Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

• 50 g fresh yeast

• 5 dl milk (lukewarm)

• 100 g butter (melted or soft / lukewarm)

• 1 dl sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• Approx. 16–17 dl wheat flour
  (or until the dough releases from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky)

Filling

• Soft, room-temperature butter

• Sugar

• Cinnamon

For brushing

• 1 egg

• Pearl sugar

How to make buns:

Dough

1. Crumble the yeast into a bowl.

2. Heat the milk until lukewarm and dissolve the yeast in the milk.

3. Add butter, sugar and salt.

4. Gradually work in the flour until the dough:

   • releases from the sides of the bowl

   • is smooth and not sticky

5. Knead the dough until soft and elastic.

First rise

6. Let the dough rise for 40 minutes.

Shape the buns

7. Roll out the dough.

8. Spread with soft butter.

9. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

10. Roll up and slice into buns.

11. Place the buns on a baking tray.

Second rise

12. Let the buns rise on the tray for 30 minutes.

Brushing & baking

13. Brush the buns with beaten egg.

14. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.

15. Bake at 250°C (480°F) until golden
    (keep an eye on them – the high temperature means they bake quickly).

Storage & serving

• Cinnamon buns freeze very well.

• Thaw at room temperature or gently reheat in the microwave.

• Best served slightly warm, with coffee or tea and good company.

A little fika note 💛

This is a recipe where feeling the dough matters more than exact measurements. When the dough releases from the bowl and feels smooth, it’s ready.

Inlägget Bake Cinnamon Buns – a Swedish Fika Favourite 🇸🇪 dök först upp på A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.

Lussebullar are deeply connected to Lucia are baked, shared and enjoyed during fika in homes across the country. They are part of the quiet rituals that help us slow down, gather, and bring a little warmth into the darkest weeks of the year.

At A Slice of Swedish Hospitality, we love traditions that invite people to sit down together. Baking lussebullar is one of those moments where time softens — flour on your hands, saffron in the air, coffee brewing in the background or some warm glögg.

Lussebullar don’t have to be perfect.
They don’t have to look like they do on social media.
What matters is that they are baked with care — and shared.

☕️ Enjoy them during fika with coffee or tea, or with a warm glass of Swedish mulled wine (glögg) during the Christmas season.

A favourite lussebulle recipe

There are countless ways to bake lussebullar, and everyone seems to have their own opinion — about saffron, raisins, shapes, and secret ingredients.

One of our current favourites comes from Sandra Palmqvist, a talented recipe maker and baker with a love for flavour, honesty and joy in the kitchen.

We’re happy to share her recipe here, and we warmly recommend following her for more baking inspiration 👉 Recipe by Sandra Palmqvist

Juicy & Luxurious Lussebullar

Makes 16 buns
Time: approx. 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2½ dl whipping cream (no milk at home, so cream it was)

• 100 g butter

• 1½ tbsp saffron aroma (or 2 packets saffron, 1 g total)

• 7½ dl wheat flour + extra for baking

• ½ packet dry yeast

• 1 dl granulated sugar

• Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

• 100 g almond paste, coarsely grated

• 1 egg

• 1 pinch salt

This is how to make saffron buns:

1. Melt the butter. Add the cream and saffron aroma. The mixture should be warmer than 37°C, test with your finger, it should feel clearly warm.

2. Mix flour, dry yeast and sugar in a bowl. (A stand mixer with a dough hook works well.)

3. Add the warm liquid mixture.

4. Add orange zest, almond paste and the egg. Work into a smooth, elastic dough.

5. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, divide into 16 pieces, roll into lengths and shape into classic forms — traditional S-shapes, twists or whatever you like.

7. Place on a lightly floured baking tray and cover. Let rise for 45 minutes.

8. Brush with beaten egg mixed with a few drops of water and a tiny pinch of salt (the salt breaks down the egg white slightly and makes brushing easier).

9. Bake in the middle of the oven at 200°C (390°F) for 8–12 minutes. Keep an eye on them — ovens, like cars, all work a little differently.

A few honest notes from the kitchen

• Saffron aroma vs real saffron?
  I liked the aroma. You can absolutely use regular saffron instead — use two packets. Next time I might even try 2 tbsp aroma… or aroma plus one packet saffron. Am I crazy? Maybe.

• Classic or experimental?
  According to my partner, you’re not allowed to mess with lussebullar. They should be classic. No experiments. This from a man who doesn’t even like Christmas very much.

• Kesella?
  Some swear by it for juiciness, others say it dries the dough. The debate continues.

