Fastelavn, this sort of strange day which is said to have been a heathen spring celebration (in February?), but later became a Christian celebration marking the beginning of the fast. Norwegians in general have only a vague idea about why we celebrate Fastelavn, but for most it’s just a good opportunity to feast on some fastelavnsboller. In this article you’ll find a recipe and how to make them.

What is a Fastelavnsbolle?

Bolle = bun. When you talk about boller in Norwegian (we are obsessed with them), then we refer to a sweet wheat bun. You find them in any grocery store, bakery, gas station, café etc. A fastelavnsbolle however, is kind of an upgraded version of the bolle. It comes with a generous portion of whipped cream, jam and a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top. YUM! I think a good translation to English would be Norwegian Luxury Buns. You might also like: Five Norwegian Chocolates

Recipe Fastelavnsboller

So how to make these delicacies? Well, the good news is that its fairly easy, and here is the recipe that I used:

12 buns

• 100 gram or  1/4 lb smør (butter)
• 1 liter or 4 cups of hvetemel (all purpose flour)
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup sukker (sugar)
• 0,5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon malt kardemomme (cardamom powder)
• 3,5 dl or 1 ½ cup melk (milk)
• 1 teaspoon bakepulver (baking soda)
• 50 gram or 1,7 ounces gjær (yeast)
• 1 egg for brush on

Cream filling:

• 3 dl or 1 ½ cup kremfløte (cream)
• 12 tablespoons syltetøy (jam, some red fruit jam but not lingonberry)
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

I found this recipe at Matprat (only Norwegian).

Step by Step Guide

1. Dice up the butter well in advance so it becomes room temperature.
2. Add all purpose flour, sugar, salt, cardamom, milk and baking soda in a bowl. Break up the yeast into small pieces and add it as well.
   1. NOTE! The milk should be a bit heated/warm to activate the yeast. No more than 30 celsius (86 F).
3. Knead the dough by hand or with a kitchen machine for 15 minutes.
4. Add the diced butter and keep on kneading for another 10 minutes until the dough feels smooth, elastic and flexible.
5. Cover up the dough and let it elevate for about 45 minutes until it doubles in size.
6. Sprinkle some flour onto a surface and put the dough there. Split it up into 12 equally sized pieces. Now start rolling them into boller (buns). Let them elevate further in a warm place. In Norwegian we say “lun”, its basically a place with a stable temperature and no winds.
7. Brush the buns with the whipped egg, og bake them in the middle of the oven at 200C (395F) for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool off on a grate.
8. Make the whipped cream. It should be a bit firm.
9. Cut the top of the buns and add jam and whipped cream. Sprinkle over a layer of powdered suger.

Vel bekomme! Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. For more recipes and to support my work, join me on Patreon where I post an exclusive Norwegian recipe every month.

Thank you, tusen takk!