Norwegian Skolebrod: Custard-Filled Cardamom School Buns with Coconut

Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt together in a large bowl.

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups (440 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, warmed to 110°F (43°C)
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, plus 1 for egg wash
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) prepared vanilla custard or thick pastry cream
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk, for the icing
• 1/2 cup (40 g) shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add the warm milk and 1 egg and mix to a shaggy dough, then knead 6 minutes until smooth. Work in the softened butter a tablespoon at a time and knead 5 minutes more, until the dough is glossy and pulls cleanly from the bowl.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 75 minutes, until doubled.
4. Punch down and divide into 10 pieces. Roll each into a tight ball and set on parchment-lined sheets, spaced well apart. Cover and rise 35 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Press a deep well into the center of each risen bun with the back of a floured tablespoon, going almost to the base.
6. Spoon a generous tablespoon of custard into each well and brush the exposed dough with beaten egg, keeping the wash off the custard.
7. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the buns are golden and the custard is just set with a faint skin. Cool completely on a rack.
8. Whisk the powdered sugar with the milk into a thick icing. Pipe or spoon a ring of icing around each custard center, then press coconut onto the icing ring.
9. Serve the same day at their best, or freeze un-iced buns and refresh at 325°F (160°C) for 6 minutes before finishing.
10. Skolebrod translates literally to school bread, a Norwegian bakery staple that generations of kids carried in a paper bag on the first day of term. The cardamom is not a garnish but the backbone flavor, and grinding whole green pods yourself makes a difference you can taste from across the kitchen. Note the deliberate icing ring: it exists to frame the custard rather than cover it, because a Norwegian baker would consider hiding that yellow center something close to a mistake.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 395 kcal
• Protein: 8g
• Fat: 13g
• Carbohydrates: 62g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 29g
• Sodium: 160mg