Lussekatter - Swedish Saffron Buns
Swedish Saffron Buns, also known as Lucia Buns or Lussekatter, are a traditional part of Swedish Christmas celebrations. These saffron buns are made with part wholegrain spelt flour, but otherwise follow a traditional recipe.
Servings 24 buns
Calories 214kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk warmed to body temperature
- 2 Tablespoons active dried yeast or 50g fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups wholegrain spelt flour
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 gram saffron about 1 teaspoon ground saffron
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg
For Garnish
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 48 raisins
Instructions
- Combine the saffron with one tablespoon of water and set aside.1 gram saffron
- Combine the milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it stand for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.2 cups whole milk, 2 Tablespoons active dried yeast
- Add the sugar, salt, spelt flour, and half of the bread flour. Stir to combine.3 cups wholegrain spelt flour, 3 cups bread flour, ⅔ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Using the dough hook, knead until the dough until just combined.
- Add the room temperature butter, the egg, the saffron with liquid, and the remaining flour.½ cup butter, 1 egg
- Using the dough hook, allow the mixer to knead the dough for about 10 minutes. It should be smooth and pulling away from the sides off the bowl when it is ready.
- Sprinkle the dough with a little flour, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- While the dough is rising, combine the raisins with water and set aside to plump up.48 raisins
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease well with butter.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop, and divide into 24 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope (mine were about 16 inches), then coil the ends of the rope towards the center from opposite sides. Place each coiled bun onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.
- Brush buns with beaten egg and press a raisin into each end (two raisins per bun).1 egg
- Bake on the center rack for 8-10 minutes. Buns should be puffed and golden, brown on the bottom, and sound slightly hollow when tapped.
Notes
- I used a blend of wholegrain spelt and high gluten bread flour in my Lucia buns. You can also use 100% all purpose flour.
What kind of saffron is best?
The best saffron to use is whatever you have on hand! In Sweden they sell little packets of finely ground saffron during the holiday season, and that is what is most commonly used in this recipe. If you have saffron threads rather than saffron powder, you will need to grind them up prior to using. You can do this by placing into a bowl with a sugar cube and crushing them together. If you don't like the flavour of saffron, you can of course leave it out. Apparently the inexpensive grocery store lussekatter are coloured with turmeric rather than saffron, so that is always an option.Can lussekatter be made in advance?
Yes! You've got a few options: 1) Make the saffron buns up to the point of the final rise on the tray, and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Simply bring to room temperature before baking. 2) Make the saffron buns up to the point of the final rise on the tray, and then freeze the unbaked lussekatter. You can bake them from frozen, or bring to room temperature first. 3) Bake the saffron buns as directed, and once the buns have cooled off, pop into a freezer bag. This way you can pull them out on demand and just warm them up in the microwave. Frozen Lucia buns will last for about three months in a tightly-sealed bag.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1.7mg