Zeeuwse Bolus or bolussen is a delectable Dutch pastry rolled in cinnamon and brown sugar. They're crispy, crunchy from the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside. Enjoy on it's own as a snack or with a cup of coffee—either way, you'll love them!
What is a Zeeuwse bolus?
This is a pastry from the Zeeland province of The Netherlands. It's similar to cinnamon rolls in the sense that they're rolled with cinnamon sugar they're crunchy and soft—and SO much easier to make. I can definitely say, they're hard to put down!
The dough is basically rolled into a long log and coated liberally with brown sugar and cinnamon, then shaped into a knot or a spiral. The sugar crisps up outside and becomes crunchy, while the inside is pillowy soft. Just writing this is making me crave them.
I'm making these for the Dutch Grand Prix edition of my Dine to Survive series where I make foods from all the Formula 1 host countries! Check out my previous ones such as Victoria Sponge Cake, Paella, Liege Waffles and more here!
For more yeast dough/bread recipes, try out these BOMB Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts), these Raspberry Lemon Rolls and the perfect Cinnamon Rolls!
Ingredients
Rejoice! The list of ingredients is short, yet essential:
See recipe card BELOW for quantities.
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Egg
- Butter
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
Instructions
Warm the milk and combine it with yeast and a pinch of sugar, letting it sit until foamy. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt, then add the beaten egg and yeast mixture and mix until you get a shaggy dough
- Add in the butter and knead into a sticky, smooth dough, and let it rise for an hour.
- While the dough rises, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a tray. Once the dough has risen, divide it into 12 pieces, roll each into a 15 cm log, and coat in the cinnamon sugar. Place on a parchment-lined tray and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Next, roll the logs to 35-40 cm, coat them again in the cinnamon sugar, and shape into spirals. Let rest for another hour. Preheat the oven to 450°F during this time
- Bake the spirals for 6-8 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Cover them with a piece of parchment and flip onto another large tray. Let them cool completely before enjoying.
Variations
- Shape: You can shape these however you like! Simple spirals or even knots.
- Cinnamon sugar: Add spices like nutmeg, cardamom, etc to give it a slightly different flavour profile if you'd like!
Storage
Store them in an airtight container at room temp for 2-3 days. Reheat in a toaster or air-fryer.
If you would like to freeze them, let them cool after baking and place in an airtight bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw and heat up before serving.
Top Tips
- Don't add more flour: The dough should be slightly sticky. Resist the urge to add more flour, as this keeps the bolus soft and pillowy.
- Resting Periods are Key: Don’t skip the resting times. Proper resting will help you be able to roll them out long without them shrinking because of the gluten strands. They need to rest to be able to stretch more.
- Monitor Baking Time: Keep a close eye on the bolus while baking. The sugar coating can burn quickly, so baking for 6-8 minutes should be just enough.
- Don't burn yourself!! Let the pastries cool before handling. The sugar coating will be extremely hot and can cause nasty burns.
FAQ
Ensure your yeast is fresh and active. If your kitchen is cool, try letting the dough rise in a slightly warm, draft-free area to help it double in size.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze them individually wrapped. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes to restore their softness.
You can substitute brown sugar with white sugar mixed with a small amount of molasses to maintain the rich, caramel flavour. White sugar will also work, but won't have the deep flavour of the brown sugar.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these out:
Dutch Cinnamon Rolls - Zeeuwse Bolus
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all purpose flour (483g)
- 275 ml whole milk (warmed up to 105℉) (281g)
- ¼ cup softened butter (56g)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
- 1½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1½ cup brown sugar (300g)
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine the warm milk and yeast, with a pinch of the sugar. Let it sit until foamy.275 ml whole milk (warmed up to 105℉), 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Make a little well in the middle and add in the beaten egg.3½ cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoon sugar, 1½ teaspoon salt, 1 large egg
- Add in the yeast mixture and knead for a bit until you get a shaggy dough. Add in the butter and knead for 4-6 minutes or until you get a smooth and elastic dough. It should be a bit sticky, so don't be tempted to add more flour.¼ cup softened butter
- Cover and let the dough rest for about an hour or until just about doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon powder in a large tray.2 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1½ cup brown sugar
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, about 73 grams each. Roll out each one until its about 15cm long. Cover well with the cinnamon sugar.
