bowl. Check to make sure it's not too hot (it should be just warmer than your skin) then whisk in the yeast. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, or until foaming.
- Stir in 1 cup of flour, the cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments, stirring between additions, until it becomes too difficult to stir with a wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead, adding more flour as necessary, until a soft and smooth dough forms, about ten minutes.
- Oil a large bowl and place the dough into it, turning it a couple of times to coat it in a little oil. Place a large plate over the bowl and set it into a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently punch the dough down and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, about 2cm thickness, and spread with the filling. Start with an even layer of coconut oil, then top with the coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cardamom. Fold into thirds, taking the side furthest from you and bringing it towards you two thirds of the way, then folding the other side over it.
- Use a serrated knife to cut strips about 3cm wide, then gently stretch each strip before twisting as many times as you can, then tie into knot shapes, tucking one end underneath and pulling the other up through the centre of the knot. Place completed buns onto the prepared baking sheets, then cover with a kitchen towel and set them on the counter to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F. Once the buns are finished rising, bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Cool for about ten minutes on the baking sheet before serving. These are best eaten the day they're baked.
Notes
* You can also use one cube of fresh yeast here in place of the dry.
** Normal wheat flour will work well here but I wouldn't try using all whole spelt as it makes them too heavy. If they need to be whole grain then go for sprouted spelt instead, but they won't be as light.
Tips:
• This makes a pretty big batch, with a dozen large buns, but the recipe can be cut in half if you need a smaller amount.
• A perfect place for the dough to rise for the first time is in the oven with the light on. It can rise somewhere cooler but will need more time in that case. For the second rise, once the buns are formed, let them rise at room temperature to prevent the filling from melting.
• To make the buns in a stand mixer, follow the directions as listed but don't turn the dough out to knead it. Use the dough hook and add flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading as you go, until a smooth dough forms.
• Depending on how much you like cardamom, you can use more or less here. If you're a big fan, try switching the amounts of cinnamon and cardamom in the filling.
traci | vanilla and bean says
What a treat and beautiful presentation, Alexandra! I can see how light and fluffy they are – a work of art! So happy to hear you've moved and are settling in. xo
Xena says
Will the coconut oil heavily affected the taste of the buns? What is a one to one substitute for the coconut oil?
Alexandra says
No, I don’t think you can taste the coconut at all. You could use refined coconut oil, or go for vegan butter instead. I hope that helps!
Romani Bays says
These buns do look beautiful and tasty but using honey in the mix would not be vegan, I would like to try and make them but using maple syrup as noted in the ingredients to keep it vegan. Thanks for the recipe. And yes, a vid of you forming the twists would be great.
Angie says
As Romani says, putting vegan in the title and then mentioning honey is not appropriate. It’s offputting as a vegan to see honey in a recipe that has vegan in the title.
But they sound great and I love the addition of cardamon. Thanks.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Angie, I always give the option to readers to choose. Of course you don’t need to use honey if you’re vegan.
Karl Broberg says
I always find it amusing when vegans are super against honey as without kept bees most of the vegan diet wouldn’t exist, every nut you eat for instance is almost certainly pollinated by commercial hives placed near the crop.
Paula says
Dear we need pictures of the progress!! They look delicious and very inviting, but handy recipes need of graphic description, words alone make it hard to understand and reproduce 😉
Thank you for sharing, looking forward to try it out (somehow)!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Paula, I didn’t have the space needed to do progress shots of this when I shared the recipe, but I’m hoping to update the post with progress shots and a video in the near future. If the twisting is a bit complicated for you, I’d recommend doing regular rolled cinnamon buns with the recipe as it’ll taste just as good!
Lauren says
You can find videos of a similar twisting style here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHNFA4hcpok : )
Thank you for the recipe, Alexandra!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
That’s so funny, the person who did that video is a friend! Thanks for linking, Lauren – I’ll be adding a video for this recipe sometime over the next months. I’m happy you like the recipe : )
Shauna says
Hi, can this recipe be made with gluten free flour? Theses look amazing!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Shauna! I’ve never made yeasted bread with gluten free flour, sorry! I’m not sure if it would work, but I have some doubts.
Sydney says
I made these yesterday and they were absolutely devoured by friends! I ground the cardamom and cinnamon together in a mortar & pestle, and it really took the flavor to the next level. I also substituted agave for the maple syrup, cane sugar for the coconut sugar, and whole wheat pastry flour instead of spelt, all with great results! Thanks for the awesome recipe, I can’t wait to repeat it soon!
Veronica says
These look great! Can these be left overnight to rise before forming?
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
They sure can. You can read in this post under “Overnight Method” for some more information about an overnight rise.
Destiny says
Would I be able to use all-purpose flour and cane sugar? I’m kind of in a pinch!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Absolutely! I sometimes make these with AP flour and sugar for family members.
Paula says
Hi, Alexandra! Could I use white whole sheaf flour instead of spelt? Thanks!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Yes, absolutely!