Recipes

Vegan Gingerbread Kanelbullar

Serves 4-6

| Prep Time: 4 hrs

| Cook Time: 30 mins

| Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins

You may need: Gingerbread Spice

Discover The Recipe

Kanelbullar (or cinnamon rolls) are a classic Swedish pastry during the holidays. Small, sweet yeasted breads and pastries are popular all throughout Scandinavia, especially during the holidays, and if you are invited to someone’s home, rest assured that you will probably be offered one of these sweet treats with your coffee. We're providing a vegan Gingerbread Kanelbullar recipe as fun holiday alternative.

Adding cardamom to the dough and being less sticky sweet are what makes traditional Kanelbullar distinctive from American Cinnamon Buns! We have drizzled a little bit of icing on them, but they are often served without, and with a little sprinkle of pearl sugar on top instead. Hints of warming spices, rather than sweetness, are what makes these pastries unique.

We made our own unique twist on traditional kanelbullar by filling them with a sticky gingerbread caramel! These buns are such a warm and wonderful way to enjoy a lazy holiday brunch with friends and family, you'll want to make them more than once.

Ingredients

1 ⅛ cup almond milk
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon egg replacer
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
6 tablespoons melted vegan butter (you can also use melted coconut oil)
Non-stick spray for the bowl
For the Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Piquant Post Gingerbread Spice blend
1/2 cup vegan butter
3 tablespoons molasses
For the Cider Icing:
1 cup organic powdered sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Notes

Kannelbullar are often twisted freehand into a unique shape, but achieving this can be little tricky at first if you haven’t practiced it before! Watch this video to see how it's done.

Or, we suggest simply rolling them into a traditional cinnamon roll, just a little bit smaller than we do in America!

Also, rather than baking them in a pan with sides, space them out on a baking tray so they keep their round shape.

Instructions

Warm the almond milk gently in a saucepan until it’s just warm to the touch, and add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, yeast and egg replacer. Allow to sit about 5 minutes-it should look frothy and bubbling.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cardamom, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the milk mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed. Add the melted vegan butter mix until fully combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 5 minutes (or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment).

Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 ½-2 hours at room temperature.

Punch the risen dough down and place in your refrigerator for 1 hour, or overnight if you’re going to make the rolls in the morning.

After the dough is chilled, turn it out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each half into a 16” x 10” rectangle. The dough will be about ¼” thick.

In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, Piquant Post Gingerbread Spice blend, vegan butter and molasses. Whisk until well combined. Spread over the surfaced of the dough rectangle.

Starting on the long side of the dough, roll each rectangle into a tight coil. Cut each roll into 8-10 equal pieces about 1” thick each. Place the rolls onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets and cover with plastic. Allow to rise for 1 hour at room temp.

Heat the oven to 375° F. Place the rolls in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. They should be golden and fluffy and the sugar should be bubbling up around the edges. Remove from the oven when ready.

Combine the powdered sugar, apple cider and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze evenly on the still warm rolls. It is meant to be applied while the rolls are still slightly warm so it melts evenly over the top. Allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving. These rolls can be kept refrigerated if tightly wrapped in plastic, and then re-heated in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil.

Alternatives & Substitutions

If you like a less sweet pastry, feel free to skip the cider icing! We also dusted them with a simple sprinkle of Demerara sugar and that might be enough for you.
For the filling, we used molasses to amp up the gingerbread flavor with our signature spice mix. You can however leave it out and just create a filling with the brown sugar, butter and spices if you aren’t a fan of molasses. We like the way that it bubbles out and creates almost a molasses caramel!
Another great addition to the filling would be dried fruit or nuts, like raisins, cranberries, pecans or walnuts.
Ready to add holiday cheer to your next brunch? Try making Gingerbread Pancakes! Or, this delightful Uunipuuro Baked Porridge?
Use our Gingerbread Spice in any of you favorite baked goods recipes. Try our recipe for Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Cookies), and our tasty Gingerbread Spice Oatmeal Cookies.
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