The first time I heard about kanellängd was in 2017. This Swedish Christmas bread is pronounced "kin-a-link," and its name means "cinnamon length." That's an apt description of this flavorful cinnamon bread!
The glaze of sieved marmalade, drizzle of orange icing, and sprinkle of clementine zest provides a refreshing hint of orange to this delicious loaf.
In fact, kanellängd is a variation of the Swedish cinnamon buns. Instead of making separate buns, the dough and filling is shaped into a long loaf, which is sliced into pieces when served. This unique shape saves time, and makes a very impressive presentation.
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Questions
Can I freeze kanellängd?
Yes, kanellängd freezes very well after baking. Place it in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to a month.
Can it be made ahead?
Yes, you can make kanellängd ahead of time.
Make the dough the day before, and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Shape the loaf the next day, let it rise, and bake as normal. The rising will take longer, though, because it will be cold from the fridge.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients.
Stir together the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter has melted. Let the mixture cool to 115 F.
Pour the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, then mix each one in with your finger.
Add the sugar and cardamom.
Pour in half of the milk mixture and mix to start forming a dough.
Keep slowly trickling in the milk as the mixer runs until a sticky dough has formed.
Switch attachments to the hook and knead until the dough cleans the bowl and passes the windowpane test (see instructions in the recipe below).
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
The dough should look like this when it's done rising.
While the dough is rising, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and vanilla extract together until blended.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and punch it down all over to knock out the air. Roll it into a 12 by 15-inch rectangle.
Evenly spread the vanilla butter over the surface of the dough.
Pour the sugar mixture into a small sieve and scatter it evenly on top.
Roll up the dough from one of the long sides to create a log, pinching the seams and ends to seal. Place on a rimmed, parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Snip the loaf almost all the way through with kitchen shears every ¾ inch.
Pull out the slices from side to side and flatten them so the swirl shows.
Cover with plastic and let it rise until noticeably puffy and the dough springs back when gently poked with a fingertip, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Trim away excess parchment paper from around the loaf.
Bake the loaf at 415 F for 25 minutes, until the loaf has an internal temperature of 190 F. Cover with aluminum foil if it's browning too fast.
Once the loaf has cooled completely, brush it with orange marmalade, drizzle with icing, and sprinkle with orange zest. Slice and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Use the windowpane test (instructions in recipe card) to see if it is kneaded enough.
- Want to make it ahead? Make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Shape the loaf and let it rise the next day, but it will take longer to rise because the dough is cold from the fridge.
- Roll the dough into a tight log to get a good shape.
- Use a cookie sheet with sides. The butter and sugar in the filling will melt and bubble during the baking, and if the pan has no sides, it can drip off the pan and cause an oven fire.
- Dense and doughy? The most probable cause is that it didn't rise long enough. Also, it could be underbaked, the oven may not have been hot enough, or it didn't cool completely before serving.
- Dry? It's overbaked.
- Burnt? Make sure to stack the cookie sheet on top of another cookie sheet to insulate the bottom of the kanellängd, and cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil once it's nicely browned.
Recommended Tools
- King Arthur Bread Flour: this is my favorite brand of bread flour. I recommend it to everyone!
- Set of 2 Pastry Brushes: the natural bristles of these brushes don't fall out and brush smoothly.
- Wilton 11x17-Inch Cookie Sheets: these sturdy cookie sheets bake evenly and clean up easily.
- ThermoPro Digital Thermometer: using an instant read thermometer is the best way to check your bread.
- Set of 4 Wire Cooling Racks: prevent soggy bottoms on your kanellängd with these cooling racks.
Other Sweet Breads to Try
The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated.
Recipe
Kanellängd: Swedish Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread Dough
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 3 ¾ cups bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
For the Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Decoration
- 1 large egg, for glazing
- 4 tablespoons orange marmalade
- ¼ teaspoon clementine zest, from 1 clementine
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange juice
Instructions
Making the Dough (30 min + 1 hr proving)
- Stir the butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm. Let the mixture cool to 115 F.
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, stirring in each with your finger. Add the ground cardamom and caster sugar and stir the whole mix together.
- Pour in the egg and half of the milk mixture. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment. Gradually add more milk as the mixer runs until a soft, somewhat sticky dough is formed and all of the flour is picked up from the bowl.
- Switch attachments to the hook and knead until the dough is smooth, not as sticky, and has cleaned the sides of the bowl. It must also pass the windowpane test. Break off a lump of dough and stretch it between your hands to form a windowpane shape. If it stretches until translucent without breaking, it's been kneaded enough; if it breaks, knead for a minute longer and check again.
- Shape into a ball, place in a lightly buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a cold oven and put a pan of boiling water on the shelf below to create a warm, steamy atmosphere. Let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Preparing the Filling (10 min)
- Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed, then set aside.
- Cream the butter and vanilla extract until all the vanilla is incorporated. Set aside.
- Shaping (20 min + 30 min proving)Prepare a 11 by 17 inch rimmed cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by punching it down all over. Roll it out thinly into a large rectangle, about 12 by 15 inches. A larger rectangle means a larger loaf and more swirls.
- Spread the vanilla butter evenly all over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly all over the butter with a small sieve.
- Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll up the dough very tightly. Pull the roll towards you as you go to stretch the dough and create a taut roll. Pinch the seam underneath and the ends to seal, then place it on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Using a sharp, clean pair of kitchen scissors, snip the log every ¾ of an inch, cutting almost all the way through. Pull out the slices, alternating sides. Flatten the slices slightly.
- Put the cookie sheet inside a clean plastic garbage bag, tucking the excess under the pan. Leave the dough to prove until the dough springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip, about for 30-45 minutes.
Baking (25 min + cooling)
- About 15 minutes before the bread is done proving, preheat the oven to 415 F.
- Brush the kanellängd all over with the beaten egg and trim off the excess parchment paper, as it will turn brown in the oven. Stack the cookie sheet on top of another cookie sheet to insulate the bottom of the bread, helping it not to burn as quickly.
- Bake it in the middle of a 415 F oven for 25-30 minutes. Watch the bread closely, and cover it with foil after 10 minutes if it's getting too dark. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Decorating (15 min)
- Zest a clementine.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl and stir in enough orange juice to make a pourable icing. Spoon the icing into a corner of a plastic sandwich bag, twist the top, and snip off the corner to make a piping bag.
- Brush the sieved marmalade all over the bread, then drizzle with the orange icing. Sprinkle the clementine zest over the loaf. Serve in large slices.
Notes
- Want to make it ahead? Make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Shape the loaf and let it rise the next day, but it will take longer to rise because the dough is cold from the fridge.
- Use a cookie sheet with sides. The butter and sugar in the filling will melt and bubble during the baking, and if the pan has no sides, it can drip off the pan and cause an oven fire.
- Dense and doughy? The most probable cause is that it didn't rise long enough. Also, it could be underbaked, the oven may not have been hot enough, or it didn't cool completely before serving.
- Dry? It's overbaked.
- Burnt? Make sure to stack the cookie sheet on top of another cookie sheet to insulate the bottom of the kanellängd, and cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil once it's nicely browned.
- Freeze leftovers for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This post was originally published on November 1, 2017.
Edward Itors
I think some errors crept in when this recipe was adapted from European measurements. I had to add far more milk to the dough and knead by hand so I could feel when it was right — as listed there’s far too little liquid. The European versions of this recipe bake at 350 regress Fahrenheir, not 425, which would over bake and dry the dough. The underlying recipe, however, is wonderful.
Emma
Those aren't errors, Edward. Keep in mind that the amount of liquid you'll need in a bread recipe varies widely depending upon the humidity and the brand of flour you're using. The recipe simply acts as a guideline, and you did well to add more since the dough needed it. The recipe bakes at 415°F, which is a little hotter than I would do it now. However, the coolest I would bake this bread at is 375°F, as temperatures lower than that don't produce the desired oven spring. Happy baking!
Grey
I’ve tried this recipe several times now and every time my dough just comes out super tough and never gets to the wet dough stage. Should I add more liquid??
Emma
Yes, it sounds like you need more liquid. The exact amount of liquid needed varies depending upon the protein content of the flour and the humidity. Also, make sure to weigh the flour using a kitchen scale rather than using measuring cups, since too much flour will make the dough dry and tough.
Gail
Excellent recipe. I have made this 5 times and it comes out amazing. Highly recommend measuring everything on the scale. The accuracy in the measurements will give you a delicious bread.
Emma
Thank you so much, Gail! I'm really glad that the kanellangd has turned out so well for you.
Cook 1
I have limited time and finances. I took the plunge and made the bread. The recipe cooks for 25 minutes with advice to look at after 10 minutes for over browning. So I checked after 10 minutes and it was already burnt!!!! What in the world. Could you advise covering with tinfoil after 5minutes? Completely deflating!
Emma
I'm very sorry to hear that this burned for you! The only reason why the kanellangd would burn that quickly is if the oven is cooking way hotter than it should be. I'd recommend getting an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is actually at 415 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blossom
Great recipe!! I used less cinnamon and less cardamom though because I think mine are a little stronger than normal
Emma
So glad that you enjoyed it, Blossom! Cinnamon and cardamom are delicious in bread.
Alex
The cinnamon filling and the thin, crispy crust of the bread go together really well. I like the hint of marmalade on the outside, and the little drizzle of icing on top adds a bit of sweetness. This bread is so good that I could eat two slices! 😋
Emma
Thank you, Alex! 😊
Tiffany Hansen
This recipe was perfect! I made it for Christmas morning with a cup of coffee (or in my case- 2 cups). I’m definitely going to make it again. I shared pictures on my Instagram @tiffanybakes95 😊
Emma
Awesome, Tiffany! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the kanellangd, and thank you for sharing the photos! It would taste wonderful with coffee, too.
Nancy W
This was a well written recipe - mine was a success!
I'd post a picture but can't seen to do that - looks lovely.
Emma
Thank you, Nancy! I'm so glad you liked your kanellangd! 🙂 You can post a picture of your kanellangd on Pinterest on this pin: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/667869819718164820/
Vilma Pacheco
So well written. Lovely recipe. I would do this bread over again in a heart beat.
Emma
Thank you so much, Vilma! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this kanellangd recipe. 🙂