Skolebrød (Vanilla Custard Buns)

A recent change with my IBD has left me unable to consume cow-dairy, and let me tell you, as someone who consumed dairy products for 80% of my diet, it's been a difficult change. I've been constantly looking for alternatives, and while there have been some great successes, I'd still found something distinctly missing. Then I discovered I could handle goat-dairy products! Let me tell you, being able to make all my classics and favourites with goat's milk and goat butter has been a real treat. It can be pricey, so I still use a lot of vegan products, but it's nice to know I have options.

One of the first things I decided to make with my newfound goat-dairy products, was a recreation of a favourite childhood treat of mine; Skolebrød, or Skolebolle, literally "school bread" and "school buns", are delicious Norwegian cardamom-scented traditional yeast rolls, filled with vanilla custard, and topped with icing and coconut. It's generally believed they originated in Norway in the 1950s as a hardy addition to school lunches.

Skolebrød were one of my favourite treats when I was a boy in Germany, though I'll admit I never learned their proper names or origins until recently. Now that I know, I wish to visit Norway even more!

Still, the memory of eating these always brings me joy, and I wanted to learn to make them myself. After trying dozens of recipes, I found each one to be lacking...something. Finally, after playing around with the amounts of ground cardamom, methods of preparing the custard, and so on, I devised this recipe, which is the closest to my childhood memories.

I urge you to give these wonderful treats a try; you won't be disappointed!

Skolebrød

Delicious Norwegian vanilla custard buns. The perfect lunchtime snack. Makes 12-16 buns.

1 1/4 cups (or 310 ml) of milk of choice

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of unsalted butter or vegan margarine

1/3 cup (or 80 ml) of cane sugar

3 tsp (or 15 ml) of active dry yeast

4 cups (or 1000 ml) of unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp (or 5 ml) of sea salt

1 1/2 tsp (or 7.5 ml) of ground cardamom

1 cup (or 250 ml) of milk of choice

3 tbsp (or 45 ml) of unbleached all-purpose flour

3 large egg yolks

2 tbsp (or 30 ml) of cane sugar

Pinch salt

1 tsp (or 5 ml) of vanilla

1 cup (or 250 ml) of confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp (or 2.5 ml) of vanilla

1-2 tbsp (or 15-30 ml) of water

1/2 cup (or 125 ml) of unsweetened flaked coconut

1) In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, and sugar over low heat, until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. The mixture should be lukewarm, not hot. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl, and stir in the yeast. Allow to bloom 10 minutes.

2) Sift together the flour, sea salt and ground cardamom. With a dough hook, stir the flour mixture into the milk mixture until just mixed, then increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough forms a soft ball (this can also be done by hand, if a stand mixer is unavailable). Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

3) Meanwhile, make a slurry by combining the milk and flour in a container, seal, and shake until well combined (free of lumps). Transfer to the top of a double boiler, and stir in the egg yolks, salt and vanilla. Bring the bottom pan to a gentle simmer, and cook the custard, stirring continuously, until its thickened and pale, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and cover until ready to use. Don't worry if the mixture isn't perfectly thickened; it will finish cooking in the oven.

4) When the dough is doubled in size, punch it down, then divide into twelve equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, and arrange on a lightly greased baking pan (you could also line the pan with parchment paper instead of greasing it, if preferred). Cover once more with either plastic or a damp towel, and let rise for 30 minutes, or until once again doubled in size.

5) Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.

6) When the dough has doubled in size once more, punch a small indentation straight down into the centre of each ball. Transfer the custard to a piping bag, and fill each indentation until full and slightly-rounded.

7) Bake in the middle of the oven for 17-22 minutes, or until golden brown; the buns should sound hollow when gently tapped. Transfer to a cooling rack.

8) In a small bowl, stir the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and water together until smooth and soft enough to drizzle. If too thick, add more water, and if too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. Drizzle the warm buns with glaze, and sprinkle with the coconut, pressing lightly to secure in place.

Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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