St. Lucia Saffron Buns, also known as Lussekatter, are light and slightly sweet yeasted buns flavored with saffron and studded with currants or raisins.
Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats is the host kitchen this month for the Bread Baking Babes and she chose a celebration bread that would light up the dark days.
About St. Lucia’s Day
St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated most commonly in Italy and Scandinavia. In Scandinavia, it falls on December 13th, considered to be the shortest day of the year (Julian calendar).
Lucia means light, and the saffron provides the color of light.
In Swedish tradition, young girls wear a crown of candles and wake their families bearing Lussekatter, special sweet yeasted buns flavored with saffron and studded with currants or raisins. The shape is said to resemble the curl of a cat’s tail.
Just a hint of sweetness in these St. Lucia Saffron Buns
Judy researched several recipes, all with slight variations. Some added dried fruit to the dough; some just used the fruit as decoration. Some added cardamom along with the saffron; others said ‘no way’ that cardamom was used. There were variations in the amount of saffron used. There were alternatives to the saffron, such as turmeric. Some added the saffron directly to the dough; some steeped it in warm milk or rum (if you want an extra kick!), or crushed it beforehand.
According to Judy, this particular recipe calls for the least amount of sugar, enough to add flavor and texture, but not so much that the rolls are too sweet or dense. I thought this was a good compromise. Just a hint of sweetness.
I shaped mine in the traditional “S” shape but instead of embedding raisins or currants, I used dried cranberries, and because I love cardamom, I added it as well.
I enjoyed these mildly spiced buns warm with nothing spread on them, but they would also taste good with jam or just butter.
St. Lucia Saffron Buns | Lussekatter
- Total Time: 2 hours 42 mins
- Yield: 12 to 14 good sized buns 1x
Description
St. Lucia Saffron Buns, also known as Lussekatter, are light and slightly sweet yeasted buns flavored with saffron and studded with currants or raisins.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk (175 ml) (I used almond milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (I used 1/2 tsp)
- 1 tsp plus 1/4 cup (50 g) white, granulated sugar (I used organic)
- One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (I used 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast)
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (490 g to 570 g) all-purpose flour (I used stone-milled AP flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I used fine sea salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 Tbsp, 56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- Raisins, currants, dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)
Glaze
- 1 egg, beaten with a couple teaspoons water
Instructions
- In a small pot, heat the milk, saffron, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together until the milk is steamy. Remove from heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the butter until melted. Let cool until about 115°F, or warm to the touch, but not hot.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, yeast, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and ground cardamom (if using).
- Make a well in the center of the flour and add the milk-saffron-butter mixture, the eggs, and the sour cream. Mix the ingredients until well incorporated.
- Switch to the dough hook of your mixer (if using, otherwise knead by hand). On low speed, start to knead the dough. Slowly add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition. Do this until the dough is still a little sticky to the touch, but does not completely stick to your hands when you handle it.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. (Note at this point you can make ahead and refrigerate overnight if you wish.)
- Let sit in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. (One way to tell that the dough is ready is that you poke your finger in it and it takes quite a bit of time for the indentation left by your finger to go away.)
- When the dough has doubled in size, gently press it down and knead it a couple of times. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. (60 to 70 grams; I made 14 buns weighing roughly 69 grams each).
- Roll each ball out into a snake, about 14 inches long. Then Curl the ends in opposite directions, forming an “S” with spirals at each end.
- Place on a lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough. (I pressed the dried cranberries into the center of the spirals before the final rise to keep them from popping out during baking.)
- Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and place in a warm spot until the dough shapes double in size, 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Using a pastry brush, brush some beaten egg over the tops and sides of the uncooked buns. Place raisins in the centers of the “S” spirals. (As mentioned previously, I did this before the final rise.)
- Place in the oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for about 10 to 11 minutes (turning halfway through cooking to ensure even browning), until the buns are golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Yeasted Sweet Buns
Who are the Bread Baking Babes?
We are a group of breadbakers who get together every month and bake bread! We have a Facebook group if you’d like to bake along. New recipes are posted every month on the 16th.
Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats is the host kitchen this month. Check out her blog post for more details on how to participate in this month’s challenge.
For more inspiration, check out these posts:
- Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy (Host Kitchen)
- Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
- Bread Experience – Cathy
- A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
- My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna
- Feeding my Enthusiasms – Pat
- My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
- blog from OUR kitchen– Elizabeth
- Thyme for Cooking – Katie (roundup)
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Karen says
These look wonderful! I love your airy crumb! Cranberries sound like a great choice.
Cathy says
Thanks! The cranberries worked really well.
Kelly says
Perfectly beautiful swirls! I used cranberries too.
Cathy says
Thanks! I had a bunch of dried cranberries so that was my motivation.
Tanna says
YES! I should have used more saffron too. Cranberries are always perfect.I used some in mine.
Your rolls are just glorious. We are really enjoying these.
Elizabeth says
Your Lussekatter are beautiful! And oooh!! What a pretty idea to use dried cranberries instead of raisins! Ha! how fitting to use red (although somewhat gruesome) if the S shape is to be representing occhi di Santa Lucia!
Cathy says
Thanks! Hmmm… I hadn’t thought about that. I think I’ll stick with my original idea which was to use cranberries because they are festive.
Elizabeth says
Good plan! Dried cranberries are festive-looking indeed.
Elle says
Festive cranberries and a perfect S shape…lovely rolls Cathy!
Katie Zeller says
I found dried cranberries this year! And I have saffron and cardamom… Tempting. I could freeze them.
They’re beautiful!
Cathy says
Yes, you could freeze them. They are really good!
Aparna Balasubramanian says
They’re beautiful. I must try cranberries next time. Love the colour.
Season’s Greetings & Happy Holidays.
Cathy says
Thank you Aparna! Happy Holidays to you as well!