Varme hveder (Danish Wheat Buns)

Coming up this Friday, April 30th is a Danish holiday called “Store Bededag” or “Great Prayer Day.” It is celebrated on the fourth Friday after Easter, and it’s basically a consolidation of minor religious holidays into one larger day of celebration. It was actually created for efficiency, so that instead of having a bunch of smaller holidays off, the Danes just get one big day to celebrate. We aren’t religious, so we don’t participate in that part of the celebrations, but as is common in Denmark, historically religious holidays have resulted in lots of traditions that have now become an important part of Danish culture.

So, what does this have to do with today’s recipe? Well, one of those traditions involves eating these wheat buns, also known as varme hveder or hvedeknopper. This tradition came about in an interesting way. In the 19th century, most people didn’t have their own ovens and relied on bakeries to provide them with bread. Since all businesses had to be closed on St Bededag, including bakeries, the bakers decided to make and sell extra wheat buns the evening before. Then, people could heat them up and eat them on St Bededag when all the bakeries were closed. Instead, they would usually end up eating them that evening because the rolls were just that delicious 🙂 So now, the custom has become that we eat the buns the evening before Great Prayer Day!

This recipe yields about 12 rolls, but you can always adjust the number based on how big you want them to be. First, combine the ingredients to make a dough and knead this until smooth and elastic. Let this rise for an hour or two, or until doubled in size. Then, shape your rolls and let them rise again. Brush with egg and bake! Once they cool, you can either eat them as is or toast them (as is tradition!). We find that they are most delicious when they are toasted and slathered with a lot of butter! Jam and cheese are welcome too, of course. We hope you try our recipe and enjoy.

Varme hveder (Danish Wheat Buns)

5 from 2 votes

These delicious, lightly spiced buns are so soft and fluffy like a little cloud. They are best when they are cut in half, toasted, and smothered in butter. Enjoy!

Servings 12 servings

Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 44 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
• 200 ml (a little less than 1 cup) milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 450 grams (3 3/4 cups) bread or all-purpose flour

Instructions

 

• If using active dry yeast, heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add your yeast, stir, and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. If using instant yeast, simply add the yeast to the milk – there is no need to dissolve it.
• Combine the eggs, sugar, and cardamom in a large bowl. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled up a bit, add it to the egg mixture, or if using instant yeast, add immediately. Mix well.
• Then add the salt, melted butter, and flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Tip it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Add more flour if needed – the dough should be soft and smooth, not dry and not sticking to the surface. If using a stand mixer, allow it to knead the dough together for about 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough with cling film or a clean dishtowel and place in a warm place to rise for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
• Once your dough has doubled in size, shape it into 12 balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I like to weigh the total dough to start, then divide by 12 and weigh each individual piece to get really evenly sized rolls. To shape them properly, take a piece, pinch together into a ball shape, then cup it in your hand with the top of the roll touching your palm. Place your hand on an unfloured surface with the seam touching the table. Move your cupped hand in quick, tight circles – this will cause the seam to come together and create tension on the surface of the dough, meaning it will rise upwards in the oven, instead of flattening.
• Cover and let the rolls rise for another 30-45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C). To check if they are ready, use the poke test. Poke the dough with one finger. If the dough springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slightly but an indentation remains, it’s ready to be baked.
• Brush with egg wash (whisk together one egg and some water until there are no more gloopy egg streaks). Bake for 14 minutes, turning the baking sheet after 7 minutes. Check the bottom of the buns to see whether they are done – they should be golden brown. If they’re too pale, they’ll need another minute or two.
  
• Let them cool, toast, cover in butter, and enjoy!

Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: butter, cardamom, fluffy, soft, traditional, wheat

Difficulty: Intermediate