K for Korvapuusti | Finnish Cinnamon Rolls – Day 11:

With so much baking going on, my house has perpetually begun to smell like a bakery :D I don’t ever remember having baked every single day in all the years I’ve been pursuing my passion. It has been a thoroughly tasty experience thus far and I’m glad I took on the challenge to be a part of the Mega blogging Marathon.

K for KORVAPUUSTI – FINLAND

Next letter in the alphabet is K and I chose to make these gorgeous Finnish Cinnamon Rolls called Korvapuusti which apparently translates to “slap on the ears”! That’s a violent name to have for a delicious roll. There is no history as to why or how this name came about. All I know is they look and taste awesome!

Korvapuusti are eaten for breakfast with a good strong cup of coffee. Cinnamon rolls here in the USA have an intense Cinnamon flavor and incredibly sweet with a thick glaze on top. Korvapuusti on the other hand are flavored lightly with both cardamom and cinnamon. They are also not glazed but topped with pearl sugar. I couldn’t get my hands on pearl sugar in time for my bake, so I didn’t use any. You could use pearl sugar or top it with a light drizzle of glaze.

You will need:

Recipe adapted from here:

Makes: 16-18

Note:

-The original recipe makes a lot of rolls so I halved it. The recipe requires only 1 egg, so to halve the quantity, I beat the egg and white lightly with a fork and measured out how many tablespoons it made. I got about 4 so I used 2 tablespoons of it in the recipe below. I used the remaining egg as an egg wash to brush the tops.

-I used All-purpose flour instead of bread flour so it may have altered the way the dough behaves and bakes, but I have nothing to compare to. These turned out great nevertheless.

-I used about a teaspoon more of cinnamon than stated below.

-I normally stick to my measuring cups and spoons when baking but I weighed the flour, sugar and butter on a kitchen scale for this one. I’ve mentioned both the weight and volume measurements where I used the kitchen scale

-I proofed the yeast first and then added it to the dry ingredients like I normally do, unlike what’s stated in the original recipe.

-Korvapuusti have a unique gorgeous shape to them, but I wasn’t able to achieve the right shape due to the extra cinnamon. It made the layers of dough adhere to each other which made it difficult to form the roll. But on the upside, I got some very unique shaped rolls :D

For the Dough:

1 cup Whole Milk plus 1 tbsp

2.5 tsp Instant dry yeast

90g (7 tbsp) Granulated sugar

¾ tsp Salt

2 tsp Ground cardamom (freshly ground)

2 tbsp beaten egg (see Note above)

500 gms All-purpose flour (about 3 ¼ cups)

85g Unsalted butter, at room temp

For the Filling:

75g Unsalted Butter, softened

3 tbsp Granulated sugar

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon (see Note above)

For the Egg Wash:

2 tbsp Beaten Egg (See Note above)

Pearl sugar to Sprinkle – if you have it on hand

For the Sugar Glaze: (if using)

1 tsp softened Butter
1/3 cup Powdered sugar 
1/2 tsp Water

Warm the milk, add about 2 tbsp Sugar and the yeast. Stir to combine and set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.

To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast mixture. Add a tablespoon or two of flour and beat on low with a paddle attachement. Add the remaining sugar, salt, ground cardamom and beaten egg. Slowly add the flour in two batches. Now switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 2 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Do not overknead or you will have tough rolls instead of soft ones.

Combine the sugar,butter and cinnamon in a small bowl for the filling. Set aside.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for an hour until it doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 425F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough. Lightly flour a flat surface. Divide dough into two. Roll one piece into a large square. Spread half of the filling thinly on the rolled dough. Starting from the long side, roll tightly. Cut into cannons. Squish with one finger gently in the centre to allow the layers to pop out on either side. This is the distinct shape of a Korvapuusti. Transfer shaped rolls onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Brush the tops with egg wash before baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.

We enjoyed these rolls right after they were baked and boy, I must tell you they are amazing!! They smell delicious and taste even better. These are best enjoyed while still warm…incredibly light and not too sweet. The extra cinnamon was a good move because it added the exact amount of spice. If using the glaze, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth. Add water only a few drops at a time. You want a thick glaze that sets hard. Drizzle on the warm rolls as needed. 

I’m so glad I tried these! Do check out the other bakes from this marathon and also from other bloggers.

BAKES FROM AROUND THE WORLD: 

A for ANZAC BISCUITS - AUSTRALIA

B for BASBOUSA - EGYPT
C for CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS - FRANCE
D for DAMPER BREAD - AUSTRALIA
E for EMPANADAS - MEXICO
F for FLAN MEXICANO - MEXICO
G for GRISSINI BREADSTICKS - ITALY
H for HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE - USA
I for INDIAN LADI PAV - INDIA 
J for JOULUTORTTU - FINLAND

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75

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