KNOTTED CINNAMON BUNS

Knotted Swedish cinnamon buns, I really do make these more often than I should but cinnamon and sugar are one of life's sweet combinations and a sweet morsel always goes with an afternoon coffee or tea. The best part of these is that they are more of a brioche with cinnamon and sugar filling than a North American cinnamon bun. They're actually not that sweet and won't leave you feeling guilty or with a toothache if you happen to down 2 or 3 at a sitting. Something I wholly recommend. 

These take about 3 hours to make so if you start on a saturday morning you can have them baked up for your afternoon break, hopefully in the sun.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns

based on a recipe from Anne's Food
Makes 20-24

10 g instant yeast
1 egg
250 ml finger-warm milk (1 cup)
500 g wheat flour
100 g sugar
75 g butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
40 g butter, softened
sugar
cinnamon

Decoration:
1 egg, beaten with 1/2 tsp water
pearl sugar (if you can't find this its ok, you don't need it really)

Instructions
Place your flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl, mix it around so they are combined.

Pour in your milk, melted butter and egg, bring this together with a wooden spoon or your Kitchenaid.

When the ingredients are incorporated move the dough to your countertop and knead the dough, adding flour when needed. When the dough is soft and pliable set it to rest in cozy place.

When the dough has rested for 1.5 hours and doubled in volume lightly flour your work surface, roll it into a rectangle about 3 - 5mm thick.

On the rectangle spread the softened butter, then a generous sprinkle of sugar to cover the entire surface and finally with a healthy amount of cinnamon again over the entire surface.

Fold the dough over itself, 1/3 up and 1/3 over, like a newsletter. Cut this into 2cm wide pieces. (At this point you can also roll the dough into a log and cut 2 cm rounds from it)

The fiddly bit, cut each 2m piece in half keeping the top area attached (see below). Take these 2 ends and twist, twist, twist, then wrap the twists around each other like a small dough knot.

Let the knotty buns rise for an hour. When they have risen eggwash them and sprinkle the pearl sugar on top.

Turn your oven to 325 and bake for 8-15 minutes until they are golden and puffy.