Skoleboller are Norwegian Coconut Custard Buns, typically sold at Scandinavian bakeries.
The popular sweet buns feature an airy cardamom yeasted dough filled with a smooth and creamy vanilla custard. The buns are then dipped in glaze and shredded coconut, making them appear like they have been dusted in fresh snow.
We love baking Skoleboller in December during the Christmas holiday season as they feature warm festive spices and look like they’ve been snatched right out of a winter wonderland!
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What Is Skoleboller?
Skoleboller are Scandinavian sweet buns that translate to “school buns,” in Norway.
They get the playful name due to the fact that starting in the 1950s parents used to pack them in their kids lunchboxes to enjoy at school. Today, Norwegian Custard Coconut Buns are sold from Oslo to Bergen in trendy bakeries, cafes and grocery stores.
Making Skoleboller at home is a fun baking project, especially on a chilly winters day. Traditional recipes feature 3 main components: cardamom spiced sweet yeast dough, creamy vanilla custard cream and simple glaze with shredded coconut to garnish.
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 2.5 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 250 ml Milk heated to 97-99 F
- 80 g Butter melted and left to cool slightly
- 40 g White Sugar
- 400 g All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Egg beaten
PASTRY CREAM
- 250 ml Whole Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
- 50 g White Sugar
- 15 g Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Butter
SKOLEBOLLER
- 150 g Icing Sugar
- 100 g Shredded Coconut
- 1 Small Egg beaten, for brushing
Directions
DOUGH
- Pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly and active.
- Pour into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter. Allow to combine with the yeast for 1 minute, then add the sugar. Allow to combine for 1 minute.
- In a separate bowl, weight about 400g of flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together. Start adding the flour into the milk mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time.
- Add the beaten egg. Keep kneading for 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour, you want the dough to be a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger if you poke it. Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover the a dish towel. Leave to rise for around 30 minutes or until its doubled in size.
PASTRY CREAM
- In a saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar then add the cornstarch.
- When the milk has just reached the boiling point, take off the heat and pour 1/3 into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
- Once whisked through, pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk. Return to the stove and bring to a gentle boil. Whisk continuously as the mixture thickens, for just a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and butter.
- Pour into a cold bowl and place a sheet of parchment on top to prevent the cream form forming a crust as it cools.
SKOLEBOLLER
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Knead the dough with your hands and work in more flour if needed. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll out so the buns are uniform in size and place on a prepared baking sheet, well spaced out as they’ll grow.
- Leave for 10 minutes to rest, then prod a large hole in the middle of each and flatten slightly. Hole should be around 1.5 inches in diameter.
- Add a large tablespoon of pastry cream to each bun. Leave for 15 minutes to rise, then brush sides of the buns with the beaten egg.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
- When the buns have cooled slightly, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with a little hot water until you have a syrup like consistency.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the icing around the edges of the buns, then sprinkle the edges of the buns with shredded coconut.
- Leave to set before serving.
Skoleboller Recipe Baking Tips
Ready to bake homemade Skoleboller? We suggest reading the recipe directions below in detail to ensure you understand the step by step process. Here are some tips and tricks to get you started:
- Be sure to test and bloom the yeast before making the recipe to ensure the yeast it is still active. There’s nothing worse than adding dead yeast to a recipe and discovering the problem when you’re buns don’t rise.
- Use a thermometer to ensure the temperature of the warm milk is not too hot as it can scald and kill the yeast.
- We’ve used a stand mixer but if you don’t have one at home feel free to mix the dough with a wooden spoon and by hand the old fashioned way.
- You can use all purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe.
- The best place to leaven dough is in an oven (turned off) with the light on. The warmth of the oven light helps coax the dough to rise and you won’t have to worry about any cool air drafts.
- We’ve used whole milk in the custard to make it extra creamy but you can use 1% or 2% if you prefer.
- Do not overdo the glaze. You want to brush just enough so that the coconut adheres to the surface of the dough. Be sure to let the buns rest on a cooling rack after being glazes so any excess icing can drip into the pan.
