Lussekatter - Santa Lucia Saffron Buns (St Lucia Bread Rolls)

Lussekatter – Santa Lucia Saffron Buns (St Lucia Bread Rolls)

Serves	12 buns
Prep time	1 hour, 40 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 55 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Bread, Breakfast, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Christmas
Region	Swedish
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

These fragrant, saffron buns are made especially for Saint Lucy's Day (Santa Lucia, St Lucia) on the 13th December and are delicious when served warm with coffee. Mine also have another typical Scandinavian ingredient, cardamom, which adds a warmth to these sweet egg and butter enriched bread buns.

Ingredients

300mls milk, tepid
1 teaspoon saffron threads
500g strong white bread flour
7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g golden caster sugar
10 cardamom pods, split and seeds removed
75g butter, melted
1 large free-range egg
1 small free-range egg, beaten for glazing
24 raisins

Note

Directions

Step 1	Butter a large baking sheet, you may need two and soak the saffron threads in the milk.
Step 2	Combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and cardamom seeds in a large bowl and then make a well in the centre and add the saffron milk, beaten large egg and melted butter.
Step 3	Stir and then start to bring it all together like bread dough before turning it out onto a floured board and kneading for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Step 4	Put the dough back into a bowl, cover with a clean tea cloth and allow it to prove in warm place until it has doubled in size, for about 1 hour.
Step 5	Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 7.
Step 6	Placed the dough on a floured board, knock it back and divide it into 12 equal size pieces. Take each piece in turn and roll it out into a long strip, before twisting it into an "S" shape very tightly. Place the shaped buns onto the prepared baking sheet/s and cover them with a clean teacloth - allow them to rise for between 30 and 45 minutes in a warm place.
Step 7	Once they have risen, brush the tops with a beaten egg and then push a raisin into the centre of each scroll - 2 raisins per bun - see photos.
Step 8	Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven until they are dark golden brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
Step 9	Allow them to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Step 10	Best eaten on the same day, but they can be frozen.