SAINT LUCY’S DAY SAFFRON BUNS
Lussebulle/saffransbröd/ Lussekatt (Norway) Luciapullat (Finland) Lussekatter (Sweden)
Makes: 20 julgalt (Christmas boar), 10 lussekatt (Saint Lucy’s cat) or 2-5 more elaborate buns, depending on size
Roughly 1 tbsp (15 ml) loosely packed saffron
1 tbsp (15 ml) vodka
2 cups plus 2 tbsp
(530 ml) milk
1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp
(160 ml) butter
3 tbsp (45 ml) active dry yeast, or 3 tbsp and 1 tsp (50 ml) fresh yeast
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
5 3/4 cups (1.43 L) strong wheat flour
1 handful raisins
Egg wash (see note)
1. Add the saffron to the vodka. Leave overnight to infuse.
2. Add the saffron liquid to the milk. Melt the butter in a pan, add the milk mixture and heat to 98.6 F (37 C).
3. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and butter mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the salt, sugar and then the flour, little by little, while you knead the dough with the dough hook.
4. Set aside a little of the flour for dusting later. Keep kneading for about 10 minutes, or until it comes clean off the sides of the bowl.
5. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work counter, divide the dough into as many pieces as you need for the shape of rolls you want to make (see illustration).
7. Shape as required and place on the prepared baking sheets. Push the raisins into the dough where indicated in the illustrations, then cover the buns and leave to rise until doubled in size.
8. Before baking, you may have to push the raisins back into the dough with a toothpick; sometimes they can pop out during the rising.
9. To make egg wash, crack an egg into what might seem like an unnecessarily large bowl and use one half of the eggshell to measure half a quantity (the egg is one quantity) of milk.
10. Whisk the egg and milk mixture for a few minutes, making sure that the mix is completely smooth and has no lumps at all. It will foam a bit but if you leave the mix to rest for a few minutes before using it, this will disappear.
11. Apply your egg wash in a thin layer using a good pastry brush. One coating is enough; it just needs to glisten from egg to brown well, it doesn’t need to be soaking wet.
12. All leavened doughs need to be baked when the egg wash has just been applied and is still wet. If it dries up, it will crack in the baking process.