Recipe: Lussekatter – Swedish Saffron Buns

Directions

• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the milk and heat the mixture. Test the temperature with your finger. It should be slightly warm, but not too hot. Add the yeast, remove the pan from the heat and stir until the yeast is dissolved.
• If you are using saffron threads (recommended) remember to grind them before use. This can be done with a mortar and pestle or an electrical grinder. You can also just use the backside of a spoon on a cutting board, but make sure that the threads are properly ground, so the color and flavor come out.
• Add salt, sugar and saffron.
• Pour the mixture into a big bowl and add the quark. Beat the egg lightly before adding it to the mixture.
• Add the flour little by little. The dough should be tender, and you probably do not need to use all the flour.
• Knead the dough 15 minutes or until it feels is smooth and supple. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
  Knead the dough thoroughly again.
• Take a piece of dough, the size of a scone, and roll it into a 6in (20cm) long “snake”. Shape the dough snake into an “S”, and curl the ends a little extra (see pictures below). Flatten the Lussekatt a little with your fingers. Place the Lussekatt on baking paper on a baking tray.
• Repeat this procedure until the dough has been used. It will get you around 15-25 lussekatter.
• Let the buns rise again on the baking tray for 20 minutes.
• Brush the buns with egg and decorate with raisins.
• Bake the buns in the oven for approx. 8 minutes at 395°F (200°C) in a convection oven (435°F (225°C) in a conventional oven). Keep an eye on the Lussekatter in the oven. The baking time depends on the size. If your Lussekatter are on the taller side (larger than an ordinary scone), increase the baking time.