School Buns Skoleboller Recipe
Skoleboller (Skolebrød) Norwegian “School Bread” is a beloved treat: soft cardamom-scented buns filled with silky vanilla custard and topped with icing and coconut. These buns make any snack time feel special.
Sweet and lightly spiced, skoleboller are a Norwegian bakery staple, perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a comforting snack with coffee or tea.
What You Need for Skoleboller (Skolebrød)
- Milk – The base for both the dough and custard, adding richness and tenderness.
- Instant yeast – Ensures the buns rise beautifully fluffy.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the dough and custard perfectly.
- Ground cardamom – Delivers the signature warm, aromatic flavor.
- Vanilla pod – Infuses the custard with natural sweetness and depth.
- Flour – Forms the soft, pliable dough structure.
- Butter – Enriches the dough, making it soft and decadent.
- Egg yolks – Give the custard its luscious, creamy texture.
- Corn starch – Thickens the custard to a spoonable consistency.
- Powdered sugar – Whipped into a sweet icing that holds the coconut topping.
- Shredded coconut – Adds a signature snowy finish and a delightful chew.
How to Make Skoleboller (Skolebrød)
Begin by warming milk and dissolving the yeast. Mix in sugar, cardamom, vanilla, and flour to form a smooth dough. Knead in butter until soft and elastic, then let the dough rise until doubled.
While the dough rises, cook the custard by infusing milk with vanilla pod and whisking it into an egg yolk and sugar mixture thickened with corn starch. Cool the custard until ready to fill the buns.
Shape the risen dough into balls, make deep wells, and pipe custard into each center. Let them rise again briefly, brush with egg wash, and bake until golden and puffed.
Once cooled, spread icing around the custard and press each bun into shredded coconut for that classic skoleboller finish.
Tips for Perfect Skoleboller Every Time
For the fluffiest skoleboller, ensure your yeast is fresh and the milk is just warm, not hot, to activate it properly. If the dough feels sticky, dust in a bit more flour while kneading, but avoid over-flouring or the buns may turn dense. Press the custard wells deep enough so they don’t disappear while baking.
Get creative with the custard—try adding a hint of citrus zest or swapping the vanilla pod for extract if needed. For the topping, make the icing thick enough so it doesn’t run off, and gently press the buns into coconut to coat generously.
Keeping Your Skoleboller Fresh
Skoleboller are best enjoyed fresh the day they’re made, but they keep well too. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, freeze the buns without icing and coconut—wrap them individually and thaw at room temperature. Refresh in a warm oven and decorate just before serving for that bakery-fresh feel.
School Buns Skoleboller Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 7 tbsp softened butter
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups milk
- 5 cups flour
- 4 tsp instant yeast or 50 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
Vanilla Custard
- 1 and 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Decoration
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 2-3 tbsp water
- 1 egg whisked, for egg wash
- 1.75 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Warm the milk gently until just lukewarm, then stir in the yeast to dissolve fully. Combine the sugar, cardamom, vanilla, and about two-thirds of the flour with the milk mixture. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, gradually adding the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and workable but not overly sticky. Incorporate the softened butter and continue kneading for roughly ten minutes until the dough is elastic. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in volume, approximately one hour.
- To prepare the custard, heat the milk together with half the sugar in a small saucepan. Slice open the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both seeds and pod to the milk. In a bowl, whisk the remaining sugar with the corn starch and egg yolks until silky. Once the milk mixture reaches a gentle bubble, pour half into the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously for about two minutes until the custard thickens notably. Remove from heat and transfer to a clean bowl, covering directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool while the dough completes its rise.
- When the dough is ready, turn it onto a floured surface and shape into a long cylinder. Slice into 12 to 15 equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball. Arrange on baking trays lined with parchment, ensuring sufficient spacing. Press a deep well into the center of each bun using your fingers or the back of a spoon. Pipe or spoon 1–2 tablespoons of custard into each indentation. Cover loosely and let the buns rise once more for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C) with top and bottom heat. Beat the egg and lightly brush each bun with the wash. Bake on the middle rack for 10–14 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Mix the powdered sugar gradually with water until a thick icing forms. Pour the shredded coconut onto a shallow plate. When the buns have cooled completely, spread the icing generously around the custard centers, then dip each bun top into the coconut, pressing lightly to ensure full coverage.
