I recently came across a recipe for bollefocaccia, a recent invention by Norwegian bakers which to me seemed perfect as it’s a combination of Norwegian and Italian cuisine, my two favorite countries 🙂

There’s a myriad of recipes for boller, those fluffy, sweet cardamom buns that Scandinavia is so known for. You can find one of my recipes for kanelboller here.

Focaccia needs no introduction – a doughy, yeasted flatbread from Italy with its recognizable “dimples” baked on a sheet tray and sprinkled with different toppings, most often savory items. You’ll be surprised at how delicious it is in a sweet form!

When I made this the other day, I used Norwegian pastry chef Elin Vatnar Nilsen’s recipe as inspiration. She runs a website called krem.no, and she is a fantastic baker and source of information. Note her recipes are not vegan, but she is very creative and this recipe seemed to have spread like wildfire around Norwegian homes lately!

Biting into this, I thought of the Danish term “hyggebrød”, used to describe bread made with love and delicious ingredients ranging from healthy rye bread to fluffier, white-flour sweet rolls. I’ll be posting a series of this kind of bread in the coming weeks and months so keep your eye on this blog!

This particular version of bollefocaccia is filled with homemade vegan vanilla custard and fresh blueberries since berries are in season now.

If you don’t want to make your own custard from scratch, there are several instant or store-bought pudding mixes out there that are vegan, just make sure to use non-dairy milk. I typically reduce the amount of plant-based milk by about 1/2 cup (1.25 dl) to the regular cow’s milk recipe.

I imagine this bollefocaccia would also be amazing drenched in cinnamon (what pastry wouldn’t be) or as a savory option with cheese, vegan ‘ham’, pesto and fresh herbs.

Scandinavians love to bake. That includes me – I recently released a virtual, self-study course on Norwegian bread baking which I’m thrilled garnered rave reviews.

You can check it out and sign up if you are interested as there will be a part 2 of this later in the year.

When I was snacking on this bollefocaccia I thought to myself “Nothing tastes as delicious as Norwegian pastries!” I’m sure part of it is because it brings out so many memories from growing up in Norway and of ‘koselige’ (hyggelige) times with family and friends.

That said, I really want everyone to experience this bollefocaccia so I hope you’ll try your hand on it – and do let me know what you think!

BOLLEFOCACCIA WITH VANILLA CUSTARD AND BLUBERRIES

4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1.25 dl) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoon) active dry yeast
1 ¼ cup (3 dl) non-dairy milk, room temperature or cold
3 tablespoons Just eggs or applesauce (can be omitted)
7 tablespoons (about 100 grams) vegan butter, chilled and diced

For the topping:
1 recipe vanilla custard * or 1 packet store-bought vanilla pudding (use non-dairy milk)
1 cup (190 grams) fresh blueberries

Optional confectioner’s glaze:
1 cup (130 grams) powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons water

Combine the flour, sugar, cardamom, and active dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.

Turn the machine on slowly and combine the dry ingredients before adding milk, eggs/applesauce (if using). Knead for about 8-9 minutes, then add in the butter at the end.

Continue kneading for another 5 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Add a little neutral oil to the bowl to grease the dough, cover with cling wrap or a clean dishtowel, place in a warm spot and let rise until double in size, at least 1-1 ½ hours.

Meanwhile, grease a large sheet pan about 17×11 inches and set aside.

After the dough has risen the first time, turn it onto the greased sheet pan and pat it out to fit the size of the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, repeat the finger-hole process, then add a small amount of vanilla custard in each hole, either using a piping bag or a spoon. Sprinkle blueberries over the surface, and lightly push the blueberries into the dough.

Preheat the oven to 440℉ (220℃).

Let the dough rest under a towel again for another 30 minutes, and before placing it in the oven, lightly push the blueberries into the dough again if they have risen to the surface.

Sprinkle with optional pearl sugar and bake in the oven at the second lowest rack for about 8-9 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool on a rack before drizzling with the optional confectioner’s glaze. Dig in!

BOLLEFOCACCIA

This combination of Norwegian cardamom buns and Italian focaccia filled with vegan vanilla custard and bluberries is the ultimate 'hyggebrød'. The perfect combination of sweet and savory baked goodness!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Norwegian

Keyword: Baked goods

Author: Sunny Gandara | Arctic Grub

Ingredients

For the focaccia dough:

• 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (1.25 dl) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 ¼ cup (3 dl )non-dairy milk, room temperature or cold
• 3 tablespoons Just eggs or applesauce can be omitted
• 7 tablespoons (about 100 grams) vegan butter, chilled and diced

For the topping:

• 1 recipe vanilla custard * or 1 packet store-bought vanilla pudding use non-dairy milk
• 1 cup (190 grams) fresh blueberries

Optional confectioner's glaze:

• 1 cup (130 grams) powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Combine the flour, sugar, cardamom, and active dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Turn the machine on slow and combine the dry ingredients before adding in the milk and eggs/applesauce (if using). Knead for about 8-9 minutes, then add in the butter at the end. Continue kneading for another 5 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
• Add a little neutral oil to the bowl, cover the dough with cling wrap or a clean dishtowel, place in a warm spot and let rise until double in size, at least 1-1 ½ hours.
• Meanwhile, grease a large sheet pan about 17×11 inches and set aside.
• After the dough has risen the first time, turn it onto the greased sheet pan and pat it out to fit the size of the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, repeat the finger-hole process, then add a small amount of vanilla custard in each hole, either using a piping bag or a spoon. Sprinkle blueberries over the surface, and lightly push the blueberries into the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 440℉ (220℃).
• Let the dough rest under a towel again for another 30 minutes, and before placing it in the oven, lightly push the blueberries into the dough again if they have risen to the surface. Sprinkle with optional pearl sugar and bake in the oven at the second lowest rack for about 8-9 minutes until golden brown.
• Let the bollefocaccia cool on a rack before drizzling with optional confectioner’s glaze.