- Place them in a large baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Cover and let them rest for about 20 minutes.
- Then roll the logs out even longer, until about 35-40 cm. Roll in more of the cinnamon sugar to make sure they're all coated properly.
- Roll them into a spiral and tuck the end of it into one of the layers.
- Place on the baking tray, spaced apart, cover and let rest for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450F° while they rest.
- Sprinkle some more of the sugar mixture on them and bake for 6-8 minutes. They bake quickly, so be sure to keep an eye on them as the sugar burns easily.
- Cover them with a piece of parchment and flip onto another large tray. Don't touch them until cooled down because the sugar is HOT.
- Enjoy! And please leave a review if you liked them. It really helps out the site!
Tahoora says
Looks sooooo yummmmyyy
Nabeah Wahab says
Thank you hehe!
Vee says
Trying this out today I'll be back with feedback looks really yummy
Nabeah Wahab says
How did they turn out?
Karen says
I made these for my husband and he loved them so much brought them to work and his co-workers loved them!!!! Even my kids (who do NOT like the canned cinnamon rolls) enjoyed them!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I wonder if you have a good recipe for frosting to go on top? It's an indulgence so the sweeter the better! Lol!
Ana says
As soon as the reel was up, I was checking to make sure I had all the ingredients! Absolutely loved this recipe, so easy to follow - thanks for the metric conversion. I ended up baking them in a muffin tin, just because it’s more within my comfort zone, and served them with marshmallow fluff, because yum! They did look a bit like little poops, but in a very adorable way haha I may or may not have eaten three in one day (and working really hard to not make it four). I’m waiting to confirm this tomorrow, but my usual cinnamon rolls are only good for a couple of hours after baking and these seem to really hold up well over time, which I love <3
Nabeah Wahab says
Ahh I'm so happy you liked them! And thank you so much for leaving such a kind review!
Adel says
Amazing ! Give me 10 of them
Carly says
Wow I can't wait to make this with muly daughter. I appreciate all the info , directions and pictures. It helps my visual brain
Nabeah Wahab says
I hope you guys liked them! and I'm happy the detailed info is useful! I'm trying to include that for each recipe to make it easier to understand
Ayesha says
Thesr we're sooo good. The dough came out great too. A liiiiitle too sweet for me (I ended up breaking out lol). I've these would be amazing in slightly smaller or maybe bite sized sizes too
Nabeah Wahab says
I'm glad they you liked them haha! I love the smaller size idea, especially for people who don't like things too sweet!
Raisha says
Immediately went and bought the ingredients and it turned out delicious
Nabeah Wahab says
So happy you liked them!!
Mona Abd-El Aziz says
Hi!
I have 2 questions. Mine didn’t rise at all. Even though the yeast was active. Is there a reason? Also I have made them and I’m at the step right before the oven. Can I put them in fridge or freeze them untill I want them?
Lauren says
Really good! Easy recipe. I did add some frosting. Needed a tad bit of sweetness
Courtney says
Turned out Amazing! I added a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste to my dough as I love the vanilla and cinnamon combo. I also made a few with fresh blueberries and they were divine. I will absolutely make these again!
Paula says
The fluffiest dough I've done. This is my new cinnamon rolls favorite recipe.
Courtney Bone says
The rolls came out beautifully and were delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m wondering though, could I leave the unbaked rolls in my refrigerator overnight so I can bake them in the morning?
Mike Baker says
Your recipe calls for 3-1/2 cups of flour, which is 420 grams, but you show it as 483 grams. Please clarify.
Nabeah Wahab says
Sometimes cups vary in weight across different brands, so I include the weight of my ingredients in my recipes for accuracy. My cups of flour weigh 138g and I double check while developing recipes to be as accurate as possible.
Cecelia Diane Buchanan says
I made this recipe today for the first time and they were amazing! This is a wonderful recipe! I found it by accident because someone on Facebook put a recipe calling it Dutch Cinnamon Rolls. I looked it over and it seemed like a typical cinnamon roll recipe. So I decided to check out what they actually were and I found your recipe. I'm glad I got nosy. Lol.
SB says
They are divine, can’t wait to make them
Naaz says
The cinnamon rolls are fluffy and delicious! They are light compared to the normal, frosted variety- which is a good and bad thing, as I may have eaten two. Thank you for the recipe!