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

sweet roll A sweet roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, yeast-leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spices, nuts, candied fruits, etc., and are often glazed or topped with icing. Compared to regular bread dough, ...

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 g ...

(mainly in

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

, but also in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. In

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

it is called ''kanelbulle'', in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

it is known as ''kanelsnegl'', in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

it is known as ''kanelbolle'', ''skillingsbolle'' or ''kanelsnurr'', in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

it is known as ''korvapuusti'', in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

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

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

it is known as ''kaneelirull''. In

and

it is called ''Zimtschnecke''.

Pastry

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

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste 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 yeast or other leavening ag ...

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, breakfa ...

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, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

mixture (and

raisins A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the da ...

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 churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

. The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions and baked. The

deep fried Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Normal ...

version is cinnamon roll or cinnamon bun

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food 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 franc ...

. Its main ingredients are

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

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

Origins

Roman spice traders introduced the Sri Lankan cinnamon spice to Europe. Much later, Sweden began using it in its pastries, developing the ''kanelbulle'' (). Since 1999, October 4 has been promoted as

Cinnamon Roll Day Cinnamon Roll Day or Cinnamon Bun Day ( sv, Kanelbullens dag, fi, Korvapuustipäivä) falls on 4 October each year. It is an annual theme day created for marketing purposes in Sweden and Finland that was instituted in 1999 by Kaeth Gardestedt. At ...

(''Kanelbullens dag''). Swedish kanelbulle dough typically also contains

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

(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

, 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 (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden, is well known for its 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. Each person usually orders one each.

National variations

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 (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and its surroundings is the ''

Franzbrötchen A Franzbrötchen () is a small, sweet pastry baked with butter and cinnamon, similar to a cinnamon roll. Sometimes other ingredients are used as well, such as chocolate or raisins. It is a type of pastry commonly found in northern Germany, espec ...

'', a cinnamon pastry inspired by the non-cinnamon French croissant. The British version is called

Chelsea bun The Chelsea bun is a type of currant bun that was first baked in the 18th century at the Bun House in Chelsea, an establishment favoured by Hanoverian royalty accustomed to similar pastries in their native cuisine. The shop was demolished in 18 ...

, which they invented in the 18th century. It is now available in cafes, supermarkets, and bakeries across the UK. American cinnamon rolls are frequently topped with icing (usually

confectioners' sugar Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, ...

-based) and are sometimes fried, finished with glaze, and served as a variation of a raised

donut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food 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 fra ...

. There are also regional combinations: in the American

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

, especially

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, cinnamon rolls are commonly eaten with chili. In Canada, they are known as 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 available at every supermarket and bakery. Along with Topfengolatsche, Buttercroissant and Faschingskrapfen they are a typical pastry to have with afternoon coffee.

Cinnamon roll traditions

In Sweden and Finland, cinnamon rolls are traditionally enjoyed during a coffee break, or ''fika'', which is a get-together with friends. National Cinnamon Bun Day (''Kanelbullens dag'') is observed on October 4 in Sweden and Finland. In

, it is commonly eaten for breakfast or dessert. When eaten for a 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 Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...

frosting.

Gallery

File:Korvapuusti1.jpg,

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

''korvapuusti'' File:danskkanelsnegl.jpg,

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

''kanelsnegl'' Image:Kanelboller.jpg,

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

''skillingsbolle'' File:Cinnamon-Roll-US-Bakery.jpg,

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cinnamon roll

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinnamon Roll Sweet breads Swedish pastries Danish pastries Norwegian desserts Finnish pastries Icelandic cuisine Estonian cuisine German pastries Austrian pastries Buns Cinnamon American desserts Canadian desserts