Ingredients
Saffron milk
- 1 gsaffron threads
- 1 tspsugar
- 300 mlmilk
Dough
- 600 gstrong white flour
- 150 gbutter, softened
- 100 gsugar
- 12 ginstant yeast
- 1 tspsalt
- 1egg
- 100 gquark or crème fraîche
To finish
- 40raisins
- 1egg, beaten
- pearl sugar, optional
Directions
- Grind the saffron threads with a teaspoon of sugar in a mortar until they are a fine powder. Warm the milk, stir in the ground saffron, and leave it to steep for at least an hour, or overnight in the fridge.
- Make a soft enriched dough with the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, egg, quark and the saffron milk. Knead 10 minutes, then work in the softened butter a piece at a time until fully absorbed. Add the butter late, once the dough is already smooth.
- Put in at the start it coats the flour and the dough never develops the strength it needs. Prove for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled.
- Divide into pieces of about 50 g and roll each into a rope about 25 cm long, slightly thicker in the middle. Roll the ends thinner than the centre, which is what gives the finished S its tapered curl.
- Press a raisin firmly into the centre of each curl. They lift out and burn on the tray if they only sit on the surface. Prove for a further 30 minutes on lined trays. Brush with beaten egg and add pearl sugar if you want it.
- Bake at 225°C (435°F) for 8 to 10 minutes only. Hot and fast. Take them out while they are just golden and still pale in the folds.
- Cool them under a cloth, which keeps them soft. They are eaten with glögg and gingerbread, and the S shape is old enough that its origin is disputed.
Technique
- Saffron is the entire flavour and there is nothing to hide behind, so use good threads rather than powder.
- Quark or crème fraîche in the dough is a Swedish habit that keeps the crumb moist.
- They stale within a day and are best on the morning they are baked.
Substitutions
- Crème fraîche or thick yoghurt in place of quark.
- Fresh yeast, using about 25 g.
Variations
- Shaped as a cross, a crown or a curled cat, all traditional forms.
- With almond paste in the folds.
- Without raisins, which some households prefer.
History
Saffron buns baked for Saint Lucy’s day on 13 December, when a candle-crowned Lucia procession opens the Swedish Christmas season.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lussekatt?
Lussekatt is a bread & pastry from Sweden: saffron S-buns with raisins for Saint Lucia. Saffron buns baked for Saint Lucy’s day on 13 December, when a candle-crowned Lucia procession opens the Swedish Christmas season.
How long does Lussekatt take to make?
Lussekatt takes 30 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Lussekatt?
Yes, within limits. Crème fraîche or thick yoghurt in place of quark. Fresh yeast, using about 25 g.
What is the most important thing to get right in Lussekatt?
Put in at the start it coats the flour and the dough never develops the strength it needs. Prove for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled.
