Vegan, refined sugar free Danish Shrovetide Buns. Healthy sweet buns with custard.
This coming Sunday is Shrovetide – a weird holiday which we celebrate here in Denmark. Originally, many years back, it marked the day of the beginning of the 40 days long fast until Easter, but today it’s just a holiday for children. The second most important tradition, this holiday, is the game “knock the cat off the barrow”. A game where a painted wooden barrow full of candy, confetti and a paper cat hangs in a rope and you take turns beating it with a bat to knock it down. Rather like a piñata. Weird.
The most important tradition however is Shrovetide buns. Soft buns filled with custard. I love them so much. The homemade ones that is. Especially my grandmothers. But I thought it was time for some healthier, vegan ones. And here they are. Perfect for this coming Shrovetide Sunday.
Vegan Shrovetide Buns
Ingredients
Buns
1 tbsp. psyllium husks
¼ cup water
1 cup lukewarm water (or almond milk for a richer taste)
25 g. fresh yeast OR
2 tbsp. agave or maple syrup (or honey, if you eat that)
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cup spelt flour
¼ cup coconut oil, softened
1 ½ cup white flour (you can sub spelt)
Custard
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp. starch (corn or potato)
½ tsp. vanilla powder or extract
2 tbsp. agae syrup
Glace
1 tbsp. coconut sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
3-4 tsp. boiling water
Instructions
- Start by making the dough: place the psyllium husks in the ¼ cup cold water and leave it for 5 minutes. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix in salt, agave/maple/honey and the psyllium husks and knead in the first 1 ½ cup of the dough. Now knead in the soft coconut oil before adding the rest of the flour. Leave to rise for half an hour.
- While the dough rises make the custard: Mix everything in a small saucepan and stir until the starch is completely dissolved in the milk. Heat up while stirring constantly. When it boils whish vigorously and boil for 5 minutes, until it thickens. Pour out on a plate and cool down in the fridge or in the freezer.
- Roll the dough out into a big square on a floured surface. cut 20 (4X5) squares out of it and place a dollop of custard on each square. Now fold the buns by picking up the corners of the square and pinch them together. Pinch the sides together too. Place the bun with the corners down on a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Leave the buns to rise for another half hour, while the oven heats to 200°C / 390°F. Bake for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown and brown on the bottom) in the middle of the oven. Leave to cool slightly before adding on glace.
- Make the glace by mixing everything together very well. Add a bit of water at a time to make sure it doesn’t get too wet. Spread out on the buns and enjoy!