These Swedish Bread Rolls are soft, light bread rolls with sunflower seeds on top. Sometimes called breakfast rolls because they’re often found on Swedish breakfast tables, they are perfect with butter or jam — enjoy them any time of the day!
If you want to try a Swedish loaf bread instead of rolls, check out my classic limpa bread recipe!
These breakfast rolls are quite similar to Swedish cheese buns (locally known as ostfrallor) — so it’s up to you to decide if you want the slightly salty crunch from the cheese toppings or the crunch from the sunflower seeds. 🙂
Swedish bread rolls are best served when fresh, but they can also be frozen when you want to keep them longer. Store them in the freezer once they’re completely cool, then just heat them up when you want to enjoy them.
You can have them plain, with your favorite cheese, cold cuts — or, as we often do here in Stockholm, with butter and jam. Absolute yum!
FOR MORE CLASSIC SWEDISH RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
(See the recipe card below for measurements.)
- Flour – you need to use bread flour to get a fluffier, softer texture for your Swedish breakfast rolls.
- Yeast – I always use active dry yeast.
- Butter – unsalted and at room temperature.
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar will work great for this recipe.
- Milk – whole cream milk, if possible, for mixing with the yeast.
- Egg – you only need this for brushing the bread rolls, not part of the dough.
- Salt – just use your favorite brand.
- Sunflower seeds – for topping your breakfast rolls.
How to make Swedish breakfast rolls
Start by combining yeast with warm milk, then set aside until it’s foamy.
Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a stand-mixer bowl or any bowl if kneading by hand.
Add butter and yeast mixture.
Mix (and knead) until you get a smooth dough, then place in an oiled bowl.
Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in size (this typically takes about 90 minutes for me).
Divide into six portions and form them into balls.
Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper —- keep some distance since they will be expanding.
Cover again with a cloth, then set aside until they get puffy (thirty to forty-five minutes).
Preheat oven to 200°C (375°F).
Combine egg and three tablespoons of cold or room-temperature milk (not warm!).
Brush your Swedish breakfast rolls with the egg and milk mixture.
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds, particularly the top part of the rolls.
Place in the oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until they turn golden.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
Serve your Swedish bread rolls with butter, marmalade, or your favorite soft cheese — enjoy!
Helpful tips
- It is not a problem if you don’t have a stand mixer. The dough is not sticky, so it’s easy to manage when you use your hands to knead the dough manually.
- If you want to make the bread rolls equal in size, your best option is to use a weighing scale to divide the dough and weigh each portion.
Recipe variation
- Other seeds. Pumpkin seeds, sesame, or even poppy seeds can be used instead (like these Danish breakfast rolls).
- No egg. Yep, skipping the egg is ok if you don’t want it. Just brush the bread with milk to give it a bit of shine. Note that the egg helps in giving them that golden color.
Ready to give these Swedish bread rolls a try? Do it this weekend, and let me know! 🙂
OR GET MORE IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF BREAD FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL DISHES, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES BY COUNTRY!
📖 Recipe
Swedish Bread Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 ml milk (about 1 cup), warm (plus more for brushing the rolls)
- 8 grams yeast (1 & 1/2 teaspoons)
- 350 grams bread flour (about 2 & 1/3 cups)
- 25 grams butter (about 1 tablespoon + 2 & 1/2 teaspoons), softened
- 3 grams sugar (1/2 teaspoon)
- 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 egg, beaten
- handful of sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Combine yeast with warm milk, then set aside until it's ready.
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a stand-mixer bowl or any bowl if kneading by hand.
- Add butter and yeast mixture.
- Combine and knead until you get a smooth dough, then place in an oiled bowl.
- Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in size.(NOTE: Generally takes about 90 minutes for me.)
- Divide into six sections and form each portion into a ball.
- Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper —- keep some space in between since they will be expanding.
- Cover again with a cloth, then set aside until they expand (thirty to forty-five minutes).
- Preheat oven to 200°C (375°F).
- Combine egg and three tablespoons of cold or room-temperature milk.
- Brush your Swedish breakfast rolls with the egg and milk mixture.
- Sprinkle with sunflower seeds, particularly the top part of the rolls.
- Place in the oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until they turn golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
- Serve your Swedish bread rolls with butter, marmalade, or your favourite cheese — enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip: If you don’t have a stand mixer, it’s absolutely fine to knead the dough with your hands — it is not a sticky dough, so it’s so easy to handle manually.
- Refer to the post for more tips and substitutions.
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