Snegl, kannelbullar, schnecken, skillingsboller or just plain old cinnamon roll. Almost every country has its own take on this pastry and it seems to have become my mission in life to sample each one. Yeah, it’s one tough mission.

The variations are small but compelling. Denmark tops its snegl, which means “snail” and is an apt description of this swirled roll, with a thick layer of icing. Made from confectioner’s sugar, its sweetness balances out the heady cinnamon and adds beauty and succulence to the bun.

Norway’s skillingsboller bears a strong resemblance to the Danish snegl. Most Norwegian bakers use a little less icing than their Danish counterparts. However, the result is just as delightful.

Cardamom transforms the Swedish kannelbullar from a standard cinnamon roll to something far more complex and ethereal. Capped off with a sprinkling of pearl sugar, it, too, is a delight to see and eat.

Some countries add raisins to their rolls. In fact, that’s how my mission got started; I thought that I’d purchased a pain au raisin for breakfast in Cologne, Germany and instead ended up with a raisin-studded cinnamon bun. Not what I’d expected but still tasty nonetheless. Then there is the inclusion of nuts, which I found most often in the German schnecken.

Others opt to glaze their buns with a sugar syrup. This makes the buns stickier than I like. If I’m eating something gooey and chewy, then it should be a good old sticky bun.

I still have many, many countries to visit and cinnamon rolls to try. Until I have passport stamps from all 189 to 196 countries and the same number of cinnamon rolls under my expanding waistline, I’ll share a recipe for Scandinavian cinnamon buns. This takes the best that I’ve experienced in Scandinavia and puts it all in one delicious little pastry.

SCANDINAVIAN CINNAMON ROLLS

Makes 12 rolls

for the dough:
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons warm milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature

for the filling:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg

for the icing:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 teaspoons warm water

Place the yeast and water in a small bowl and allow the yeast to dissolve. In large bowl mix together the salt, sugar, melted butter and milk. Pour in the yeast mixture, add the egg and vanilla and stir together until combined.

Using either a wooden spoon or flat beater of a stand mixer, mix in the flour, beating until the dough is smooth and soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, form the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and place the dough in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.

Grease a large baking sheet. Dust a clean work surface with flour.

Place the dough in the center and roll out a large rectangle.

Spread half of the butter along half of the long half of the dough. Fold the unbuttered side over the buttered side and press together. Place the dough on the greased baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Leaving the dough on the baking sheet, press it out into a rectangle double in size. Spread the remaining butter over the center third of the dough. Fold one unbuttered side to the middle and then fold the remaining unbuttered side over it to make three layers of dough that are roughly square in shape. Cover and refrigerate again for 1 hour.

To make the filling, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dust the clean work surface with flour. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or a large baking dish and set aside.

Roll out the dough into a large square and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over it. Roll up the dough into a cylinder and, using a sharp knife, cut it into 12 equally sized pieces. Place the rolls, cut side up, into each cup. If you’re using a baking dish, place the rolls in the dish, leaving about an inch of space between each. Cover and allow them to rise for 35 to 45 minutes.

As the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on wire rack and cool slightly, about 15 minutes, before removing the rolls from the pan to cool completely on the rack.

Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and 1 teaspoon water; if you prefer a runnier icing, add the 2nd teaspoon of water. Using a knife or spoon, spread or drizzle the icing over the rolls. Enjoy!