A cinnamon roll (also known as cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon scroll, cinnamon Danish and cinnamon snail) is a

sweet roll A sweet bread roll, roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, Baker's yeast, yeast-Leavening agent, leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spiced bun, spices, nut roll, nuts, fruit bun, candied fruits, etc., and ...

commonly served in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

(mainly in

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

, but also in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

) and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Pastry

A cinnamon roll consists of a rolled sheet of yeast-leavened

dough Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...

onto which a

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

mixture (and

brown sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

, raisins or other ingredients in some cases) is sprinkled over a thin coat of

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

. The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions and baked. The deep fried version is cinnamon roll or cinnamon bun

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

. Its main ingredients are

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

, cinnamon, sugar, and butter, which provide a robust and sweet flavor. Cinnamonrollcutting

Origins

Roman spice traders introduced the Sri Lankan cinnamon spice to Europe. The spice later began to be used in Swedish pastries, with the modern ''kanelbulle'' () being created after the first world war. Since 1999, October 4 has been promoted as Cinnamon Roll Day (''Kanelbullens dag''), a national theme day, acknowledged by a significant portion of the Swedish population. Swedish kanelbulle dough typically also contains

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...

(powder or buds), giving it a distinctive flavour. The size of a cinnamon roll varies from place to place, but many vendors supply a smaller size about in diameter and a larger size about to a side. The larger variety can be found in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, called ''korvapuusti'' (, "pulling someone's ear for disciplining"), where it can be up to in diameter and weigh up to . Haga, a district in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden, has very large cinnamon rolls. These cinnamon rolls are called ''hagabullar'' or ''Queen of the Kitchen''. ''Hagabullar'' are usually or more in diameter and are, despite their size, not considered a communal roll.

National variations

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

the cinnamon roll is known as ''kanelsnegl'', in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

it is called ''kanelbulle'', in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

it is known as ''kanelbolle'', ''skillingsbolle'', ''kanelsnurr'', or ''kanel i svingene'', in

it is known as ''korvapuusti'', in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

it is known as ''kanilsnúður'', and in

it is known as ''kaneelirull''. In

and

, it is called ''Zimtschnecke''. In

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, it is called ''škoricové slimáky''/''skořicoví šneci'' (meaning 'cinnamon snails'). The Swedish ''Butterkaka'' and Finnish ''bostonkakku'' ("Boston cake") is a cake made by baking cinnamon rolls in a round cake pan instead of baking them separately, so that they stick together to form a large, round cake. A German variety, which closely follows the form of the Scandinavian pastry, originating in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and its surroundings is the '' Franzbrötchen'', a cinnamon pastry inspired by the non-cinnamon French croissant. American cinnamon rolls are frequently large, baked in a pan and topped with icing (usually confectioners' sugar-based) and are sometimes fried, finished with glaze, and served as a variation of a raised donut. There are also regional combinations: in the American

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, especially

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, cinnamon rolls are commonly eaten with chili. In Canada, they are known as cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns. They are usually self-glazed and not iced, nor do they usually have raisins. They can have so much cinnamon that they are spicy and hot to the taste. In Austria and Germany, they are widely available at supermarkets and bakeries. Along with Topfengolatsche, Buttercroissant and Faschingskrapfen they are a typical pastry to have with afternoon coffee. In Slovakia, these pastries are usually shaped into small, round forms resembling beehives or wasps' nests. In the Czech Republic, they can also be found in a conical spiral shape. It is most often filled with cinnamon filling, or it may have nut, cocoa or vanilla pudding. Typical ingredients include wheat flour, milk, butter, sugar, eggs and yeast. In Asian cultures, cinnamon rolls may be made using a yeast bread technique called tangzhong. The technique is closely associated with Japanese milk bread since it gives it a soft, feathery texture. By heating flour at exactly 65°C or 149°F, the starches within the flour will pre-gelatinize, causing it to thicken more than average. Tangzhong allows the starches to retain moisture for longer periods of time, resulting in a longer shelf life.

Cinnamon roll traditions

In Sweden and Finland, cinnamon rolls are traditionally enjoyed during a get-together, including the consumption of coffee and or baked goods. In Sweden, the get-together is known as a ''fika'', typically held in the afternoon, by coworkers during a break, by friends or by family. National Cinnamon Bun Day (''Kanelbullens dag'') is observed on October 4 in Sweden and Finland. In Denmark, cinnamon buns are especially popular on Wednesdays, where an extra large variant called the Wednesday snail is sold. This tradition was specially invented during the 1990s where the national football team usually played their games on Wednesdays. In

, it is commonly eaten for breakfast or dessert. When eaten for breakfast in the U.S., it may be served with

cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Cream cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie and Neuf ...

frosting. Cinnamon buns are particularly popular during the Christmas season in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. They form part of the traditional Christmas baking repertoire in many households, alongside other festive treats like vanilla crescents (vanilkové rožteky) and linzer cookies.

Gallery

File:Korvapuusti1.jpg, Finnish ''korvapuusti'' File:Danskkanelsnegl.jpg, Danish ''kanelsnegl'' File:Kanelboller.jpg, Norwegian ''skillingsbolle'' File:Cinnamon-Roll-US-Bakery.jpg, American cinnamon roll File:Cinnamon rolls shaped and ready to proof.jpg, alt=7 raw cinnamon rolls in a round pan, with some space between them to allow for expansion, Raw cinnamon rolls File:Cinnamon rolls ready to bake.jpg, alt=The rolls look puffier and have expanded to fill most of the space, Ready to bake after proofing File:Cinnamon rolls partially baked in a solar oven.jpg, alt=The rolls have expanded even more, to fill the entire pan from edge to edge with no gaps. The dough looks dry but is pale and soft, Partially baked rolls in a solar cooker File:Cinnamon rolls fully baked.jpg, alt=The rolls are dry and golden brown., Fully baked cinnamon rolls

References