Cinnamon Roll

ORIGINATING IN SCANDINAVIA, CINNAMON ROLLS HAVE BECOME VERY POPULAR IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS ROLLED BRIOCHE IS FILLED WITH A MIXTURE OF BUTTER, SUGAR AND CINNAMON AND COVERED WITH GLAZE.

Text by Mégane Fleury

Sources: https://www.seriouseats.com/know-your-sweets-cinnamon-bun; L'explorateur du goût, by Alexandre Stern, Ducasse Edition; Marc Grossman

International Cuisine

Gourmet Food Beyond our Borders

The cinnamon roll is a delicious and generous brioche. The original version originated in Northern Europe, but has been a great success in the United States, where its recipe has been developed. Easy to make, cinnamon rolls can be adapted in a thousand different ways allowing you to add your own personal twist. Known as kanelbulle in Sweden and kanelsnegle in Denmark, this translates to roulé à la cannelle in French.

From Scandinavia to the United States: the history of cinnamon roll

The origins of the cinnamon roll are linked to those of cinnamon. The spice comes from the bark of the Ceylon cinnamon tree, which grows in Sri Lanka. In the 17th century, the first exports of cinnamon were sent to Europe, with the arrival of the first Dutch settlers on the island. European bakers were then thought to have begun adding it to some of their recipes. The cinnamon roll as we know it is thought to have appeared in Sweden in the early 20th century, before quickly being exported to the United States. There, it grew in popularity thanks to the chain: Cinnabon®, specialized in cinnamon rolls. The first store opened in 1985 in the suburbs of Seattle, and since then over 1,000 stores have been opened in more than fifty countries.

While this has helped make the cinnamon roll famous the world over, it remains a mass- produced version of the pastry. “You’ve got to realize that this isn’t a cinnamon roll, in some chains, you'll find small, dry, brioche swirls with a small amount of glaze," explains Marc Grossman, an American chef and culinary author who has been based in Paris since the 2000s. These products are generally frozen, defrosted and reheated.” Quite the opposite of the cinnamon roll he makes in his stores, including Bob's Bake shop (Paris, 18th arrondissement). The chef vividly remembers his first time trying a cinnamon roll, in Los Angeles, at a diner, a typical American restaurant serving traditional dishes. “I was 18, I think," he tells us. “I was with my cousin, who went there every morning. Every day, at the same time, the waitress would go round with a tray of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. They had been baked together, resulting in imperfectly shaped, but still warm pieces with an incredible glaze. To eat them, you had to be on time because they were only served once a day, and this memory has become a benchmark for me."

An Ode to Gourmet Delights

In crossing the Atlantic, the cinnamon roll underwent a slight transformation. “It became very American," says Marc Grossman. In the United States, it is covered with a rather excessive layer of glaze." In Northern Europe, they are simply sprinkled with sugar crystals. “The glaze is important, a bit like in carrot cake," he says. It's usually made with icing sugar and cream cheese, and sometimes vanilla. In a perfect world, you have to eat the cinnamon roll while it’s still warm, when it comes out of the oven, it's a bit like a baguette when it’s still warm, it's not always possible to eat it that way, but it's better." He points out that it's difficult to reheat the cinnamon roll, because of the glaze. In his Holiday Café store, in Paris's 16th arrondissement, he draws on his experience in Los Angeles: "every morning, we prepare a tray of cinnamon rolls, still warm, and if there are any left over, they are sold during the day, but there's only one batch a day." In his other establishments, he makes them in muffin tins instead, to make them easier to separate.

A Simple Recipe with Many Variations

For the American chef, there aren't necessarily any rules for making cinnamon rolls, but they have to be fresh. Cinnamon rolls are made from a brioche dough base. "You have to let the dough puff up, then deflate it slightly before rolling it out and
topping it with softened butter, sugar and cinnamon." He points out that you can modify the filling to suit your taste: a little
cardamom for a Scandinavian touch, tahini (sesame cream) for a more Mediterranean recipe, and so on. Dried fruit and nuts such as walnuts or raisins can also be added."Once the filling is spread, you then roll and cut it, the slices become the cinnamon rolls." Shaping techniques can also vary: in Scandinavian countries, the dough is folded or tightly braided. Marc Grossman explains that you can change the filling in an infinite number of ways, as with babka, a brioche of Polish origin often topped with chocolate. "It's really easy, because the base is a filled brioche, so it's hard to mess up," he explains. That said, I've tried many things, but my customers always prefer the classic version with cinnamon." As with many products, a
classic, well-made version of the cinnamon roll is a sure-fire hit with customers!

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Marc Grossman

BOB'S BAKE SHOP (Paris)
Marc Grossman dreamed of being a film director, but became a restaurateur. Originally from New York, he moved to Paris in 2000. Six years later, in 2006, he decided to open a juice bar in the capital, inspired by the "health bars" that had emerged in New York in the 1980s. A few years later, he opened Bob's Kitchen, a vegetarian restaurant that has since closed. In 2014, he set up Bob's bake shop in the Halle Pajol (Paris, 18th arrondissement), serving bagels, cheesecakes, pancakes and cinnamon rolls, as well as fresh juices. He has also opened Bob's Café at the MK2 Bibliothèque cinema in Paris, Bob's Bar at the Nanterre-Amandiers theater and Holiday Café with Bob in Paris's 16th arrondissement. Marc Grossman is also an author of cookery books, including New-York, les recettes cultes (Marabout) and Recettes Shabbat (Marabout).