A present of bread flour set me off on the path to make Swedish buns. The recipe for my first attempt was too ‘eggy’ and Carin, my Swedish exchange from my teenage years, agreed. They should be less rich but dark as the cinnamon and sugar caramelize on top.

For the bun dough:

100g unsalted butter
200ml milk
1 tsp salt
400g strong white flour
100g plain flour
1½ tsp fast action yeast
75g caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
olive oil for greasing

For the filling and topping:

75g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

In a small saucepan heat the butter, milk and salt until the butter is melted. Put to one side to let cool until it is luke warm.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, yeast and sugar. Make a well in the centre and add most of the beaten egg but leave a quarter with which to brush the top of the buns before cooking. Also add the milk mixture and stir everything together.

Put onto an oiled surface and knead for about eight minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic (or use a mixer with a dough hook to get the same result). Form into a ball and put into a large greased bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for an hour or until double in size.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, soften the butter for the filling and add 50g of the sugar and half the cinnamon. Work into a paste. Mix together remaining sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured board and using a rolling pin, lightly roll it out into a rectangle, 36 x 24cm. Using a table knife, spread the sugar paste evenly over the top and starting with the longer side away from you, roll the dough up tightly. Cut in half, then quarters and then cut each quarter into three, making 12 buns in all. Put into paper muffin holders on a baking tray or use Yorkshire pudding trays. Cover again with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°.

Brush the tops of the buns with beaten egg and dust liberally with the sugar/cinnamon mix.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the buns are dark golden brown. Best eaten warm.