Boller med Sjokoladebiter, The Perfect Weekend Trip Snack

Boller are a sweet cardamom bun enjoyed throughout Scandinavia

There is a tradition in Norway of going "ut på tur" on a Sunday. Apart from tourist areas, all the shops are closed on Sundays and the only places open are petrol stations and service stations. Most of those are really well stocked and have small kitchens making hotdogs, burgers and baked goods, and these boller. There's something of a debate here about which chain of service stations makes the best boller (sweet bun); is it Shell or Statoil? I'm Team Shell, but there is still nothing better than a big batch of homemade boller straight from the oven and the aroma of cardamom and chocolate filling the air.

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Boller med Sjokoladebiter (makes 16 buns)

Ingredients

700g/1 lb 9 oz plain, all purpose flour

125g/4.5 oz sugar

2 teaspoons ground cardamom (optional, or add another "sweet" spice that you like)

1/2 teaspoon salt

50g/2 oz fresh yeast or 25g/1 oz dried yeast

100g/4 oz melted butter that has been allowed to cool slightly

1 egg

300ml/10 fl oz warmed milk

175g/6 oz chocolate chopped into small chunks, or chocolate chips if you prefer

Beaten egg for glazing (for a really shiny glaze add a pinch of salt to the egg)

Method

Put the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom into a large bowl and mix in the egg. Blend the yeast into half the warmed milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix in the melted butter and either using a blunt ended knife to mix in or the dough hook on your stand mixer. Gradually add enough of the remaining milk to make a soft and pliable dough. You want it soft and slightly sticky. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

When the dough has rested turn it out onto a floured surface and gently knead in the chocolate pieces or chocolate chips. Don't work it too much or the chocolate will start to melt. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and shape each into a round ball. Place them about 2.5cm/1 inch apart on a baking sheet that is either greased well or lined with baking paper. Cover once again with the damp cloth and allow to prove for about 45-60 minutes or until risen slightly.

Preheat the oven to 175C/380F

Glaze the buns with the beaten egg and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown and risen.

Cool slightly before eating.

My version of boller includes chocolate chips

Vær så god!

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