These are the best buns in London: from Swedish kanelbullar to chocolate, cardamom and more

These are the best buns in London: from Swedish kanelbullar to chocolate, cardamom and more

Credit: Pophams; Ole & Steen; Fortitude Bakehouse; Dusty Knuckle

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These are the best buns in London: from Swedish kanelbullar to chocolate, cardamom and more

By Annie Simpson

2 years ago

5 min read

Whether you’re craving Swedish style cardamom knots or sweet and sticky cinnamon rolls, these London bakeries have you covered.


Despite our brief love affair with bread making in lockdown, it’s safe to say that we mostly tend to leave the mixing, proofing and baking to the professionals these days. And for good reason. London is home to countless incredible bakeries that offer an array of sweet and savoury delights.

From artisan sourdough to freshly baked croissants, there’s a little something for everyone in the capital, but if you’re after a sweet bake that can be enjoyed at any time of the day, there’s nothing quite like a bun.  

Whether you crave Swedish kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) and kardemummaknutar (cardamom knots) flecked with sugar pearls or opt for American-style sticky glazed cinnamon rolls laden with spices, we’re letting you know where to find the very best that London has to offer. 


Buns From Home

If you’re after a home-baked bun but aren’t exactly gifted when it comes to all things flour, butter and sugar, then it’s Buns From Home that you want to hit up.

As the name suggests, this outlet started out with founder Barney lovingly baking in his home kitchen – now, Buns From Home has 12 shops across London, with each still promising to deliver the same quality (the croissant dough is made from scratch every day).

The classic cinnamon bun is not to be missed, but each bakery also offers special filled dessert buns each week, with past flavours including cheesecake, vanilla custard, chocolate custard and tiramisu.

Multiple locations across London; bunsfromhome.com


Fortitude Bakehouse

Tucked down a cobblestone mews in Bloomsbury, you’ll find craft bakery Fortitude Bakehouse – and its bold blue doors are worth seeking out next time you’re in the area, thanks to its menu of coffees and pastries, which are baked fresh daily.

Serving a seasonal selection of buns and beignets alongside an ever-changing menu of other sweet and savoury delights (recent flavours include tiramisu beignet and mango lime cream, but if it’s buns you’re after, don’t miss the cinnamon sticky bun and the chocolate sticky bun) that go perfectly with your morning coffee.

If you’re keen to try your hand at some of the bakery’s most famed recipes, be sure to check out its 2021 cookbook, Baking With Fortitude.

35 Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N; fortitudebakehouse.com


The Dusty Knuckle

A Dalston institution, The Dusty Knuckle needs no introduction. Known for its knockout bread, sandwiches and pizza – not to mention its immersive youth training programme for young offenders – it’s also worth noting its array of sweet bakes, which includes two types of bun.

The aptly named morning bun is one of the bakery’s most popular products, featuring croissant dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, while for an updated take on the traditional Chelsea bun, The Dusty Knuckle’s sticky buns are made with yeasted dough and raisin and cinnamon filling. 

Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP

429 Green Lanes, London, N4 1HA; thedustyknuckle.com


Pophams

If you’ve tried (and loved) Popham’s croissants, you’re going to want to try its cardamom buns, too.

Made with repurposed dough leftover from making said croissants, then layered with a generous helping of cardamom, orange and brown sugar butter to create a mouthwatering laminated creation. 

Available to take away, the buns are served warm in the bakery for the ultimate morning treat.

19 Prebend Street, London, N1 8PF

197 Richmond Road, London, E8 3NJ

110A Lauriston Road, London, E9 7HA; pophamsbakery.com 


Ole & Steen

If you mix a Chelsea bun with Danish influences and give it an XXL twist, you’d get Ole & Steen’s signature socials – which have a loyal band of fans across the capital.

Available in cinnamon or vegan cinnamon flavours, each Social features braided sweet dough, soft custardy fillings, a kick of cinnamon and a drizzle of icing on top, with a more traditional Danish almond social also on offer.

The bakery also serves individual-sized puff pastry swirls in the chocolate and cinnamon flavours (which they call snails), but the oversized, twisted socials are perfect for sharing. 

Multiple locations across London; oleandsteen.co.uk


Jolene

With several locations under its belt in London, Jolene has something of a cult following.

In its north London Newington Green bakery and restaurant, diners can enjoy a daily changing menu of small savoury plates – with everything they do championing regenerative food growers and small producers. While the dinner menu is not to be missed, neither is the pastry offering – which often includes a sticky cream cheese topped cinnamon or chocolate bun.

Over at its smaller shops in Shoreditch and Islington, the bakery roster features a hard-to-beat sugar-dusted cardamom bun.

Multiple locations across London; bigjobakery.com


Crosstown

If you’re looking for a vegan option, Crosstown’s cinnamon scrolls are sure to sate cravings.

Part doughnut, part bun, this squishy, sticky creation is made using excess sourdough from the bakery’s doughnut-making process. This is then swirled with Sri Lankan cinnamon, topped with Tongan vanilla bean glaze and finished with a sprinkling of homemade vanilla bean crumble to make a morning-appropriate sweet bake that will please both vegans and non-vegans alike. 

Multiple locations across London and the UK, crosstown.co.uk


Fabrique Bakery

With an ethos that we can get behind – one that uses only fresh, natural ingredients and traditional methods to make our artisanal sourdough and pastries – Fabrique has locations in London, New York and Stockholm.

Taking bread making seriously, the artisan bakery makes everything in stone ovens, serving a range of seasonally changing range of rye and sourdough bread, as well as buns and pastries. 

Sticking true to the roots of founders Charlotta and David, the buns found here are traditional Swedish style knots, laced with a revolving roster of flavours from classic cardamom to saffron and walnut – all of which are topped with a sprinkle of crunchy sugar pearls.

Multiple locations across London; fabrique.co.uk


The Barbary Next Door

Little sister to Berber-style Covent Garden restaurant The Barbary, The Barbary Next Door is a neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar serving food inspired by the flavours of Moorish Spain and north African cooking.

By night it serves a menu of small plates, featuring sharing snacks, raw and fresh dishes and slow-cooked meats, but by day, the casual space offers pittas, coffee and pastry – including the Barbary babka bun with chocolate glaze.

Taking its cue from the classic babka (a Jewish sweet braided bread), the buns are made fresh every morning, so make sure you head there early to not miss out.

16a Neal’s Yard, London, WC2H 9DP; thebarbarynextdoor.co.uk


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