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The Best Fresh Milled Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Wheat Kanelbullar)

Irresistibly soft whole wheat Swedish cinnamon rolls made with fresh-milled flour, cardamom, and Tangzhong for that perfect chewy texture. These cozy, nostalgic Kanelbullar taste just like traditional Swedish buns — tender, golden, and perfectly spiced. A must-bake for fresh flour lovers!
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Large, fluffy whole wheat Swedish cinnamon rolls topped with pearl sugar, sitting on a lined baking sheet.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Rise & Resting Times:2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time:3 hours 30 minutes
Servings:12 Cinnamon Buns
Calories:350kcal
Equipment
  • grain mill
  • stand mixer - It's possible to knead by hand, but a lot easier with a stand mixer.
  • rolling pin
  • sharp knife
  • shallow metal pan - To create steam for baking.
Ingredients

Tangzhong Ingredients

  • 75 g freshly milled soft wheat flour* - (milled from ¼ cup + 2 tbsp whole soft wheat berries)
  • 75 g water - (5 tbsp)
  • 100 ml milk - (7 tbsp)
  • 75 ml milk, cold - (5 tbsp)

Dough Ingredients

  • 425 g freshly milled soft wheat flour* - (milled from 2 cups + 2 tbsp whole soft wheat berries)
  • 10 g salt - (1¾ tsp)
  • 55 g raw cane sugar - (¼ cup)
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1 egg
  • 7 g instant yeast (add after resting) - (1 sachet)
  • 120 g butter, cold and cubed (add after resting) - (~½ cup or 1 stick)

Filling Ingredients

  • 85 g softened butter - (6 tbsp, or ~⅓ cup)
  • 150 g light brown sugar - (¾ cup)
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon - (6 tsp)

Additional Ingredients

  • pearl sugar - for decorating
Instructions

Cook The Tangzhong (Roux)

  • In a small saucepan, combine flour, water and milk. Heat over medium heat until it thickens to a pudding-like texture that can hold the trail of your whisk.
    75 g freshly milled soft wheat flour*, 75 g water, 100 ml milk
  • Remove from the heat and whisk in additional milk to cool the mix down quickly.
    75 ml milk, cold

Mill Flour

  • Measure out whole soft wheat berries and mill them on the finest setting of your grain mill.
    425 g freshly milled soft wheat flour*

Make The Dough

  • Meanwhile, combine salt, sugar, cardamom, and egg in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the fresh milled flour and tangzhong roux, and use the paddle attachment to combine everything into a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30–60 minutes.
    10 g salt, 55 g raw cane sugar, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 egg
  • Cut the butter into cubes and keep it in the fridge while the dough rests.
    120 g butter, cold and cubed (add after resting)
  • Sprinkle instand yeast over the dough and switch to the dough hook. Knead for 3 minutes before adding the butter, one piece at a time. It may take another 7–10 minutes to come together.
    7 g instant yeast (add after resting)
  • Gather the dough into a firm but pliable ball with your hands. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 60 minutes.

Make the filling

  • Warm butter in a small saucepan (or in a bowl in the microwave) until soft and mostly melted. Add light brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until very well combined.
    If the mix is too wet and soupy, chill it in the fridge for 5 minutes. It should be thick but spreadable.
    85 g softened butter, 150 g light brown sugar, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Assemble Rolls

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Turn out the dough and roll out to about a ¼ inch thickness. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling over two thirds of the dough.
  • Fold the blank third over the filling, then fold the other third over as well. Gently roll out the dough a little again, so the filling is pressed firmly between the layers of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 equal strips.
  • Take a strip of dough and wrap it around your index and middle finger. Gently pull the strip out a little and start wrapping it around your fingers. Wrap the end around the bun and gently tuck it under to seal. Place on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 11 strips of dough.
  • Cover the buns with plastic wrap and rise again for another 60 minutes. Put a rack with a shallow metal pan on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) 10 minutes before the end of the second rise.

Bake with Steam

  • Sprinkle each bun with pearl sugar. You can gently press it into the buns if it won’t stick.
    pearl sugar
  • Slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven on the middle rack, grab a couple of ice cubes, and add them carefully to the preheated pan on the bottom rack. Close the oven door quickly to trap the steam.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cinnamon sugar filling is bubbly and the buns turn golden brown.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let the buns cool down but don’t forget to eat the first one while still warm from the oven.
Notes
(*) Use store-bought regular whole wheat flour if soft wheat is standard where you are; in North America, white whole wheat is the best match.
  1. For fresh-milled sourdough discard rolls, reduce the amount of flour in the dough by 75g and skip the water when cooking the roux. Add 150g sourdough discard to the dough along with the rest of the ingredients before the initial rest. (Read the post above for more variations.)
  2. There’s no need to cook the tangzhong until steaming and bubbling. Pull it off the heat as soon as it starts thickening.
  3. If the dough has trouble mixing, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and release the dough from the bowl. Wipe down the dough hook with clean hands or a paper towel.
  4. Don’t panic if the dough doesn’t rise much. It’s enough if the dough feels puffy to the touch after the first and second rise. Just trust the process.
  5. Make sure the cinnamon sugar filling is not wet and soupy before you start. It should be thick but spreadable.
  6. Whole grain buns naturally tend to grow stiff over time. 30-60 seconds on a low setting in the microwave will return the buns to fresh-from-the-oven peak softness. (If your toaster has a warming rack, that works almost as well.)
  7. Cinnamon rolls keep for up to three to four days at room temperature, wrapped but not air tight.
  8. Put cooled cinnamon buns into a freezer bag and separate with pieces of parchment paper, press out as much air from the bag as possible, seal and store in the freezer for up to three months. Let them sit overnight at room temperature to thaw.
Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen
Calories: 350kcal
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it turned out!