SWEDISH SEMLOR
These cardamom buns are filled with almond paste, then covered with whipped cream before you put a lid on and sprinkle with icing sugar. In Sweden, semlor were traditionally eaten on a particular day in February, called Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Preparation 45 minutes, plus proving Cooking 15 minutes Makes 12 buns 25G FRESH YEAST (OR 12G DRIED YEAST)
200ML OAT MILK, PLUS EXTRA FOR BRUSHING
1 TSP CARDAMOM SEEDS
45G CASTER SUGAR
PINCH OF SALT
75G VEGAN MARGARINE, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, DICED 330G PLAIN FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA FOR DUSTING FOR THE ALMOND PASTE 100G GROUND ALMONDS 5 TBSP CASTER SUGAR ½ TSP VANILLA BEAN PASTE
TO FINISH 250ML VEGAN WHIPPING CREAM ICING SUGAR, FOR DUSTING
1 Crumble (or pour) the yeast into a large mixing bowl. Add the oat milk and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. 2 Grind the cardamom seeds using a pestle and mortar, then add 1 tsp of the ground spice to the milk mixture (reserve the rest for your almond paste).
3 Add the sugar, salt, margarine and half the flour to the mix. Work the dough for a few minutes until the margarine is mixed in.
4 Add the rest of the flour and work the dough in the bowl with your hands for at least 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if using a stand mixer) until smooth. Shape into a ball and nestle in the bottom of the bowl, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5 Prepare a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Once proved, tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes. Divide the dough into 12 evenly sized pieces and roll each one into a ball.
6 Carefully transfer the buns to the lined baking sheet, loosely cover with the tea towel and leave to prove for another 30 minutes.
7 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) gas mark 7. Brush the buns with oat milk and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
8 Using a sharp knife, cut ‘lids’ from the buns downwards in a triangle shape, with the knife slightly angled towards the middle of the bun. Prise the triangular lids out of the buns and then use a teaspoon to scrape a well in the centre of each one. Reserve crumbs and lids.
9 For the paste, combine the almonds, sugar, vanilla and the reserved ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Add 2-3 tbsp of cold water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together to form a paste. Add the reserved crumbs from the buns to the almond filling. If it gets too dry, add a splash of the whipping cream to get the desired texture.
10 Using a teaspoon, fill the holes in the buns with the almond paste. Using a hand-held electric whisk, beat the whipping cream until fluffy and firm. Pipe or spoon cream onto the top of each bun.
11 Place the lids on top of the buns and dust with icing sugar.