A recipe for Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns)! These soft, cardamom-scented rolls are perfect for pairing with butter and geitost.
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Baking Bloggers
Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to vote on a different baking project.
For November, we are featuring Yeast Breads and I am joining in with a recipe for Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns)!
Check out more of my #BakingBloggers recipes: Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns), Karpatka (Polish Carpathian Cream Cake), and Broyé du Poitou (Shortbread from Poitiers).
Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns)
Hveteboller (literally translates to wheat buns) are light and soft Norwegian rolls wonderfully scented with cardamom and baked until golden.
They are a personal favorite paired alongside coffee and served with butter and a thin slice or two of Geitost (Gjetost- Norwegian brown goat’s cheese). The kids also enjoy them with jam.
Forming the Hveteboller
The buns take some time to rise, but are overall fairly easy to make.
After activating the yeast in lukewarm milk, the mixture is combined with flour, sugar, cardamom, salt, egg, and melted butter to form a smooth, loose dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until soft with just enough flour to keep the surface from sticking to your fingers. Take care not to add too much extra flour as this will cause the rolls to toughen.
If the mixture is just too dry and crumbly, add a splash or two more of milk.
The prepared dough is covered and allowed to rise until doubled. This will take about an hour, but may be closer to 2 in cooler kitchens.
After rising, the dough is separated into individual buns, arranged on a baking sheet, and allowed to rise again- this time for 30 minutes or until they puff up a bit. At this point, they are brushed over the tops with an egg wash and baked in a 375˚F (190˚C) oven until golden.
The Hveteboller are best the day they are made, especially warm from the oven. Leftovers will keep for a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature.
Hveteboller Serving Ideas
I paired the Hveteboller with salted butter and thin slices of Geitost.
Geitost is a type of Norwegian Brunost (brown cheese) made from the leftover whey of goat’s milk. The mixture is boiled down until caramelized with a sweet-tangy taste and fudge-like texture. I used a Boska Copenhagen Cheese Slicer (Ostehøvel) to cut the thin slices of cheese for easy serving.
For those in the Los Angeles area, I was able to find Geitost at Cultured Slice in Hermosa Beach.
For those in Northern Virginia, I have been able to find it at Wegmans.
Want rolls with a little more texture? Mix in some raisins to make Rosinboller (Norwegian Raisin Buns) or chocolate to make Sjokoladeboller (Chocolate Buns)!
Check out what everyone else made!
- Bagels from Sneha’s Recipe
- Connie’s Swedish Rye from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Crunchy Herbed Whole Wheat Breadsticks from Cook with Renu
- Crusty No-Knead Oatmeal Bread from Making Miracles
- Hearty Slow Fermented Rustic Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones from Food Lust People Love
- Pizza Focaccia from Palatable Pastime
- Sourdough Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns) Recipe
Adapted from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book
Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
- 3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons (60 grams) unsalted butter melted
Topping:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk. Stir to combine, then allow to sit until frothy, 5-10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough attachment or a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cardamom, and salt.
- Mix in the yeast with milk, egg, and melted butter to form a light, loose dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface until soft and smooth. If too sticky, add a little more flour. (be careful not to add too much flour, just enough to handle). If too dense and crumbly, add a little more milk. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, turning to coat, cover, and allow to rest until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment or lightly grease.
- On a lightly oiled surface, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart, cover, and allow to rest until puffed, about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Brush over the tops of each roll. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes.
- These rolls are best served the day they are made.
Karen
Those buns are beautiful and that cheese is so intriguing!
Wendy Klik
These sound amazing but I am really curious about that brown goat cheese. I’m going to have to go on a hunt LOL.
Tara
I did the same! So glad there was a place nearby, so I didn’t have to go too far 🙂
Stella
Go for it! I love it; it has a fudge like quality and an edge of unexpected sweetness.
Shannon
We ate it in Norway, last month. I love the nutty creamy flavor! It’s on par with many of our European cheeses.
Camilla M. Mann
These look delicious! I will have to give the raisin version a try. Yum.
Long
Can this recipe also be used for rosinboller (raisin buns) with the addition of currants (as we call small dark raisins)? Thank you for the great selection of recipes, I’m new to your blog and looking forward to making them.
Tara
Hi Long! Thank you so much. Yes, this recipe can be used as the base! Mix in the desired amount (maybe 1/3-1/2 cup) of raisins with the flour.
Sneha Datar
Such beautiful rolls and love that brown goat cheese slice on them.
Renu
These rolls look amazing. Perfect with some soup or just butter
Johanne
My Norwegian mother makes these every Christmas, and if we are lucky, at other times of year as well.
If you have more than you can eat, freeze them while they are still warm, and then pop them in the microwave when you are ready to eat them – find a defrost time/temp that gets them warm through without being too hot, they are almost as good as fresh out of the oven!!
Hanne
If you heat them up in the oven for a few minutes after freezing, they WILL be as good as new! Much better than microwave. Can last in freezer for 2-3 months I think.
Barbara
Sooo good! I was looking for a basic bun for weekday mornings. This one is wonderful though I made some changes to meet my family’s needs. I substituted half the flour with white whole wheat and used 1/4 cup honey instead of the sugar. The hens are overperforming so I used two eggs. I coated the tops with wheat germ after painting on the egg wash for a modest crunch.
The flavor is beautifully cardamom-forward and pairs exceptionally with gjetost. At this time, cardamom is costing about $8/oz. With regret, I might have to cut back on the amount I use and add a pinch of clove for the bite. Won’t be the same.
Tara
So happy to hear Barbara! Thank you for sharing.
Autumn Withers
Hello! I made a double batch of the dough just now, and am waiting for the 1 hour rise. I typically bake sourdough, so not sure if I can put half of the dough in the refrigerator for now and take out to bake in a couple days? Don’t want to compromise the quality. I first experienced these, with the cheese at a lovely Norwegian coffee shop in SW Michigan. Very excited to bake them at home back in Tucson today. Thanks for the recipe!
Tara
Hi Autumn! I have refrigerated the dough after the first rise overnight in an airtight container. Probably wouldn’t go any longer than 2 days.
mrsjones
Don’t you need sugar to activate the yeast?
Tara
Hi! You can add a pinch if you want. I don’t really notice a difference when using active dry yeast, so I rarely include it.
Jess
This looks incredible. Or foreign exchange student introduced us to boller. We always made a double batch with 8 C of flour 2 sticks of butter and 4cups of milk… we just had the active dry yeast mixed in with the flour, sugar and cardamom, and the warmth from the melted butter and milk that had been heated mixed with the dough was enough. Same instructions on raising And egg wash. It’s soon good. I would like to try your exact measurements. Thank you for sharing . Bon appetite.
Allison
I’m mixing these up on Christmas Eve of Eve and hoping to pop them in the fridge to make Christmas Eve morning – they’ll be going into the fridge at around 2:30 in the afternoon and I won’t be baking them till close till 10:00 the next morning. Can I do that?
Tara
Hi Allison! I have not personally tried it so I cannot guarantee the results, but it should be ok for up to 24 hours. Bring the pan to room temperature 1 hour before baking.
Alie
This recipe has become a family favorite in recent weeks! I add a pinch extra cardamom and thin the egg wash with more milk. It tastes fantastic and pairs well with so much, especially when warm. Thank you for sharing!
Tara
So happy to hear Alie!