Danish Varme Hveder Recipe

Varme Hveder are a traditional Danish sweet, spiced roll consisting of wheat flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, yeast and cardamom.

The ingredients are mixed into a soft dough and divided into rolls. They are brushed with an egg wash then baked. They are served warm or toasted with butter and sometimes coffee.

Varme hveder means warm wheats. It is also known as hveder knopper or wheat buds. There is little variation of varme hveder. It is similar to another well-liked Danish roll called krydderboller because they both are flavored with cardamom.

Origin and Cultural Significance

Varme Hveder originated sometime around the 18^th century. Since many homes did not have ovens and bread was reserved for special occasions like the Great Prayer Day which the Danish call Store Bededag.

Great Prayer Day is a combination of small holidays, celebrated on one day. Working was not permitted during services so bakers would make and sell rolls the day before. The idea was that the rolls would be saved to be warmed up and eaten the next day, on the great prayer day.

Legend says that the warm rolls were so irresistable that people couldn’t help eating them the day before which later become the custom. Though still celebrated, Great Prayer Day is no long a holiday as of 2024.

Continue to Content

Danish Varme Hveder Recipe

Yield: 12 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 32 minutes

Varme Hveder are a traditional Danish sweet, spiced roll consisting of wheat flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, yeast and cardamom.

Print

Ingredients

• Yeast - 25 grams
• Milk - 10 oz
• Sugar - 40 grams
• Egg - 2
• Cardamom - 1 ½ tsp
• Flour (High protein) –- 500 g
• Salt - 10 g
• Butter - 100 g

Instructions

1. Take the butter out of the fridge a half an hour before needed so that it becomes soft.
2. Heat the milk to 98F and add it to the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the milk.
4. Add sugar, cardamom and 1 egg.
5. Add the flour a little at a time while running at low speed.
6. When the dough is cohesive, add salt and pats of butter.
7. Mix the dough on high speed until it becomes supple and smooth (approx. 10 min).
8. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
9. Form 12 buns and place them in a baking pan. The buns must not touch each other but will do so as they expand.
10. Let the buns rise again for about 45 to 60 minutes.
11. Beat the remaining egg.
12. Brush the buns with the beaten egg.
13. Bake at 350°F for about 15-17 minutes

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 402mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g

Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.