An Icelandic snúður is its own species — cardamom in the dough, crisp edges, and a thick set chocolate icing unlike gooey pull-apart rolls.
Ingredients
- 600g flour, 50g caster sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp cardamom, 7g yeast, 350ml warm milk, 60g melted butter
- 75g soft butter, 100g brown sugar, 2 tbsp cinnamon (filling)
- 250g icing sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa, 3–4 tbsp water (glaze)
Preparation
- Foam yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Knead with flour, sugar, salt, cardamom, and butter 8–10 minutes.
- Rise 1 hour until doubled. Roll into a 40×30 cm rectangle, spread butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Roll tightly, cut 12 slices, space on a tray, rise 30 minutes.
- Bake at 200°C for 12–15 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
- Whisk icing sugar, cocoa, and water to a thick glaze. Smear generously over each bun and let set hard.
Chef's tips
- Glaze only cooled buns or it melts and slides off.
- Cardamom in the dough is the Icelandic signature — do not omit.
About Sigrún Ólafsdóttir
Sigrún grew up baking rúgbrauð with her grandmother in Akureyri and has spent the last decade collecting recipes from kitchens all over Iceland. She writes Icelandic MAT's recipes, one dish at a time.