February baking challenge: Swedish buns

1. Lightly mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast using the dough hook.  

2. Add egg, slowly pour in the milk, and continue mixing until everything comes together into a rough dough.  

3. Add butter one tbsp at a time.  

4. Add a big splash of Vainilla Molina. 

5. Continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 15-20 minutes. 

6. The dough's ready when it's smooth and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. 

Let dough sit: 

1. Lightly grease a large bowl.  

2. Place the dough inside and cover with plastic wrap.  

3. Let sit for 1-1.5 hours, until it doubles in size. 

For the filling: 

1. Beat filling ingredients together.  

Roll out the dough: 

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it to release all the air.  

2. Gently knead the dough a few times with your hands.  

3. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface in a rectangular shape measuring approximately 16x12 inches.  

4. Use a small palette knife to spread the filling all over the dough evenly.  

5. Fold over one-third of the dough towards the center, and overlap with the other third of the dough.  

6. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough and smooth out any air bubbles.  

7. Cut the dough into strips measuring 0.75 inches wide.  

8. The number of strips you cut will depend on how wide you´ve rolled your dough, but you should get between 11-15 strips.   

Shape the buns:  

1. Take one strip of dough and twist it gently with both hands, slightly stretching the dough as you do so.  

2. Finish the knot by tucking the end of the dough into the center of the bun on top.  

3. Optional: you can roll them into a circular shape, like American cinnamon rolls. 
    

Bake the buns:

1. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and arrange the shaped buns on it, leaving generous space between them.  

2. Place the pan somewhere warm for 30 minutes to help the buns rise and puff. 

3. Preheat oven to 390 °F / 200 °C. 

4. Brush each bun with egg wash.  

5. Sprinkle each bun with pearl sugar (optional).  

6. Bake buns for about 20 minutes, or until they're lightly golden.  

7. Check the buns for about 10 minutes, and if they're browning too quickly, cover them with a loose sheet of foil for the remaining baking time.  

8. Gently remove the buns from the oven, transfer them to a wire rack, and leave them to cool completely. 

It may seem complicated but with every baking challenge you try your best at, your baking skills will improve.

We believe in you!