• Raisins?
  I like them — but didn’t have any at home. If you use raisins, soak them first so they don’t turn into little stones in the buns.

• No baking paper?
  A lightly floured tray works just fine.

• Dry buns?
  Homemade saffron buns can dry out quickly. Brush them with a light sugar syrup straight from the oven to keep them soft.

And finally:
You’re allowed to eat exactly what you want during Christmas.
You’re also allowed to love Christmas — or not love it at all.

Both are perfectly fine.

A Slice of fika

Fika is not just about what’s on the plate.
It’s about the pause, the conversation, and the feeling of being welcome.

If you’d like to experience Swedish fika with a local host — perhaps one day even baking together — you can explore our upcoming fika experiences and book online.

☕️✨
Welcome to sit down, slow down, and share a slice of Swedish hospitality.

Inlägget Lussebullar – the taste of Lucia and Swedish fika dök först upp på A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.

Lucia is about more than candles and white gowns. It’s about pausing. Gathering. Letting music, gentle voices and shared rituals remind us that light always returns. In homes, schools, churches and villages across Sweden, Lucia processions fill the winter air with calm and hope.

This year, we invite you to experience the beautiful Lucia celebration from Gotland, streamed via SVT Play. Light a candle, wrap yourself in a blanket, and take a moment to simply be.

☕️ Pour a cup of coffee or tea, enjoy a saffron bun or warm a glass of Swedish mulled wine (glögg) and let the tradition unfold.

👉 Watch the Lucia celebration via SVT Play here: https://www.svtplay.se/…/luci…/luciamorgon-fran-visby…

If you want to know more about the celebrations:

https://visitsweden.com/…/swedish…/christmas/lucia/

A growing table of hospitality

Lucia also feels like a perfect moment to share some joyful news from A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.

We are so happy to welcome several new ambassadors joining A Slice.
This means that the coming year will be filled with even more opportunities to connect — to meet locals, share stories, and experience Sweden around a kitchen table.

Whether it’s a home-cooked meal, a relaxed fika, or a simple lunch together, our experiences are built on connection, generosity and everyday hospitality.

Our new website and online booking system are now live, and we’ve also joined GetYourGuide, making it easier than ever to find and book an experience that suits you.

Join us for fika

Fika is more than coffee and something sweet — it’s a moment of togetherness.
A pause in the day. A conversation that lingers.

If you’re curious to experience Swedish fika with a local host, you can explore and book our upcoming fika experiences directly online.

☕️🍰
Welcome to sit down, slow down, and share a slice of Swedish hospitality.

Inlägget Lucia – a light-filled tradition in Sweden dök först upp på A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.

Fika with Marco: a monk, a social worker, a big conversation (Höllviken)

One afternoon, Mia welcomed Marco from Germany for fika. He’d studied religion, spent six years as a monk before the pandemic, and now works as a social worker in Cologne. Over cinnamon buns and coffee, the talk went deep—society, world economics, faith—the kind of conversation that reminds you how much we all carry, and how warm a kitchen can feel when stories meet across borders. He’d been exploring Lund, Malmö and Höllviken; Sweden had long been on his list, and fika turned out to be the perfect doorway.

A Florida gift and a Malmö city tour (Kristina & Björn)

“Some visits become something a little extra,” wrote hosts Kristina and Björn after an evening with Danielle and Glenn. They started with a mini guided tour of Malmö, then shared a long dinner filled with talk and laughter. Their guests had been traveling for a while and brought a gift all the way from Florida—the sort of thoughtful surprise that seems to travel farther than luggage and end up right where it belongs: in new friends’ hands, with a promise to toast each other again.

New Year’s dinner: Germany, Mexico, and a very happy dog (Lotta)

At Lotta’s place, Dominik and his mother (Germany) met Alejandra (Mexico) for a New Year’s Eve feast:

• Chanterelle toast with Prästost crisps
• Moster Britta’s herring pâté
• Venison patties with root-veg purée
• Meringue & ice cream with cloudberry compote

Between courses, there were walks, stories, and—most importantly—dog playtime. “She forgot to be afraid of fireworks,” Lotta wrote. We call that excellent socialization… and excellent hosting.

Honeymoon lunch in Ystad: smörgåstårta & film stops (Susanne & Gustav)

In Ystad, Susanne and Gustav hosted Charlotte & Tyler from Hong Kong on their honeymoon. Charlotte studies Swedish and wanted to practice; both love Swedish culture and film, so after a lunch of salmon & shrimp smörgåstårtawith drinks from Kiviks Musteri, the couple set off to explore Wallander and The Bridge filming spots. A warm lunch, a city walk, and a shared love of stories—on the plate and on the screen.

