Solskinnsboller - Norwegian Sun Buns #BBB

For this month's Bread Baking Babes challenge, Karen has given us these lovely, cardamom infused sunshine buns, or solboller (sun buns) to bake. Having grown up in a town with strong Scandinavian roots, I adore cardamom. There is nothing like fresh ground cardamom, both for flavor and the beautiful speckles it gives to the dough for Finnish pulla, Swedish cardamom buns and bread, Norwegian school bread, Scandinavian cardamom cookies, etc.

Obviously, these buns brought me right back to childhood. Although not included in this particular recipe, it is common to add a sugar glaze to these and many other Scandinavian cardamom buns right after they come out of the oven, (especially in bakeries where they need to last out in the display cases all day). I felt like the edges wanted just a touch, so I added just a tiny drizzle of powdered sugar glaze.

We would love for you to bake along with us this month and try out these delicious sun buns. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants' baking results. If you would like to post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

Solskinnsboller - Norwegian Sun Buns
adapted from King Arthur flour

20 cardamom pods, shelled and ground in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (~1½ tsp shelled seeds)
151g (⅔ cup) whole milk, lukewarm (about 100ºF)
37g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten, divided (you'll need 25g (half the egg) for the dough, and the rest for the egg wash)
300g (2½ cups) bread flour
70g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened (I only used 50g)

Cinnamon Filling:

85g (6 tbsp) butter, softened, not melted
37g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
15g (2 tbsp) bread flour
10g (4 tsp) ground cinnamon

Custard:

25g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
1½ tsp bread flour
1½ tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large egg yolks
142g (½ cup plus 2 tbsp) whole milk
tiny pinch of sea salt

To Make the Dough:

Combine the ground cardamom, milk, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk in 25 grams of the beaten egg.  (I just used leftover egg whites I had on hand and ended up slopping in a good 40+g worth.)

Add the flour and butter and knead on low for 2 minutes to combine. Then switch to medium speed and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is springy and elastic.

Place the dough into a bowl or dough bucket and let rise, covered until doubled, 1½ to 2 hours. (I stuck mine in the fridge the night before and proofed in the morning.)

To Make the Filling:

Mix the filling ingredients and set aside. Do not chill.

To Make the Custard (can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated):

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour to combine. Add the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste and whisk vigorously until pale in color.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk just barely to a simmer. (A skin will start to form on top.)

While whisking the egg yolk mixture, slowly pour in about ½ of the milk, whisking constantly. When the mixture has been well mixed, pour it all together with the milk in the sauce pan and whisk thoroughly. Turn the heat to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes, until thickened, almost pudding like. (~175ºF) Let the mixture cool.

To Assemble and Bake the Buns:

After the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a 12x12 inch square. Spread the filling over half the dough and then fold the clean half over the filling to form a 6 inch by 12 inch rectangle. With a knife or pizza wheel, trim off the fold edge.  (I did not want to have any dough waste, so I cut the square in half and spread the filling on one piece, then topped with the second half of the dough.)

Optionally, to help with shaping, place the dough onto a parchment lined plate and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes. This will help with any "seepage" while shaping. (I strongly recommend this step!!)

Cut the dough lengthwise into 8 strips, about ¾-inch wide, and then roll them into a twist by twisting each end in the opposite direction or holding one end of the rope still and twisting the other end until the rope is twisted from end to end. Then, wrap the ropes into coils in a single layer (see photos). Tuck the ends under. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 to 2 hours, until puffy and doubled. (I may have overproofed by about 20 minutes. It was hot out!)

Heat the oven to 400ºF. Make an indent the center of each shaped roll with the back of a spoon/measuring spoon. The depression should be about 1 inch wide.

Brush the unbaked rolls with the egg wash and then fill the indentations with around a tablespoon of the custard.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Keep leftovers in the refrigerator. Buns will reheat for about 10 minutes in the oven.