It's Lussekatter Time!

Last Thursday I was in Lund and I met up with my amazing friend Y to bake some lussekatter. These saffron buns are a tradition in Sweden around Christmas and I've been looking forward to having them for a few months now. The lussekatter that Y and I made tasted just like the ones I've had from bakeries in Lund and Malmö the last two Christmases. They are easy to make and just oh so good! Just talking about them makes my mouth water...

Lussekatter (from Call Me Cupcake)
Recipe is in deciliters - sorry! That is the measuring system the Swedes and Danes use...
Makes about 15 to 16 lussekatter, depending on what size you make them.

For the dough:
50 g fresh yeast
200 g butter
1g saffron
3 dl milk
2 dl heavy cream
2 dl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
16 dl flour

To top it off:
1 large egg
Raisins

Preheat oven to 250C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Melt the butter, combining the saffron, milk and butter in a small pot and heat until it reaches 37 degrees or barely warm to the touch. Add a little bit of this liquid mixture to the yeast and stir to dissolve it. One the yeast has dissolved, add the rest of the liquid.

Add the egg, sugar, and salt and stir until it has dissolved. Add most of the flour (save a bit for later) and work it into a smooth dough. It should be slightly sticky but still manageable. Leave the dough to rise, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes. The dough will be ready when it has doubled in size.

Work in the remaining flour if needed. Divide the dough into equal portions and shape them to look like an "S". Place them on the lined baking trays. Leave some space in between each bun as they will rise a bit more.

Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

Put two raisins into the bun and lightly brush with a beaten egg.

Bake in the middle of the oven at 250C for about 7-9 minutes depending on their size.

Let cool and enjoy! Remember to freeze leftovers immediately as they tend to dry out really fast.