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bakingwithaphotographer:

Ok ok ok I know, I’m terrible. It’s been close to forever since my last post, I’m already doing some heavy duty slacking with this blog. Between working, assistant-teaching at NESOP, and being the mommy to a very high-maintenance pug named Enzo, this blog took a temporary back-burner.Never fear though, because I’m back and will be posting more than once every month now that my life has some semblance of order to it. 

To make up for my insane absence, I’m giving you all my favorite recipe in the world. Yeah, that’s right. You read correctly. Favorite. In the world. Ever. It’s a recipe for Gifflar Kanel, which is basically a Swedish cinnamon bun. But. It is. So much more. Than that. Gifflar Kanel might be the end to all the world’s problems. It’s why you don’t hear of it that often outside of Sweden and Ikea stores, we don’t want the secret to get out. Why do you think Sweden and Ikea are such amazing places? One answer: Gifflar Kanel. Usually, this is a small (two-bite) pastry served with coffee or tea, which is a perfect pairing. But really, for the hardcore fanatics like myself, just eating them plain is equally, if not more, satisfying. And by the way, the Ikea ones are ok in a pinch when a craving strikes and you don’t want to make these from scratch, but I assure you, that they ain’t got nothin’ on homemade Gifflar. 

(these are homemade Gifflar, made and photographed by, of course, yours truly)

Some quick notes about this recipe:
It is authentic, straight from the mouth of a Swede. That being said, it was given to me in the metric system. Since most of my readership is no doubt in the U.S., I’ve toiled over it to convert it to the imperial system. I assure you, the measurements seem weird as hell but are totally correct, I’ve done a run-through with them and the Gifflars came out perfectly.

You’ll need a bottle of wine for this recipe. Or whatever else your poison may be. It’s not to physically be used in the recipe, it’s for yourself because it takes forever and most of your time will be spent waiting for dough to rise.

 Gifflar Kanel
Prep time: 2h,30m •• Active Prep time: 30m •• Bake time: 20-30m

Ingredients:
For the dough:
10g (1 packet) dry yeast
230ml warm milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
zest of half an orange
2 eggs
600g all-purpose flour (I broke down the exact measurements in the recipe instructions)

For the filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
8 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp flour
unsalted butter, melted

For the glaze:
2 egg yolks, whisked w/ 2 tbsp milk
2 egg whites, whisked

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in 100ml of the warm milk mixed with the honey. Pour the mixture over 3/4 cups of flour and mix well until smooth. Seal with Saran Wrap and let double, about 30 minutes.

Take the risen dough and add the remaining milk, eggs, and 1 7/8 cups of flour. Knead well until combined. Add salt and 15/16 (that’s a fraction) cups of flour. Knead well. Mix the softened butter with the sugar and add the mixture to the dough, alternating with the remaining flour (3/16 cups). Transfer the dough to a floured working table and knead it, adding flour until it no longer sticks to the table. Fold the dough in half, place in the bowl, seal with Saran Wrap, and leave in a warm place to rise for 1h, 30m, it should triple in volume.

While the dough is rising, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour for the filling.

Cut the risen dough in half, and roll out both pieces into a rectangular shape. Generously brush the rectangles with melted butter, and pour the cinnamon filling mixture over the rectangles. Save some to sprinkle on top of the Gifflars. Press with your hands to let it stick to the margarine, almost like a BBQ rub. Sprinkle some flour over, and roll up the rectangles to form two long rolls, like logs. 

Wisk together the egg yolks and milk for the glaze.

Cut the rolls into 1-1.5 inch segments, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the rolls with the glaze mixture, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon/brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Directly after removing the Gifflars from the oven, brush the tops with the beaten egg whites, and let cool.

Alright kids, there you go. Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Until next time,
Katherine