What To Serve With Norwegian Coconut Custard Buns
While Skoleboller is often served during the Christmas holiday season the recipe can be enjoyed all year round.
Norwegian Custard Buns are typically enjoyed on their own or sipped with a pot of tea or coffee just like a croissant or cinnamon roll.
If you’re hosting a Scandinavian inspired lunch or dinner you may like to serve these sweet buns with:
- Rabarberkage Swedish Rhubarb Cake
- Swedish Rhubarb and Custard Tart
- Köttbullar med Gräddsås Swedish Meatballs
- Swedish Sandwich Cake Homemade Smorgastarta
- Kardemummabullar Swedish Cardamom Buns
- Jordgubbstårta Recipe: Gluten Free Swedish Strawberry Meringue Cake
- Tebirkes Danish Poppy Seed Pastry
- Flodeboller Danish Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies
- Boller I Karry Danish Meatballs in Curry Sauce
You May Also Enjoy These Bread Recipes…
- Viennoise au Chocolat
- Czech Dukatove Buchticky Yeast Buns With Vanilla Sauce
- Pogacsa Hungarian Caraway Cheese Biscuits
- Mexican Coffee Buns
- Cream Cheese Glazed Carrot Cake Scones
- Turkish Pogaca Feta and Dill Bread Rolls
- Bolo de Caco Madeira Sweet Potato Portuguese Roll
- Sweet Lebanese Sesame Tahini Rolls
- Cinnamon Babka For Chocolate Lovers
Storage
If you have leftover buns store them in a container for 2-3 days before they go stale. Reheat them quickly in the microwave for 10 second or in the oven until warm to the touch.
We like to double the recipe as the buns freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 months. When ready to eat, remove frozen buns and place in the fridge to thaw then reheat in the microwave or oven until warm.
How To Make Traditional Norwegian Skoleboller
Skoleboller Norwegian Coconut Custard Buns
Equipment
- baking sheet lined with parchment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- whisk
- Stand Mixer
- saucepan
Ingredients
Dough
- 2.5 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 250 ml Milk heated to 97-99 F
- 80 g Butter melted and left to cool slightly
- 40 g White Sugar
- 400 g All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Egg beaten
Pastry Cream
- 250 ml Whole Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Egg
- 50 g White Sugar
- 15 g Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Butter
Skoleboller
- 150 g Icing Sugar
- 100 g Shredded Coconut
- 1 Small Egg beaten, for brushing
Instructions
Dough
- Pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly and active.
- Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter. Allow to combine with the yeast for 1 minute, then add the sugar.
- In a separate bowl, weight about 400g of flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together. Start adding the flour into the milk mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time.
- Add the beaten egg. Keep kneading for 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour, you want the dough to be a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger if you poke it. Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover the a dish towel. Leave to rise for around 30 minutes or until its doubled in size.
Pastry Cream
- In a saucepan, heat the milk with vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar then add the cornstarch.
- When the milk has just reached the boiling point, take off the heat and pour 1/3 into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
- Once whisked through, pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk. Return to the stove and bring to a gentle boil. Whisk continuously as the mixture thickens, for just a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and butter.
- Pour into a cold bowl and place a sheet of parchment on top to prevent the cream form forming a crust as it cools.
Skoleboller
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Knead the dough with your hands and work in more flour if needed. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll out so the buns are uniform in size and place on a prepared baking sheet, well spaced out as they'll grow.
- Leave for 10 minutes to rest, then prod a large hole in the middle of each and flatten slightly. Hole should be around 1.5 inches in diameter.
- Add a large tablespoon of pastry cream to each bun. Leave for 15 minutes to rise, then brush sides of the buns with the beaten egg.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
- When the buns have cooled slightly, make the icing by mixing the icing sugar with a little hot water until you have a syrup like consistency.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the icing around the edges of the buns, then sprinkle the edges of the buns with shredded coconut.
- Leave to set before serving.
Nutrition
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