If you’ve ever been to Stockholm or Gothenburg, you’ll surely have fika’d at least once during your trip. This Swedish tradition which translates as “coffee and cake break” is a daily ritual for most Swedes. The experience involves making time for family, friends or colleagues to share a cup of coffee or tea, along with something delicious and sweet.
If you can’t get to Sweden right now, or you’d like to bring a little bit of Fika into your life, there’s nothing to stop you from enjoying a Swede-approved sugary treat at home.
Home-baked pastries make the experience all the more cosy – try this recipe for authentic Swedish Kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) for starters.
35 g (1¼ oz) yeast
100 g (3½ oz) sugar
300 ml (1½ cup) milk
1 egg
120 g (4 oz) butter
1 tsp salt
1 tbs ground cardamom
750 g (26 oz) flour
Filling:
100 g (4 oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) sugar
2 tbs cinnamon
Glaze:
1 egg
2 tbs water
pearl sugar
Preparation
Crumble the yeast into a bowl and stir in a few tablespoons from the 300ml of milk. Melt the butter and pour the milk over it. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough in a dough mixer for 10–15 minutes. Let the dough rise while covered at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough so it is about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick and 30 cm (12 in) wide. Spread the room-temperature butter on top. Make a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the dough. Roll the dough out, with the longest side facing towards you and cut the roll into about 25 slices. Place them with the cut edge upward in paper moulds. Place on a baking sheet and let them rise under a tea towel for about 60 minutes or until the buns have doubled in size.
Beat together the egg and water, brush the mixture carefully on the buns and sprinkle pearl sugar on top. Bake in the oven (180°C/200°C) for around 12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Brew a pot of coffee or tea and enjoy!
Planning a trip to Gothenburg soon? Be sure to add the hashtag #RyanairStories to your Instagram posts for the chance to be featured on our feed.
Photo by Claudiu Hegedus on Unsplash
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