Getting Schooled on Epcot’s Norwegian School Bread (Skolebrød)

Published January 19, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Talk to any person who loves Epcot food long enough – and you might hear them mention School Bread. It has become a favorite of many Disney fans, almost as famous as some other portable snacks such as the turkey leg, or maybe even the Dole Whip. You can find the Disney World version of this baked good inside the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, or the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe to be exact. Here is what it will look like:

Epcot’s version of School Bread. Photo source: melsquietthoughts.com

I mentioned School Bread on facebook and really sparked some questions. That is what inspired this post today. Not ever having eaten School Bread myself, I wondered, what is it really, and why is it such a big deal to those of us who love Disney? To give you an idea of how popular it is – Amanda of MigotoChou (her store on etsy) has sold out of her “School Bread Scented Polymer Clay Epcot Walt Disney World Snack Miniature.” I just think these little things are adorable, so I had to include a picture of them too. Check it out!

Photo source: etsy.com/shop/MigotoChou

To find out more about the real, edible school bread, I did a little research.

Moose and L-Jay from MyLittleNorway.com are a fantastic source for all things Norwegian. According to the couple – School Bread (Skolebrødis) all about the “bread” which they don’t really even consider bread, but more like a bun. Before we go any further I should explain that “Skole” means school. Why do they use the word school to describe this treat? Well, because it is filled with rich vanilla cream or vanilla pudding, Norwegian School Bread is a special treat to include in your children’s lunches or to prepare for a special school gathering. Bolle is the word to describe one bun and Boller refers to two or more. For whatever reason – it seems we are all calling them school bread or “skolebrød”- when actually they are more of a School BUN – or a “skoleboller”.

When I contacted Moose and L-Jay through facebook and asked why I couldn’t find Skolebrød in my search of their site they told me this:

“They are also known as skoleboller (as they are typically made from boller dough not bread as such.)”

So if you search skoleboller on their site – what you see if the actual food that has inspired Epcot’s famous school bread. My next question – what is boller dough and how is it different then bread?

To quote mylittlenorway.com: “To me, a bolle just seems like a hot-cross bun without the hot-cross and eaten everyday rather than just Easter. But to a Norwegian the bolle is a way of life.”

Skoleboller (school buns) are boller with a custard center and an iced coconut topping. They are VERY common in Norway. Every supermarket stocks a fresh batch in the bakery section. When a Norwegian has a choice between plain boller and skoleboller, the latter always wins. No wonder they made their way to the Norway Pavilion in Epcot.

To find out more about Epcot’s version of School Bread I went to the Disney Food Blog. They are quoted as saying this little slice of heaven is absolutely delicious. It is stuffed with vanilla custard, surrounded by a light sweet pastry, and sprinkled with coconut. They described it as magnificent and adding to the delight is the fact that the custard is chilled, making School Bread the perfect compliment to a hot Epcot afternoon. Believe it or not, according to DFB, School Bread actually isn’t too sweet! Which is possibly why so many people love it. Regarding taste and texture, the bread is a cross between a cinnamon roll and a dinner roll. It’s not super moist — more springy. But the sweet vanilla custard is extremely smooth and abundant. They go on to say the basic icing and coconut on top give it just enough extra sweetness.

Have you tried School Bread? What did you think of it?

9 comments on “Getting Schooled on Epcot’s Norwegian School Bread (Skolebrød)

  • Oh School bread- my Husband is a sweet, thoughtful man that would lay his life down for a brother, always gives to charities without taking the candy bar and cries at ASPCA ads…but touch a finger to his school bread and it is on like Chuck Norris fighting terrorists.

  • I actually wasn’t blown away by it. Mine had very little custard and was rather dry, like eating a hamburger bun with a thin layer of icing on top and some even dryer shredded coconut. After all the praise, I was disappointed to encounter a fairly bland dessert. Maybe like filled donuts the amount of custard depends on how heavy handed or budget conscious the person filling it is and mine was made by Scrooge, but I am not willing to waste more money or calories to try again.

  • What are your thoughts?