A London table meets a Swedish one (Julia)

Charlotte & Phil from London came to Julia for a conversation that zig-zagged from UK & Swedish politics to cats—with plenty of laughter in between. Dinner was a three-act play:

• Jerusalem artichoke soup with funnel chanterelles, apple & pecans
• Slow-roasted pork shoulder (local farm), rosemary & garlic, syrup-roasted white cabbage, almond-potato purée, parsley-root crisps
• Pear & chocolate cake with ginger and caramel mousse

They left full and glowing—and with an open invitation to visit London.

From our guests

“Awesome experience… a guided tour, a wonderful dinner, and a birthday song in Swedish! Their generosity—helping track a stolen phone and getting us to the right train—made it the highlight of our trip to Denmark/Sweden.” — Matt

“The food, company, and laughter were unforgettable… moose stew is a new favorite! Thank you for welcoming us so warmly and sharing your culture.” — Amber & family, Amsterdam

“Magical… one of my most memorable conference evenings. We discovered we had so much in common that I’m sure we’ll collaborate in the future.” — Margaret H. Greenberg, PCC, executive coach & co-author of Profit from the Positive

What these evenings have in common

No staging. No scripts. Just real Swedish homes, seasonal food, and curious people. We take shoes off in the hallway (it’s Sweden!), set the table, and let the evening unfold. Some nights are quiet and reflective; others are filled with jokes and second helpings. Kids are welcome. Questions are welcome. You are welcome.

Our values and hosting guidelines live on the About page—how we cook, how we match guests with hosts, and how we make space for dietary needs. But you’ll feel the essentials the moment you step inside: warmth, simplicity, and the belief that a shared meal turns strangers into neighbors.

Ready to pull up a chair?

Tell us your preferences when you book—we’ll match you with a host, a town, and a menu that fit your time and tastes.

Inlägget Guest Stories: Evenings at Real Swedish Tables dök först upp på A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.

Those dinners taught me what hospitality really means: simple food, honest conversation, and the feeling that you belong. I loved cooking from an early age—and even more, I loved what happened when people gathered around a meal. You pass the potatoes, you share a story, and suddenly the room feels like family.

Years later, when I had children of my own and lived in Malmö—a city that hums with cultures from all over the world—life was full and travel wasn’t always possible. One evening I realized: If we can’t go out to meet the world, maybe the world can come to our table. That was the spark.

In 2011 I opened my home to guests who were curious about Swedish life beyond hotels and restaurants. The idea grew naturally: real homes, real food, real conversation. Over the years we’ve welcomed wonderful people visiting Sweden who want to see how we actually live—how we cook, how we talk, how we make space for each other on dark winter evenings and bright summer nights.

What an evening feels like

You arrive at a real Swedish home—shoes off (this is Sweden!), a warm hello, and straight into the kitchen. We cook what we truly eat: perhaps hand-rolled meatballs with lingonberries, seasonal salads, oven-baked salmon, or a beloved vegetarian classic. There’s coffee ready for fika and something sweet cooling on the counter.

Conversation flows easily: food, family, work, why we love cinnamon buns, how we handle endless daylight in June and long nights in January. Kids are welcome; questions are welcome; differences are welcome. We don’t stage anything—we simply live it together for an evening.

Why we keep doing this

The world moves fast. A dinner moves slow. Around a table we listen differently and see each other more clearly. Guests tell us they came for the food and left with a deeper sense of connection—to Sweden, and to themselves.

For me, A Slice of Swedish Hospitality is a way to honor where I come from—those Skåne garden tables—and to share the same spirit in the city I call home. It’s a way to keep learning from others, just as my family once learned from visiting students and colleagues who crossed borders to spend a season with us.

Who’s behind the table

We are Swedish hosts and ambassadors who love bringing people together. Some of us are families with teenagers who cook side-by-side; some of us are professionals who bake on Sundays and collect stories all week. What unites us is simple: warm hospitality and the belief that a shared meal can turn strangers into neighbors.

Our values—what we cook with, how we host, and how we care for guests—are all described on the About page. In short: we choose warmth over perfection, curiosity over certainty, and seasonality over show.

You’re invited

If this sounds like your kind of travel, we’d love to welcome you. Tell us your preferences when you book, and we’ll match you with a host. Dietary needs? Families? Solo travelers? You’re all welcome.

Book your seat and come as you are. Leave full, seen, and a little more connected.

Inlägget From a Skåne Garden Table to Yours — The Story Behind A Slice of Swedish Hospitality dök först upp på A Slice of Swedish Hospitality.