Recipe #5 Manuela’s Norwegian Vanilla Buns
I hope that everyone that's baking along is feeling more like a "Master" Baker than a "Disaster" Baker; especially since we're about to bake Recipe #5. Seeing all of your beautiful photo entries in the WOOBOX Gallery gives me a sense of pride as we bake together in the challenge - keep up the good work! Hard work always pays off, and just like one of the contestants said to me last week: "This is a marathon not a sprint but the effort is so worth the chance of winning that Ankarsrum Mixer!"
Here's a photo of the mixer just to give you a little motivation. Isn't she a beauty?
If you’re here for the first time and would like to join the challenge or check out what we’ve been up to, click the links to view Recipe #1 Mocca Meringues Ice Cream Cake, Recipe #2 Norwegian Cream Cake, Recipe #3 Manuela’s Best Vanilla Cupcakes and Recipe #4 Manuela's White Macarons with Milk Chocolate Fudge.
The requirements for this weeks challenge are the same as the previous three weeks and are written below:
Bake the next recipe in the challenge series then take a photo of your “Master or Disaster” piece. The Woobox Submission Form is listed at the end of this post, and it’s also where you will share a photo of your creation. The link will be available on all my social media sites for easy access to post your photos for the entire duration of the contest.
*NOTE*
In order to be eligible to win the $700.00 Ankarsrum Original Mixer you must enter a photo for ALL 6 recipes in the challenge. To win the Baking Book: Love Manuela, you are required to enter 3 recipe photos.FOR THE
OFFICIAL RULES CLICK HERE
RECIPE #5, Manuela’s Norwegian Vanilla Buns
This stunning creation is the work of Norwegian born award-winning blogger and “Master Home Baker” – Manuela Kjeilen.
( You can read more about Manuela and the Contests Official Rules HERE )
Attached to each of the six recipes sent to me by Manuela were notes written by her as they related to one of the recipes. Below is what Manuela said about Recipe #5:
I also would love for [the contestants] to make my sweet buns, a typical Norwegian sweet bun, topped with a custard, and coconut, these are sold in all the bakeries in Norway and are my favorite!
I now understand Manuela's love for Norwegian Vanilla Buns; as they have become my new favorite dessert. The bread is savory, sweet, delicious, and filled with her pastry cream recipe.
Despite my new love affair with Vanilla Buns, this recipe is a labor of love. You will need a full day to make this recipe in order to allow the dough time to rise not just once, but 3 times. To give you a bit of insight into what I mean, I started baking this recipe at 8 AM and didn't finish the recipe until 3:45 PM.
My biggest fear going into this week's bake resides within the fact that I've always struggled when baking with yeast. I can't ever figure out the perfect temperature to allow the yeast to grow; nor have I ever really taken the time to investigate the proper method. This week was no exception, and I was so frustrated that I had to contact my friend Lynn Beamer to get help. This is how our text conversation went (the information within the conversation is very useful for the recipe):
ME: Hi Lynn, sorry to bother you, I'm in desperate need of baking advice! What if my yeast doesn't "Bubble" like the recipe says?"
ME: I'm afraid! ????
LYNN: Was the temp too hot?
ME: I have no idea! The instructions say use "lukewarm" milk
LYNN: Put an instant read thermometer in the liquid. More than 115 degrees probably dead!
ME: Ok, I'll have to make it again! UGH!
LYNN: Always have the liquid at 110-115 when using yeast for bread
ME: Thank you Lynn????
The disaster was averted with the help of Lynn and her calm direction as my second batch worked perfectly. I'm not sure why it has taken me fifty plus years to learn the correct temperature for lukewarm...stubbornness I suppose.
Now that you’ve seen the STUNNING photo of Manuela’s Norwegian Vanilla Buns above, say hello to my rendition.
Some Thoughts on My Fifth Bake
My sweet buns turned out beautifully; and I was so tempted to eat them after waiting all day that I ate 2 before they could even cool! I didn't care though because they were delicious! I had enough dough to make 10 more buns, so I decided to experiment with flavors and added a tablespoon of Nutella to a few buns and some raspberry jam to the rest (see photos below).
Although the recipe takes several hours to make, I'm happy to add Manuela's Vanilla Sweet Buns to my archive of baking recipes. The recipe is super versatile, and I plan to make them again and fill them with Swiss cheese, ham, and bacon (of course). YUM!
