Cinnamon Butternut Swedish Twists
Hello! Happy Tuesday.
I have a few more pumpkin and winter squash related desserts for you this month, as we get closer to Thanksgiving. While we are pretty excited for the Christmas season, I still want to hang on to those last moments of autumn before they are gone. The weather has completely changed here on the farm, and we had a small sprinkling of snow a few days ago that made my oldest son jump for joy. He loves winter!
I made these butternut squash cinnamon twists and we enjoyed watching the first snowflakes fall, though they did not stick. We have been hunkered down in our little studio baking and making. After a few weeks of feeling completely drained and uninspired, I gained a bit of a spark back. I always seem to do well after a batch of good news, and we got some excellent news about a new project… Though it will have to stay a secret for now!
what is kanelbullar:
These butternut twists are a playful spin on the classic Swedish dessert called kanelbullar. I have shared about these twists before in my ebook Swedish Spring, which I originally shared on our Patreon. Seeing as I shut our Patreon down (for now), you can purchase the ebook in our online shop. It contains 5 Swedish inspired recipes for all occasions.
Kanelbullar are made in many different ways, though they are traditionally made with cardamom. These rolls do not have any cardamom in them, but that would be a wonderful addition! Instead, they are filled with brown sugar and cinnamon, which is how I typically make my regular cinnamon rolls.
These twists are a breakfast treat in Sweden!
the method:
To make our twists, you must first make the dough. I made my first batch of dough with 1/4 cup of squash and bumped it up to 1/2 cup of squash after realizing the color and flavor was not as great. The more squash proved to be a better product, and they were well received by my family (who are the ultimate taste testers). The dough is a simple sweet dough, the same as a cinnamon roll dough, with the addition of pumpkin and melted butter. My original cinnamon roll recipe uses oil instead.
Once the dough has finished its first rise, it should be rolled out on a clean or lightly floured surface. I find that if the surface is not floured, the twists do not separate while baking. If possible, I would recommend skipping the flour. Roll the dough out to a 12x20-inch rectangle and stretch the sides to lay evenly. If you want, you may trim around the edges now so that they are perfectly straight.
Brush the dough all over with melted butter and top with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Fold the dough over, like a book, and press around the edges to seal in the filling. Next, you will cut the dough into about 14 strips, 1/2-inch wide, and then twist them around your fingers. This can be a bit complicated to explain, so you can watch me make the twists in the video above.
While these twists look tight, they seemingly bake just fine in about 25 minutes. I over-baked my first couple of sets in the trials of this recipe. They seemed to do the best at around 25-30 minutes, with a golden brown glossy exterior and soft, pillowy interior.
It is okay if the cinnamon filling becomes exposed while you are twisting the rolls. This is what makes them so beautiful! To protect your baking sheets, you may want to place some parchment down as the cinnamon and butter will leak out onto the pan.
If you love Kanelbullar, then you may enjoy my recipe in my Ebook, Swedish Spring. I share a recipe for classic cinnamon twists inside!
These twists are perfectly pumpkin, and they make such a great pairing with a maple or pecan flavored coffee. I hope that you enjoy making them!
xoxo Kayla
Cinnamon Butternut Swedish Twists
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled and divided
- 1/2 cup butternut squash or pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until the yeast blooms and becomes bubbly.
- Add in the salt, 1/4 cup of the butter, butternut squash, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Slowly begin to incorporate the flour, one cup at a time, until a dough forms and no longer clings to the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and a bit sticky. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rest until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Gently deflate the dough. Roll the dough out on the counter to a 12x20-inch rectangle. Over the top of the dough, spread the remaining melted butter. In a small dish, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this over the melted butter.
- Fold the dough in half, life a book. With a sharp knife, slice the dough into 14 pieces, about 1/2-inch strips. You can trim off the uneven edges, if you wish.
- Wrap the dough around your thumb and forefinger, two times, twisting as you wrap. Tuck the end over the top of the twists and then into the bottom. See the photos for reference.
- Place the twists on two greased cookie sheets. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise until nearly doubled, about 40-50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the twists for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Check if they are baked through by gently separating the folds of the bread with a paring knife.
- Allow the twists to cool on wire cooling wracks.
- In a small bowl, make the icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. Drizzle over the cooled twists.
