Norwegian Skoleboller Buns Recipes

NORWEGIAN SCHOOL BUNS 'SKOLEBOLLER' (SOURDOUGH)

Steps:

• Start by mixing active sourdough starter, milk, flour, and sugar in a bowl. Cover and rise in a warm spot for 4 hours or until the levain has doubled/tripled in size.
• Start by gathering all the ingredients. Add them all, except the butter, to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Cover, and autolyse/rest for 30 minutes.
• Start your mixer again and knead on medium speed for 5-10 minutes.
• After 5-10 minutes: slowly add in the softened butter, one cube at a time.
• When all the butter is added, continue kneading at medium speed for 15-25 minutes until your dough passes the window-pane test.
• Gently shape the dough into a round. Transfer it to a clean, lightly oiled baking bowl and proof in a warm spot, ideally at around 78°F/26°C, for two hours.
• After two hours, transfer the dough to the fridge to cold-proof for a minimum of six hours (or up to fifteen hours).
• Take the dough out of the fridge, let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Next, weigh the dough and divide it by the number of buns you would like to make, either 9 large (roughly 120g each) or 12 smaller buns (roughly 90g each).
• Use your bench knife to cut the dough into equal pieces. Then, shape the dough pieces into seamless rounds. Transfer them to a lined baking tray. Use your hands to gently push down the rounds to make them more of a disc shape. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap.
• Since my baking tray is too large for my proofing box, I let them proof at room temperature (around 68°F/20°C) for 10 hours. You want the buns to be all puffed up and doubled in size before you bake them. This may take anywhere from 9-12 hours, depending on your environment, temperatures, and sourdough starter.*
• In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, and salt.
• Cut the vanilla bean pod in half (lengthwise) and scrape off the vanilla bean with a knife.
• Add the milk and vanilla bean to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat until you can see small bubbles forming around the edges of the pot, almost to a boil.
• Take the pot off the heat and slowly pour it over the egg mixture a little at a time while constantly whisking.
• Place a fine-mesh strainer over the pot and strain everything back into the pot. Heat up over medium heat, still constantly whisking, until the pastry cream is thick and shiny.
• Remove from heat and mix in the butter. If you're using vanilla extract, you want to mix it in now.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap that is touching the entire surface of the cream. Cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 430°F/220°C.
• Use your knuckles/fingertips to create an indention in the middle of each bun. You want to make sure to really press down the dough so that the filling stays inside the bun rather than on top of the bun.
• With a spoon or piping bag, fill the centers of each bun with a generous amount of vanilla pastry cream.
• Brush with egg wash and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
• When the buns are completely cooled down, you can make the glaze.
• Combine powdered sugar and water and mix until it forms a thick glaze.
• Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over each bun. Lastly, sprinkle on the desiccated coconut.

NORWEGIAN VANILLA CUSTARD BUNS (SKOLEBOLLER OR SKOLEBRøD)

Steps:

• Make the Tangzhong: Combine water, milk and flour in a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Make the Dough: While the tangzhong is cooling, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients for the dough. Combine yeast, cardamom (if using), salt, sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk briefly by hand to combine.
• Attach the dough hook to the mixer. Add melted and cooled butter, milk, egg and the cooled tangzhong (it can be slightly warm to the touch) to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium low until fully combined.
• Increase mixer speed to medium and knead mixture for 3-4 minutes or until dough is slightly tacky but not sticky and clears the side of the bowl. It's okay if it's sticking to the bottom of the bowl slightly. Add an extra tablespoon of flour as necessary if your dough seems too sticky. You can also mix and knead the dough by hand but it will take longer, more like 8-10 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for an hour to an hour and a half or until 1 ½ or 2 times its original size. The time will largely depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Meanwhile, make the Vanilla Custard Filling. Whisk egg yolks, butter, cornstarch, half and half, sugar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Place pan over medium low heat and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Stir in vanilla. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the pastry cream, followed by a layer of plastic wrap (this prevents the custard from forming a skin). Refrigerate until you are ready to use. (The Vanilla Custard Filling can be made 1-2 days in advance.)
• Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean, unfloured countertop. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is about half an inch thick. Cut circles out of the dough using a 3 inch biscuit cutter. Place the buns on the prepared baking sheets leaving 2 inches of space between each bun. Cover and let the buns rise for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Feel free to gather the scraps and roll them a second time to cut out more buns).
• Using your thumb and fingers, create a defined well in the center of each bun. Fill each well with a heaping teaspoon of Vanilla Custard Filling.
• Whisk the egg and water together for the egg wash. Brush the outside of each bun with the egg wash, taking care to avoid the custard center. Transfer buns to the oven and bake until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through, about 18 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, make the Icing. Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle the icing on each bun and sprinkle with coconut if desired. Serve.