Norwegian School Bread

I made them again.  So delicious.  These I liked a lot more.  Tender and delicious and the cream filling... amazing.  If you don't like the idea of the cream, skip it and just make the buns, so worth it!

I always think of the Norwegian Pavilion at Epcot in Disney when I eat these. 

Norwegian School Bread
Makes 15 buns.

dough:
1 2/3 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 teaspoons dry instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups plain flour
1 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

wash:
1 egg, lightly beaten

coconut coating:
1/3 cup (50g) pure icing sugar, mixed with 2 tsp water
Desiccated coconut, to coat

creme patissiere:
1 1/4 cups (310ml) milk
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
2 tbs cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

dough: In a saucepan,  heat milk and butter over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat, set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer or in a regular bowl combine all the dry ingredients: flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom. 

Add the cooled milk and butter (should be about 110°F or you are able to hold your finger in it for 10 seconds comfortably). Use your hands to form a soft dough (or the mixer). Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Take dough out of bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, fold over itself and deflate. Divide dough into 3 and roll each piece into a log. Divide each log into 5 even pieces and shape into rounds.

Place on lined baking sheets or one big one if you have it.  Cover with clean tea towels. Set aside for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 395°F.

creme patissiere: Heat milk in a pan over medium-high heat. Whisk remaining ingredients together until smooth. As soon as milk bubbles, pour into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture back to the pan and place over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Transfer to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and cool completely.


preparing to bake: Press deep indentations in each bun. Using a piping bag fill each bun with creme patissiere. Brush dough on sides and tops of buns with beaten egg. Bake, rotating trays halfway, for 20 minutes or until golden and risen. Cool slightly on wire racks.

coconut coating: Brush buns with icing glaze, then roll in coconut to serve.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns

Did anyone ever tell you that raising kids is the hardest job in the world?  No one told me that.  I wonder if it would have made a difference if they did.  No, I know, it would not have made one damn bit of difference in deciding to have children.  I still would have had them.  Matter of fact, knowing what I know now, I would do it over again.  But that doesn't make it any easier.

Just getting them to wash, dress appropriately, wear deodorant can be a chore.  Why?  I really just don't get it.  I love taking a shower.  It makes me feel refreshed and renewed.  It is one of my pleasures of the day.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to take a shower ever day.

In the morning the battles to get my youngest moving... Or how to get my oldest to complete jobs or put things away...  But really.  I should not complain.  These really are minor things.  Annoyances yes, but problems, well, not really.  I need to switch into gratitude mode. Rant over,

Now. this dessert.  My kids really do not have any idea how spoiled they are when it comes to homemade food.

This night that we had this.  Everyone inhaled their piece (or pieces),  It was such a treat.  The last time I made cinnamon buns was almost three years ago.  Wow.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Buns

2 (1/4-oz.) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Filling

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

a little milk- about a tablespoon


Place ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Place all the dry ingredients in bowl. Mix for a moment. Add water, buttermilk, butter and sweet potato puree and mix until dough ball is formed. Add in more water one tablespoon at a time if too dry. Add flour one tablespoon at a time if too wet. Place in lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size.

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16 x 21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Air Buns

I am always looking for better buns.  Both in the kitchen and in my mirror.  I never can resist jokes like that.  I am silly that way.  These buns really are the best.  I have made brioche buns before and these are even lighter than those.  Both are good mind you, but these are a bit more tender.  I really think it is the addition of vinegar.  It might seem weird that there is vinegar in the dough but this is the second recipe I have made that had vinegar in the ingredients and it came out stellar.  I want to say I made other recipes with vinegar but then my memory doesn't serve me that well. 

These are worth your every moment in the kitchen.  Really.  They are just that good.

I had some friends over and made my beet burgers.  I adjusted those beet burgers by replacing the sunflower seeds with walnuts because the sunflower seeds tend to repeat on me.  It was even better with walnuts.  I highly recommend beet burgers.  My husband who HATES beets, loves them.  You would hardly know they were made with beets.  Because they are red, they look like meat. Not that I need them to look like meat but they are pretty.

Air Buns
Printable here.

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup lard or shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 + 3 cups bread flour, divided
1 egg whisked with a tablespoon of water for the wash

In a bowl of a mixer or a regular bowl combine 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 cup warm water.  Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit a moment until foamy.

Meanwhile melt lard and add to it the sugar, salt, and white vinegar. Add in 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Let sit fifteen minutes.

Knead intot he dough the remaining 3 cups of flour.  Knead until smooth and supple.  Let rise until it is doubled, about an hour.

Shape into 16 buns. Brush with egg wash. If you like sesame seeds on them, this is the time to do it.  Place on greased sheet and let rise for about a 1/2 of an hour.  Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.


Sometimes you make buns that are less than round.  Well, at least sometimes I do.  Not sure what happened there but it tasted the same.