RECIPE:
Boller
Norwegian sweet buns

Sweet wheat buns .
Photo: Sara Johannessen / Matprat.no

Norwegians love the fluffy wonder of sweet buns called boller.

In Norway, you can find them on almost every corner: in bakeries, cafés, shops, and even petrol stations!

Sweet wheat buns .
Photo: Sara Johannessen / Matprat.no

One popular spot that's known for its delicious, homemade buns is Lom Bakery. Make sure to stop by this famous bakery if you are visiting the Gudbrandsdalen valley.

Bakery in Lom .
Photo: Tina Stafrèn / Visitnorway.com

Or try a basic recipe for a sweet yeast dough to make this fantastic treat at home!

Why not get creative and add raisins, berries, or maybe some vanilla custard? This recipe can be used as a basis for a wide variety of delicious sweet buns.

Berry buns .
Photo: Elisabeth Storaker / Making Waves

Boller

Ingredients:

150 g butter

1000 g all-purpose flour

150 ml sugar

25 g yeast

0,5 teaspoon salt

2 tsp ground cardamom

600 ml milk

400 ml raisins (optional)

1 egg, whipped

Source: Matprat.no

Method:

1. Dived the butter into cubes and let it temper while making the dough.

2. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cardamom in a bowl or in a food processor. Add the yeast to the mix, or to the milk, both ways works.

3. Pour in the milk (either cold or room tempered) into the flour-mix. Spare 0,5 dl of the milk and add to the dough if needed.

When the dough is being mixed in a food processor, the temperature will gradually rise. Previously, it was recommended to lukewarm the liquid to 37° C, but with sufficient kneading, the temperature will rise too much and yeast cells may die. Therefore, use cold or room temperature liquid. The rising time can take a little longer, depending on the temperature of the dough – but the dough will have a better taste.

4. Knead the dough by hand, or in a food processor, for 15 minutes.

5. Add the butter to the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes until you have a nice and even, elastic dough. You can check the dough by doing the "gluten test". Stretch a small lump of dough between your fingers and try to get a thin, transparent film. If the dough is even and elastic, it's ready to rise. If it cracks, you need to knead a little more.

Kneading by hand: A yeast dough requires good kneading for the gluten to develop. Kneading by hand can give a slightly more compact and heavier dough. If you knead by hand, the temperature will not rise as much during the kneading. Therefore, a good idea is to melt the butter and lukewarm the liquid, before adding it to the flour-mix, which will make the job easier and give a faster rise.

6. Knead in raisins if wanted.

7. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough to rise for 45-60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.

8. Divide the dough into equal pieces. You should get around 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

9. Place the buns on a baking sheet and let them rise for another 20–30 minutes.

10. Brush the buns with whipped egg, and bake them in the oven at 225 °C for 6-10 minutes. Let the buns cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Get your buns right with our dictionary

Hveteboller – sweet buns.
Rosinboller – sweet buns with raisins.
Sjokoladeboller – sweet buns with chocolate.

Kanelboller/kanelsnurrer/kanelknuter – large buns baked with a cinnamon and sugar filling.

Skillingsboller – cinnamon buns from Bergen in Fjord Norway, first brought there from Germany in the Hanseatic period 500 years ago. Still widely available, and a must-eat when in Bergen.

Skolebrød – translates as “school buns”. Large buns with custard and grated coconut.

Solboller – large buns with a “sun” of custard that serves as a rite of passage when the sun is back after the polar night in Northern Norway.

Fastelavnsboller – sweet buns filled with cream or jam and served to mark the beginning of the forty days of Lent (fasting is optional, though …)

Prinsessekake – a dream of a cake made of buns with cinnamon swirls, custard, and a thick icing.

Berlinerboller – fried doughnut-like buns with no central hole, filled with jam or chocolate (Berliner).

Show More Show Less