norwegian boller.

last night i baked my first batch of norwegian boller, which are basically sweet, cardamom rolls. they are a staple in norway, a lot like the chocolate chip cookie is to americans. during lent, norwegians slice them in half and fill them with whipped cream or custard. hellooooo deliciousness.

below is the recipe i used and also here is the post that inspired this project (which you should all go read now, because it's a charmingly accurate portrait of norwegian culture).

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of warm milk (about 90-100 degrees F)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup of sugar

2 tbs active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cardamom

5 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 egg white (egg white is used to brush the rolls - makes them shiny!)

note: sometimes people add raisins. but as you all know, i don't like raisins in my rolls or cookies, so i left them out.

directions:

in a large bowl, combine the warm milk, butter, sugar and yeast and then allow the mixture to stand for about 10 minutes. stir in the salt and cardamom, and then slowly stir in all the flour. (this is also when you can add the raisins. ew.) the dough should still be a little sticky at this point. cover the bowl with a tea towel and then let it sit and rise for about an hour (or until it has roughly doubled in size). preheat your oven to 350 and then knead the dough briefly. divide the dough into about 14-15 chunks and then roll them into golf ball size rolls. put them on a greased cookie sheet and then let them rise again for another 30 minutes. brush them with an egg white and then bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. serve plain, with butter or whipped cream, (or if you're really brave, with brown goat cheese). dig in.

who wants to try one? come on over!

p.s. i ate four last night and have already eaten two this morning. it's a good thing they have no calories.

(photo credit: five and spice)