Manuela’s Norwegian Vanilla Buns Notes
You will need the following items in order to successfully bake this recipe:
- Stand Mixer with dough attachment (If you don't own a stand mixer you can use the old fashioned way, mix and kneed the dough by hand)
- Two baking sheets lined with parchment
- The recipe conversions from European Measurements are Manuela’s US converted recipes or were calculated with the iPhone APP “Kitchen Pro”
Norwegian Vanilla Buns
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer with dough attachment (If you don't own a stand mixer you can use the old-fashioned way, mix and knead the dough by hand
Ingredients
- 2 CUPS 480 ML LUKEWARM MILK
- 2 TEASPOONS DRY ACTIVE YEAST
- 1 CUP 225 G SUGAR
- 8 CUPS 900 G ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- 4 EGGS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
- ½. TEASPOONS SALT
- ⅔ CUP 150 G UNSALTED BUTTER, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, CUT INTO 10 TO PIECES
For The Filling
- VANILLA CREAM RECIPE
- 2 CUPS 500 ML WHOLE MILK
- 1- 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA BEAN PASTE OR SEEDS OF ONE VANILLA POD
- ½ CUP 85 G SUGAR
- 4 TABLESPOONS CORNSTARCH
- ¼ TEASPOON SALT
- 6 LARGE EGG YOLKS
- 3 TABLESPOONS 45 G CHILLED UNSALTED BUTTER, CUT INTO PIECES
For the Glaze
- 1 CUP 110 G CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR
- 1-3 TABLESPOONS MILK
- 1 TEASPOON LIGHT CORN SYRUP
- TOPPING
- 1 CUP 150 G COCONUT (I used unsweet flakes)
Instructions
Directions For The Filling
- Heat the milk and vanilla bean paste in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk is hot but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Whisk in yolks all at once until light and fluffy and the batter reaches the ribbon stage.
- As you continue whisking, slowly add one-third of the hot milk to the yolk mixture to temper the egg yolks.
- Whisk in remaining milk into yolks and return the entire mixture to a saucepan.
- Place over medium heat and whisk frequently until the mixture begins to boil.
- Whisk the mixture vigorously for 2 minutes, while boiling, until the cornstarch dissolves completely.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Strain the vanilla cream mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
- Whisk in the butter.
- With a silicon, spatula spread the vanilla cream into a thin layer on a small baking sheet.
- Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the vanilla cream.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a few hours.
- When ready to use, loosen the cream with a spatula or whisk.
- Pastry cream should be refrigerated and used within 3 days of making.
Directions For the Sweet Dough
- Preheat oven to 350F (180 C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl, of a standing mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment, pour in the warm milk(110-115 on an instant-read thermometer), add the sugar and yeast, and whisk until dissolved.
- Rest for 5 minutes, the mixture should bubble up a little bit.
- Add the eggs, salt, and flour, and mix on low speed until all of the ingredients have come together.
- Continue to mix on medium speed for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the butter to the dough mix, piece by piece, and continue mixing on low speed.
- The butter needs to mix completely into the dough, so stop the mixer occasionally and scrape the sides of the bowl to break up the dough.
- Once the butter is completely incorporated into the dough, mix on medium speed for another 15 minutes, until the dough becomes sticky and soft, and somewhat shiny.
- Increase to medium-high speed for about 1 minute and you should hear a slap-slap-slap sound as the dough hits the sides of the bowl.
- You should then be able to gather it all together and pick it up all at once in one piece when it’s ready.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, cover your beautiful hands with flour, and push each corner of the dough to the middle, all the way around.
- Turn the round dough with the seam side down, into a greased bowl, covered with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces (I got 34)
- Shape each piece into a ball.
- Lay the buns on prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2″ apart, as they will rise quite a bit.
- With floured hands, press each of the balls down/flat.
- Place a clean tea towel over each of the baking sheets and let rise for about 30/ 45 minutes.
- Remove the tea towel, and with floured hands, lightly press the dough down again with the palms of your hand, and with your knuckles in the center of each bun make an indentation (see the video).
- Place the tea towel over the buns again and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Just before filling each bun with vanilla cream, you can with your knuckles once again make the indentation a bit larger.
- Fill the centers with a generous amount of vanilla cream /pastry cream.
- Glaze with egg wash, optional.
- Bake until golden brown around the edges, which typically takes about 15-20 minutes.
Directions For Glaze
- As the buns are baking, combine the glaze ingredients.
- Warm the glaze for 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Drizzle glaze over baked buns and sprinkle with coconut.
- In my opinion, the more coconut, the better it tastes.
- Allow the buns to cool for several minutes before enjoying these Norwegian school buns.
- Norwegian Vanilla Buns taste best eaten the same day.
Now it’s your turn to bake your “Master or Disaster” piece! Remember you must post a photo of your completed dish to the WooBox link (listed below) by September 1, 2018 Midnight CST
If you need step-by-step instructions after reading Manuela’s recipe, then please check out her helpful how to videos. (Manuela’s beautiful photos of her creations are located HERE), and be sure to add a photo of your rendition to the WOOBOX entry form below. Happy Baking!
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CONTEST TIMELINE
June 18, 2018 Initial Rules and Information Post
June 24, 2018 First Recipe in the series Announced (Recipe #1)
July 1, 2018 First Recipe Due Midnight CST
July 8, 2018 Second Recipe in the series Announced (Recipe #2)
July 15, 2018 Second Recipe Due Midnight CST
July 22, 2018 Third Recipe in the series Announced (Recipe #3)
August 1, 2018 Third Recipe Due Midnight CST
August 5, 2018 Fourth Recipe in the series Announced (Recipe #4)
August 15, 2018 Fourth Recipe Due Midnight CST
August 19, 2018 Fifth Recipe in series Announced (Recipe #5)
September 1, 2018 Fifth Recipe Due Midnight CST
September 9, 2018 Sixth Recipe in series Announced (Recipe #6)
September 15, 2018 Sixth Recipe Due Midnight CST
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