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Golden Norwegian rye buns stacked on a wooden board with a green bowl

Norwegian Rye Buns with Anise (Laup)

Soft, lightly sweet Norwegian rye buns scented with ground anise — a regional bake associated with Trøndelag, best served warm with butter and brown cheese.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rising 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 20 buns
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Nordic, Norwegian, Scandinavian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 700 ml cold whole milk 3 cups
  • 850 g all-purpose flour 7 cups
  • 325 g light rye flour, finely milled 3 cups, finely milled
  • 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
  • 100 g butter, room temperature 7 tbsp, room temperature
  • 50 g fresh yeast or 17 g (5½ tsp) instant yeast
  • 6 g anise seed 3 level tsp, freshly ground
  • 12 g fine salt 2 tsp
  • 1 large egg, beaten for the egg wash

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with dough hook This dough wants a full 15 minutes of kneading — a stand mixer does it hands-free. Ours is a KitchenAid Artisan.
  • Digital kitchen scale Rye and wheat flour measure very differently by volume. Weight is the only way to get this dough right.
  • Half sheet pans Twenty rolls need two trays.
  • Parchment paper Keeps the bottoms pale and clean-releasing.
  • Dough scraper For dividing the dough into 20 even pieces.
  • Spice grinder or mortar and pestle Anise loses its perfume fast — grind the seeds just before mixing.
  • Pastry brush For the egg wash that gives these rolls their shine.
  • Wire cooling rack Cooling on a rack stops the bottoms going soggy.

Method
 

  1. Combine. Put the cold milk, all-purpose flour, rye flour, sugar, butter, yeast, ground anise and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Knead. Knead with the dough hook for about 13 minutes on low speed, then 2 minutes on medium, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Kneading by hand will take noticeably longer.
  3. First rise. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.
  4. Shape. Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, about 110 g each. Shape each one into a tight ball, place on parchment-lined sheet pans and press down lightly to flatten.
  5. Proof. Cover and proof for 60–90 minutes, until doubled in size. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  6. Bake. Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake for 12–15 minutes, until deep golden.
  7. Cool and serve. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with good butter and brunost (Norwegian brown cheese), or with jam.

Notes

Chef's tip: grind the anise seed yourself, right before you mix. Pre-ground anise goes flat within weeks — freshly ground, it perfumes the whole dough and is the reason these rolls taste like nothing else in your bread basket. And be sure you're using anise seed (Pimpinella anisum), not star anise — they are unrelated plants, and star anise will bulldoze everything else in the dough
  • Fresh vs. instant yeast: fresh yeast is standard in Norwegian kitchens but hard to find in the US. Use 17 g (5½ tsp) instant yeast instead and add it straight to the dry ingredients — no need to bloom it.
  • Why cold milk: cold liquid slows the fermentation just enough that the long knead doesn't overheat the dough. The rise still takes well under two hours.
  • Make ahead: these freeze beautifully. Cool completely, freeze in bags, then warm from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for 6–8 minutes.