Think about soft baked dough covered with butter, sugar and vanilla. The shape of this bun is like a pretzel, and that’s the reason it’s called sugar pretzel (Swedish sockerkringlor). I have eaten the “normal” pretzels in Germany and US, but this is very different! They are not as chewy, and the taste is very different. Sweeter dough, I think.
Anyway, this is absolutely something you should try! These sugar pretzels are not so common at cafes, but me and my siblings have always liked them. I think I made them in school for the first time when I was maybe 12. I tried to bake them at home later on, and since then they are a favourite among my family. I admit that I even used to make them for breakfast when I was a teenager… I baked the buns in the evening, and then warmed them up in the morning before brushing them with butter and sugar. So good! But nowadays I only make them for fika, trying to be more healthierish.
I don’t know where I got this recipe from. I have it written down in my old recipe book. When I compare with other recipes online, it’s very similar to Birgitta Rasmussons version.
If you like buns and vanilla, try the vanilla buns!
Recipe for soft and yummy sugar pretzels (Swedish sockerkringlor)
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 100 g salted butter, room temperature
- 2 dl milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 0.75 tsp ammonium carbonate (can be substituted for 1.5 tsp baking powder)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 7 dl flour (approx.)
- 50 g salted butter, melted
- 0.75 dl sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
Crumble the yeast in a bowl. Heat the milk to 37 degrees C and let the soft butter soften even more in it. Pour it over the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved.
Add eggs and mix. Blend sugar, salt, ammonium carbonate and most of the flour separately. Pour it in the milk mixture and knead the dough until smooth.
Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for about 30 minutes. Cover two trays with parchment papers.
Use more flour if needed and knead lightly with your hands. Divide the dough into 20 pieces and roll them out to 30-40 cm length and shape into a pretzel.
Place the pretzel shaped dough on the parchment paper (10 on each). Let them rise again for 30 min. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees C.
Bake the pretzels in the middle of the oven for about 8 min. Be careful, they get burned very fast. You want to have them golden brown, not dark brown.
Melt the butter and blend the sugar and vanilla sugar separately in a bowl. Brush the still warm pretzel with butter and dip in the sugar bowl. Enjoy! I love to eat these with a glass of cold milk.
This recipe is so perfect, so I wouldn’t change anything. Some people add cardamom in the dough, but I prefer without. Maybe dip in sugar and cinnamon?
