BOLLA BOLLA BOLLA BOLLA!

This is what many parents of small children will shortly hear screamed happily at them while they get beaten up with colourful, decorative wands. Bolludagur, the Day of Bolla (bolla = Icelandic version of choux pastries) is almost here. This year it will be celebrated on the 8th February and the bakeries are already getting ready for it. There may not yet be the amazing selection of flavours and fillings as there’ll be on the day but the classics are already available, especially the simple yet delicious whipped cream & jam filled ones with dark chocolate melted on top. Yes, I have already been sampling some and no doubt by the end of this week I’ll probably be a few kilos heavier than before but no regrets. It’s so worth it.

Like I wrote two years ago, the actual Bolludagur is bordering insanity and will see crowds like you wouldn’t believe in all the local bakeries. People will go through an amazing ordeal just to gain themselves a nice selection of puff pastries, and then afterwards you’ll see them outside balancing huge boxes carefully as they walk, looking suddenly really happy and relaxed. It’s a big change from a moment before when they still were fighting for their turn to buy them, the difference is so obvious that I’ve began to suspect they may in fact enjoy the whole process somehow.

There is however no need to brave the milling crowds at bakeries if you want your profiteroles: you can also bake them yourself! Here’s Hulda’s recipe for them.

Vatnsdeigsbollur (ca 12 st.)

2 dl vatn
80 gr smjör
125 gr hveiti
2-3 egg

Water Dough Pastries (ca 12 pieces)

2 dl water
80 g butter
125 g wheat flour
2-3 eggs

1. Smjör og vatn er sett saman í potti og soðið. Takið pottinn af hellunni og bætið hveitinu saman við og hrærið þar til deigið losnar frá köntunum. Látið kólna.

Butter and water are set into a pot and brought to boil. Take the pot off the stove, add wheat flour and mix until the dough separates from the sides of the bowl. Let cool down.

2. Eggjunum eru bætt út í einu í einu og hrært vel á milli. Ég nota helst handþeytara þó ef þú ert sterk/ur þá getur þú líka hrært sjálf/ur.

Eggs are added one by one and mixed well. I prefer to use a hand mixer but if you’re strong enough you can also mix it by hand.

3. Setjið á bökunarpappír með tveimur skeiðum.

Set blobs of dough on baking sheet with two spoons.

4. Ofninn stilltur á 220° og bollurnar settar í heitan ofn.

Oven is set to 220°C, the pastries should be put in an already heated oven.

5. Ekki má opna ofninn á meðan á bakstri stendur, þá falla bollurnar!

Do not open the oven while baking or the pastries will flatten!

6. Bakið í 15 mín. Þá er hitinn lækkaður í 150° og bakað áfram í 10 mín.

Bake the pastries for 15 min. Then the temperature is set to 150°C and the pastries can bake 10 min more.

After this you cut the pastries open carefully with a sharp knife. The bolla shells can at this point be f.ex. frozen if you don’t plan on eating them right away, but if you (like me) can’t wait it’s time to stuff the bolla with anything and everything you might like. Whipped cream, jam, chocolate, caramel sauce, berries, fruit, jelly, even ice cream, anything you like is the correct filling for a bolla. Bakeries even try to create their own selections nowadays to better stand out: just look at these amazing ones by 17 Sortir here!  Don’t forget to click to see all the photos, they look heavenly.

…wait, did I forget to explain why children try to beat up their parents with the Bolludagur wands? My apologies: they do it to get these pastries. For every successful hit the child gets a bolla so you can imagine they’re quite eager to ambush the grown-ups. 😀