Imagine a January afternoon in downtown Tromsø, the crisp air, the slow pace of daily activities, the darkness of the polar nights and a bakery. One of those magical afternoons that you’ll remember for a lifetime. You’ll remember the warmth and scent of the bakery, the large windows offering a glimpse of the harbor water and the passing people, you’ll remember the laughter and you’ll remember the first skolebolle you ever ate. A cloud filled with vanilla cream, of indescribable goodness. One of the best buns I’ve ever tasted. In a magical place. Yes, because Norway is like that, it overwhelms your soul in every part. An atmosphere of calm and magic that you only find in the north. And that of Tromsø in winter will definitely remain one of the most exciting trips ever taken. Days spent exploring the city and its surroundings with crampons on our feet, the first northern lights dancing above our heads, descents on snow-covered hills on foot, sitting or rolling, and the first rainbow clouds seen live. Magic.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients
- 7 oz milk (warm)
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg (large)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter (soft)
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 3 large egg yolks (approx.)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- as needed shredded coconut
Steps
To prepare Norwegian skoleboller, place the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the dry yeast and sugar. Stir and let rest covered for 10-15 minutes.
Then add the flour and the egg and start the mixer. Also add the salt and knead for 10-15 minutes until you get a smooth dough. Finally, add the soft butter cut into cubes and continue kneading until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl. This will take about 25 minutes in total.
Form a ball with the dough and let it rest covered, in a warm place, for 2 hours.
In the meantime, prepare the vanilla cream, which will need to cool before you can use it.
Bring the milk to a boil and remove from heat. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla sugar until creamy. Then add the cornstarch and continue beating until smooth. While still beating, pour in the hot milk until fully incorporated.
Transfer everything back to the saucepan where you heated the milk and bring back to a boil while stirring. Let it boil for a minute, stirring, then remove from heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Transfer the cream to a shallow dish to cool faster and let it cool completely, ideally in the fridge.
After the resting time, take the dough and divide it into 10 equal pieces using a scale (each about 3 oz). Form a smooth ball with each piece and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another hour, in a warm place.
After the resting time, preheat the oven to 392°F (static) and transfer the vanilla cream to a piping bag.
Create a hollow in the center of each dough ball using the handle of a wooden spoon, for example. Insert the piping bag tip into the hollow and fill generously with vanilla cream until used up.
Bake at 392°F for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the skoleboller from the oven and let them cool completely.
Then mix the powdered sugar with about 1 tbsp of warm water to get a slightly thick glaze. Using a spoon or a knife, spread some glaze on the golden surface of the dough around the cream of each bun. Immediately sprinkle with shredded coconut so that it sticks.
Skoleboller are best enjoyed the same day but are also good the day after preparation. If you think you won’t finish them all in two days, you can freeze them; however, in that case, I recommend not adding the glaze and shredded coconut until after thawing.
