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Norway, Europe

Skillingsboller (Norwegian Cinnamon Buns)

Bergen's classic cinnamon buns: a soft cardamom dough rolled with cinnamon sugar, brushed with butter straight from the oven and dipped in sugar.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Rising+ 1 h 10 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Put the milk and the dough butter in a 16 cm saucepan and warm over low heat for until the butter melts. It should feel just lukewarm on your finger (about 37 °C); if it is hot, let it cool first, because heat kills the yeast.

    Add in this stepMilk 160 mlButter (for the dough) 40 g

    low heat

  2. In a large bowl mix the flour, dough sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt, pour in the warm milk and stir into a shaggy dough. Tip it onto the counter and knead for until smooth, soft and barely sticky. It starts out tacky and gets smoother as you knead, so resist adding lots of extra flour.

    Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 250 gSugar (for the dough) 30 gInstant dry yeast 3 gGround cardamom 1 tspSalt ½ tsp

  3. Shape the dough into a ball, put it back in the bowl, cover with cling film or a damp towel and leave somewhere warm for . It is ready when it has doubled and a floured finger pressed in leaves a dent that springs back slowly.

  4. Press the air out gently and roll the dough on a lightly floured counter into a 30×20 cm rectangle about 5 mm thick. Spread the soft filling butter right to the edges and scatter over the filling sugar mixed with the cinnamon. Roll up tightly from a long side, pinch the seam closed and cut into 3–4 cm slices with a sharp knife, so you get 3 buns per serving.

    Add in this stepButter (for the filling, softened) 40 gSugar (for the filling) 40 gGround cinnamon 2 tsp

  5. Place the buns cut side up on a tray lined with baking paper, about 1 cm apart. Cover with a towel and let them rise for until visibly puffy; meanwhile preheat the oven to 220 °C.

    oven

  6. Beat the egg well and brush it thinly over the tops and sides. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for , until deep golden on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped.

    Add in this stepEgg (for brushing) 1

    oven

  7. Melt the finishing butter in the microwave or a small pan. While the buns are still hot, brush them with the butter and press the tops into the sugar, then let them cool on a rack for 10 minutes and eat warm.

    Add in this stepButter (for finishing, melted) 15 gSugar (for dipping) 25 g

Cook's tip

Buy whole cardamom pods and crush just the seeds for a far stronger scent. If the knife squashes the roll, slide a piece of thread underneath, cross the ends over the top and pull for a clean cut. Leftover buns soften again after 3 minutes in a warm oven the next day.

Cooking it at camp

Make, roll and cut the buns at home, chill them and pack them in the cooler. At camp, bake them in a lidded cast-iron pot lined with baking paper, with a few coals underneath and plenty on the lid, for 15–20 minutes. The bottoms burn easily, so check every 5 minutes.