Skolebrød - Norwegian custard and coconut sweet buns
Ingredients
makes 12 medium buns
for the bun dough:
350g (2 2/3 cups) plain flour
35g (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
19g easy-bake instant yeast
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk
150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
egg white for brushing
for the custard:
100ml (1/2 cup)
150ml (2/3 cup) double cream
2 medium egg yolks
60g (a bit less than 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
for the glaze:
400g icing sugar
5 tablespoons of water
desiccated coconut
2 large baking trays, lined with baking parchment
Instructions
to make the custard:
on a medium heat, warm up the milk and double cream
in a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar
pour the warm milk and cream into the egg yolk mixture while stirring quickly
pour the mixture back into the pan and return the heat
increase the heat and while continuously stirring, bring the custard to boil, taking care not to curd or burn the mixture
let cool down before topping the buns
to make the dough:
in a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt
add the eggs, milk and butter
with an electric mixer or hand, knead until the dough is elastic and no longer sticks to hand (around 10 – 15 minutes)
cover with a cling film or a tea towel and proof in a warm place for around 1 hour
if you would like to bake the buns the following morning, you can rest the dough in the fridge overnight at this point
after the dough has risen, weigh it on a scale and divide the total dough weight by 12 – the number is how much each bun should weigh
shape each piece into a neat ball and let proof for another 15-20 minutes
preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
with a spoon or ice cream scoop, make a well in each bun
brush the buns with egg white
fill in each bun with the custard cream
bake for around 10-15 minutes
let the buns cool down before glazing them with icing sugar
to make the glaze:
sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add a tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture has reached a desired consistency
it should not be too thick nor too runny
sprinkle the icing sugar with coconut