Zeeuwse Bolus - Dutch Sticky Cinnamon Buns

Total Time
2hrs 10mins
Prep 2 hrs
Cook 10 mins

A bolus is a sweet pastry of Jewish origin from the Dutch province of Zeeland. They are made by baking dough in a spiral shape and covering it with treacle and cinnamon. The bolus was first created in Zeeland in the first half of the 17th century. There are, for as far as I know two varietys, the "Zeeuwse bolus" wich is the classic cinnamon bolus, and there is the " Ouddorpse bolus" wich is only baked on the island of Goerree-Overflakkee. This recipe is from the dutch baker Piet Daane, the recipe is freely available in Dutch.


  1. Sift all of the flour into a bowl and add some salt. Heat the milk until it is lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast together with the butter in a littlebit of the lukewarm milk. Make a depression in the flour and add the yeast solution that has just been created. Now break the egg and put it into the same depression together with the yeast solution. Pour the rest of the lukewarm milk one bit at the time into the flour, start making a nice smooth dough. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour under a damp cloth in a warm place. Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together. After rising for one hour knead the dough well.
  2. Cut the dough into small pieces of about 60 grams each. Let the dough rise for about 15 minutes under a plastic bag or tarp. After 15 minutes you can roll the dough through the sugar-cinnamon mixture for a first subtle coating. Then let it rise for another 15 minutes.
  3. Now for the real work. Roll the dough pieces throug the sugar, making long strings about an 1,5 cm in diametre. Twist the strings around your vinger like a turban (or like that obvious thing it looks like). It is very simple, get one end between your thumb and forefinger and turn the string in 2 times around your finger. If that fails, try it on a counter, that should be easier. Put the boluses on equal distances on a buttered baking sheet (or use bakery paper). Put the boluses under a plastic sheet for another half hour of rising.
  4. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius. Bake for 10 minutes until the boluses and brown. After baking turn the bolusses immediatly. Be careful, the molten sugar is HOT!Let the bolusses cool down but do not let them dry out.
  5. Best served warm and sticky!