Korvapuusti (Finnish Cinnamon Buns)

Certain recipes hold a significance that others will never achieve. Usually I want to make my own mark, more seasoning, different spices perhaps. This is not one of those recipes.

When I was a child we spent the summers in Finland visiting family and friends in Lahti, Helsinki and Tampere. Lahti, known as the Chicago of Finland by those who have clearly never been there, is where we’d visit my Grandmother.

She lived in a building for people who served in the war. Remove any thoughts of dingy old peoples homes and replace them with Nordic cleanliness, gardens and of course a sauna for the residents to use. Finland looks after its people. It’s in that flat where this spiced bun recipe is rooted and where I’m brought back to whenever I make them.

Korvapuusti are a type of pulla (bun), an enriched dough flavoured with cardamom, filled with cinnamon and shaped into the traditional ‘slapped ear’ shape as the name translates to. If you’ve had a Cinnabon and think we’re on the same track here, you’re going to need to leave that image at the door or risk a hoard of Finnish Mummi’s chasing after you. *“Herra jestas sentään!”*
Towards the end of her life, my Grandmother was banned from baking - doctors orders. Her health meant she wasn’t supposed to stand for long periods of time but spoiler alert, this didn’t stop her.

The lasting image is of her in the kitchen, silver hair tucked into a shower cap, hand kneading dough while my mum fussing around her and my sister and I waited at the table. It was a labour of love in the truest sense of the word. It’s not just cinnamon she’d sprinkle into into these but, love, culture and a place in time for us to go back to.

Every grandchild will say that they can’t make Korvapuusti like their Grandma and I’m no different. This is my seven out of ten attempt of what I remember as perfection,I’ve combined two recipes from My Blue and White Kitchen and The Spruce Eats, shower caps on everyone.

Ingredients:

**Dough:**
1 cup milk (lukewarm)
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 package/2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon cardamom (freshly ground) or one stick
2 eggs (beaten, divided, 1 egg used for final glaze)
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour
Garnish: pearl sugar

Filling:

1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (melted)

3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon (heaping)

Method:

1. Warm the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Check the temperature, if it’s warm to the touch but not hot it’s ready. If not, warm for 10 - 20 more seconds. Pour it into a large mixing bowl, add the yeast, table spoon of flour and sugar. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until yeast begins to bubble. Then add the butter and 1 beaten egg.

2. Add the salt and cardamom to the flour and mix well. Gradually add to the milk mixture half a cup at a time. I ended up using about 3 and 3/4 cups. To begin you can combine the mix with a fork but after half the flour is in, channel your inner Suomalainen Mummi and knead with your hands. You have to mix until the dough pulls away clean from the sides and is smooth, not sticky and springy to touch. Some recipes (sorry Scandi Kitchen) don’t outline this step. This is vital or you’ll end up with cinnamon rock cakes.

3. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel or cling wrap, and allow to rise 1 hour or until doubled. I put mine in my top oven which is off and leave my bottom oven on an extremely low heat.

4. Check that the dough has risen. If not replace and leave for a further 20 minutes and check again. If it’s ready, punch down dough then divide into two equal halves. Lightly flour your work surface and shape the dough with your hands into a rough vertical rectangle then roll out to a 50 x 40 cm rectangle.

5. Combine your sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then brush the dough with melted butter and liberally sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mix on top

6. Starting from the long side, roll each half into a log so the cinnamon is swirled inside. If you’re new to this, definitely take a look at My Blue and White Kitchen’s post. She has beautiful pictures which show the perfect rolling and shaping technique.

7. Using a sharp knife, make alternating diagonal cuts every 6cm along the dough to create triangle shapes. Turn the triangles so the wider end is against the table and you have the shorter end facing up and can see the cinnamon swirls at each end.

8. Using your finger, press down in the centre of the shorter end so it squashes down and you create the traditional slapped ear shape. Move each bun to a baking tray line with baking paper, cover with clean towels and allow to rise another hour or until doubled. While rising, preheat your oven to 200c.

9. When risen, brush lightly all over with whisked egg and sprinkle the sugar pearls onto the centre of the bun. Put onto thje centre rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. If they’re not done, leave for another minute and check. Keep an eye on them or the sugar and glaze will burn.

10. I should say leave to cool but who am I kidding. Make sure you have black filter coffee ready to go, enjoy hot from the oven and don’t even let the slight stomach ache of the yeast put you off. It’s all part of the experience.

2. Add the salt and cardamom to the flour and mix well. Gradually add to the milk mixture half a cup at a time. I ended up using about 3 and 3/4 cups. To begin you can combine the mix with a fork but after half the flour is in, channel your inner Soumen Mummi and knead with your hands. You have to mix until the dough pulls away clean from the sides and is smooth, not sticky and springy to touch. Some recipes (sorry Scandi Kitchen) don’t outline this step. This is vital or you’ll end up with cinnamon rock cakes.