The Irresistible Finnish Cinnamon Rolls: Pulla Recipe

Take one bite and you’ll understand why cinnamon buns are a staple of the Finnish cuisine!

The scrumptious and soft Finnish pulla is an everyday sweet treat here in Finland. It comes in many forms: twirls, rolls, braids, and butterfly-like shapes called korvapuusti.

The core is always the same: the sweet, buttered, cardamon-dotted bread dough. In fact, a good dough is the only secret behind an amazing pulla.

Baking pulla is super easy and cheap. You don’t even need a mixer!

The Story Behind This Pulla Recipe

I’m sharing the same pulla recipe which my mom wrote in my recipe book when I was 11. I’ve been using this recipe religiously ever since.

This small batch of Finnish cinnamon rolls is suitable for beginners because kneading a bigger dough may feel like a workout. 

You’ll make around 25 buns with this recipe. Empiric studies show that two adults and two school-aged kids eat that amount easily in a day. At least in this household.   

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In Finland, we use deciliters but I have converted the amounts to American cups. To avoid weird conversions like ”0,38 cups”, the American version is slightly bigger than the Finnish version.

I have put the names of the ingredients in Finnish. If you want to learn a bit of Finnish, this is a fun opportunity to do so!

The Finnish names are also handy if you are in Finland, and trying to find the ingredients in a Finnish grocery store.

So roll up your sleeves and be prepared for some kneading!

Ingredients to Finnish Cinnamon Rolls

Dough with Finnish measurements (Taikina suomalaisilla mitoilla)

• 2,5 dl milk or oat milk (maito tai kauramaito)
• 25 g fresh yeast* (hiiva)
• 1 dl regular sugar (taloussokeri)
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar (vaniljasokeri)
• 1 tbsp cardamom (kardemumma)
• 1 tsp salt (suola)
• 75 g butter or vegan butter (voi)
• z. 7 dl all-purpose flour or plain flour (puolikarkea vehnäjauho)

Dough with American measurements (Taikina amerikkalaisilla mitoilla)

• 1 generous cup milk or oat milk (maito tai kauramaito)
• 1 oz fresh yeast* (hiiva)
• 1/2 cup regular sugar (taloussokeri)
• 2 heaped tsp vanilla sugar (vaniljasokeri)
• 1 heaped tbsp cardamom (kardemumma)
• 1 tsp salt (suola)
• 2/3 stick butter or vegan butter (voi)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour or plain flour (puolikarkea vehnäjauho)

Filling (täyte)

• 2/3 stick or 75 g butter or vegan butter (voi)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (kaneli)
• 1/4 cup regular sugar (taloussokeri)

On top (päälle)

• 1 egg, whisked (muna)**
• pearl sugar (raesokeri)

*In Finland, you can buy fresh yeast (next to milk in shops) or instant yeast powder (in spices). Both work! Check the instant yeast package for the exact amount you should use for this amount of liquid. In Finland, this dough requires one sachet of instant yeast (11 g = 2 tsp).

**To substitute egg, use water with dark syrup tinting the water brown. This will make the vegan bun look deliciously golden brown.

Baking Instructions for Pulla

Add yeast to warm milk and mix well. Milk needs to be 99°F / 37°C to activate the fresh yeast. If you are using instant yeast, the milk should be 108°F / 42°C.

I heat the milk in a microwave and check the temperature with my finger. If the milk doesn’t feel cold or hot, it’s perfect for fresh yeast.

Whisk in sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, and cardamom. Stir in flour one cup at a time and a dough begins to form.

Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl. It should become elastic. Add butter and continue to knead the butter in.

In total, around five minutes of kneading should be fine. Now you have a smooth dough ball in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm place.

I often use a microwave, but off-mode! Preheat the microwave by heating a cup of water. Take the cup away. Then put the bowl with the towel into the microwave and leave to rest.

Wait for at least 30 minutes so that the dough rises. The dough should double in size. Put the dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 15×15 inch (40×40 cm) square.

Spread softened butter evenly over dough. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Roll up the dough. Cut into 1/2 inch or 1,5 cm sections with a knife.

Place the cinnamon rolls on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Cover them with a towel and let rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 390°F / 200°C.

Whisk one egg and brush it to the tops of the cinnamon rolls to help them brown. Sprinkle pearl sugar on top. Then bake the rolls for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Allow the buns to cool a bit under a towel and eat immediately!

Have you baked Finnish cinnamon buns yet?

PS. If you love pulla, check my tutorial for Finnish winter buns with whipped cream and jam!

Looking for more Finnish recipes? Check out some of my other Finnish food posts:

• Finnish Pancakes on a Stove or Open Fire (‘Lettu’ Recipe)
• The Super Yummy Finnish Oven Pancake
• The Finnish Chanterelle Pie
• The Classic and Simple Finnish Salmon Soup