Traditional Danish Shrovetide Buns

Name: Traditional Danish Shrovetide Buns
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 9 – easy recipe – 45 minutes + proofing and cooling time
Ingredients: 175 g full fat milk; 50 g butter, melted; 20 g fresh yeast; ½ tsp flake salt; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 300 g plain flour (plus some for rolling out the dough); 175 g full fat milk; 1 egg; ½ vanilla pod; 2 heaped tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 25 g softened butter; 25 g sugar; 25 g marzipan; 2 tbsp finely-chopped pistachio nuts; 1 egg for egg wash; 2-3 tbsp cold water; Chocolate topping:; 100 g plain chocolate; 15 g butter

Makes 9 – easy recipe – 45 minutes + proofing and cooling time | 45 minutes

Here’s a recipe for “Fastelavnsboller”, the Danish version of the traditional soft, sweet, filled buns eaten in the Nordic and Baltic countries at Shrovetide in February.

Ingrédients

Buns:

175 g full fat milk
50 g butter, melted
20 g fresh yeast
½ tsp flake salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
300 g plain flour (plus some for rolling out the dough)

Vanilla custard filling:

175 g full fat milk
1 egg
½ vanilla pod
2 heaped tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch

Remonce filling:

25 g softened butter
25 g sugar
25 g marzipan
2 tbsp finely-chopped pistachio nuts

Additionally:

1 egg for egg wash
2-3 tbsp cold water
Chocolate topping:
100 g plain chocolate
15 g butter

À vous de jouer

Buns:

Heat the milk to about 37 degrees C. Stir in the melted butter and dissolve the yeast in the mixture. Combine salt, sugar, cardamom and flour in a bowl and sieve it all into the milk. Knead the dough until smooth and supple.

Cover the bowl and leave the dough to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Vanilla custard filling:

Beat milk and egg together in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.

Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and whisk these and the sugar into the custard. Bring the custard almost to boiling point.

Now beat in the cornstarch and bring the custard to the boil for approx. 3-4 minutes while beating it constantly.

Pour the custard into a bowl and cover and seal with clingfilm. Refrigerate, allowing it to cool fully.

Remonce filling:

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the marzipan.

Buns:

Roll out the dough on a flour-strewn table. It should measure about 35 x 35 cm.

Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces and place 1 tbsp custard and 1 tsp remonce filling on each. Sprinkle with pistachio. Fold the corners in over the filling and seal thoroughly.

Place them seal down on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave to proof again under a clean tea towel for approx. 50 mins.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, convection.

Beat the egg with 2-3 tbsp cold water and brush the buns with this egg wash. Bake them in the hot oven for 8-12 minutes or until baked through and golden brown. Brush the piping-hot buns with egg wash again as soon as they are out of the oven.

Leave the buns to cool.

Chocolate topping:

Melt the chocolate and stir in the butter. Top the buns with the chocolate.

Allow the chocolate to set before serving.