School Bread

Inside: how to make the soft, sweet, spiced breakfast buns from the Epcot Norway pavilion. These are perfect for weekend guests.

What You’ll Need

Dough

• 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted.
• 2 cups warm water. Not hot, but warm body temperature.
• 5 cups all-purpose flour. You can swap in bread flour, but the two absorb water differently…start with a little less water and add it back if the dough is dry.
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast. Yes, this is a lot. It’s why they have such a short rise time and just about guarantees they will be nice and fluffy.

Glaze & Filling

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding. It has to be instant! Cook-and-serve won’t set with cold milk. We’re also using less milk than the box calls for, so the filling is thick enough to pipe.
• 1½ cups whole milk
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Equipment You’ll Need

• Stand mixer with dough hook. You can knead by hand, but most people under-knead and end up with dense buns. The mixer just about guarantees it.
• Kitchen scale
• Piping bag. Or just snip off the corner of a gallon-sized plastic bag.

Instructions

Make the dough

Grease a large bowl with nonstick spray first, so it’s ready when you need it. Then combine the melted butter, warm water, flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Yes, all at once….and no, you don’t need to proof the yeast first, even the active dry kind. Just dump it in with everything else. Really!

Knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes, until it’s smooth.

first rise

Then move the dough to the greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and set it somewhere warm.

It should roughly double in about 50 minutes, but watch the dough, not the clock. A cold kitchen can easily add fifteen minutes to that.

Shape the buns

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces. I weigh mine to about 130–135 grams each. Eyeballing works, but weighing is more precise.

Form each piece into a ball by tucking the excess underneath so the top is smooth and taut. Don’t overthink the shaping; you’re just making a ball.

Rest before baking

Preheat the oven to 375°F while you let the buns rest.

Space them evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rest about 20 minutes before baking.

Don’t skip this rest, it’s what keeps the bottoms from cracking open in the oven.

Bake until golden

Bake for about 12 minutes at 375, until golden brown on top. If they’re still pale at 12 minutes, give them a few more.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. They’ll look like plain dinner rolls at this point. This is fine!

Make the glaze

In a small shallow bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and heavy cream until smooth.

You want a shallow bowl here because you’ll be dipping whole bun tops into it, not drizzling.

Make the Custard

In a separate bowl, whisk the vanilla, instant pudding powder, and milk together. Chill it for 5 minutes so it sets up, then spoon it into a piping bag with any tip you have.

Pour the coconut into another shallow bowl. Your assembly line is ready now.

Hollow out the buns

Cut a 1-inch hole out of the top of each bun. A small, sharp knife is ideal. You’ll go nearly to the bottom, but leave enough thickness to hold the custard. Think of making a little cup. Pull out the bread inside to make room.

You’re making a little well, not gutting the whole thing.

Add glaze and coconut to the hollow buns

Flip each bun over and dip the entire top into the glaze, then roll it in the coconut immediately. A little glaze and coconut might get into the well, and that’s fine.

The glaze is what holds the coconut on, and it starts setting up fast. If you dip all eight and then go back for the coconut, the last few won’t hold much.

Fill with custard

Pipe the pudding into the hole until each bun is full, ending with a small swirl on top. Fill them generously!

These are best served right away or after a very brief chilling period.

Storage Instructions

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

If you know you won’t eat all 8 in a few days, only fill what you need. You can freeze plain ones for up to 3 months wrapped in plastic and tucked in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze, coconut, and fill.

Don’t freeze them filled. The pudding weeps when it thaws.

Questions and Troubleshooting

Can I skip the cardamom?

Yes, just add a bit more cinnamon. We love the cardamom flavor, though.

Can I use homemade pastry cream instead of instant pudding?

Well, you can. But the pudding honestly works great and is so easy.

Can I use unsweetened coconut?

Yes. The glaze is plenty sweet on its own, so unsweetened works fine.

More Sweet Breakfast Treats

• Homemade yeast doughnuts
• Chocolate chip broiche
• Banana muffins with caramel icing