Americans would call these cinnamon rolls, but this version is the original Danish version, and it’s absolutely wonderful. They are traditionally served with coffee or tea at Christmastime and are delicious!
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 3 (0.6 ounce) blocks fresh yeast
- 6 ½ tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
Steps
- To make the dough: Pour the warm milk into a mixing bowl and mash in the fresh cake yeast. Mix in butter, eggs, cardamom, sugar, salt, and 3 1/2 cups flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough. If it’s very sticky, mix in the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until creamy. Stir in the cinnamon until incorporated. Set aside.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until firm, about 3 minutes. Divide the dough in half; roll each half into a rectangle, no more than 1/2-inch thick. Spread each rectangle with 1/2 of the filling.
- Stack 1 dough rectangle on top of the other dough rectangle, filling-side up. Roll the dough up, starting with the edge closest to you, to form a long log. Cut the log into 1-inch-thick slices.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease a baking dish or 2 cake pans if you prefer pull-apart rolls.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. If baking pull-apart rolls, arrange them in the greased baking dish or cake pans, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Place the uneven end pieces on the baking sheet cut-side up for the best presentation. Let the rolls rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pull-apart rolls will take longer to bake: After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking until the sides are fully set, about 10 minutes more. Cover the baking dish with foil if the rolls get too brown.
