A recipe for Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns) for #BakingBlogger’s Yeast Breads event! These soft, cardamom-scented rolls are perfect for pairing with butter and geitost.
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#BakingBloggers
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 here: 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. 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.
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 this Boska Copenhagen Cheese Slicer (Ostehøvel) from Amazon 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.
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 for #BakingBlogger’s Yeast Bread!
- 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 ml) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
- 3 1/2 cups (460 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter melted
Topping:
- 1 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 cm) 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.
Andrea Metlika
I love fresh bread and these rolls not only look Beautiful but they sound fantastic!
Marlynn
These rolls are amazing! The hint of cardamom gives it that little something extra special.
Noelle Simpson
Amazing recipe, thank you for sharing! pErfect addition to our dinner
Brianna
Ohh, so glad I found this recipe! I’m looking to make my holiday baking Scandinavian themed this year
Beth
Yum! Perfect for the soup I just made today! My family is going to love these! Can’t wait!
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!!
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.