Sweet Swedish Holiday Buns

One interesting thing about traditional Swedish cooking is how many exotic spices -- like saffron and cardamom -- there are. This is particularly true at Christmas, which has a number of its own special foods.

Julmust, a delicious soda that both kids and adults love, starts to make its appearance around this time ... and then disappears. It tastes a bit like root beer, but with more spices. Another seasonal dish is Christmas ham, which has a crust of breadcrumbs and honey. We eat ham through the year, but prepare it this way only at Christmas.

One of my favorite Swedish Christmas foods is "Luciakatt" (Lucia buns), a traditional sweet pastry studded with raisins and flavored with saffron. When you see Luciakatt in Sweden, you know the holidays have arrived. They're the signature food of St. Lucia Day on December 13, one of my favorite Swedish holidays. On this day, young girls dress in white gowns, wear a crown of candles, and greet their parents with a tray of fresh Lucia buns. It's a beautiful tradition that we re-enact at Aquavit every year. Lucia buns are often served with glogg, another Swedish holiday favorite.

Here's how to make them.

St. Lucia Buns (makes 12)

2 cups milk
1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon powdered saffron
4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg
wash

1) Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until warm; remove
from the heat. Combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, or until bubbly. Combine another 2 tablespoons of the milk, the brandy, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the saffron in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set the remaining milk aside.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of the flour, the
remaining sugar, the cardamom, and the salt. Make a well in the
center and pour in the yeast mixture, the dissolved saffron,
and the remaining milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually
adding more flour as necessary, until a soft dough forms.

3) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and
knead, adding just a little more flour if necessary, for 10 to
15 minutes, until the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic.
Knead in the raisins.

4) Shape the dough into a ball. Put it in a large, lightly oiled
bowl, turning to coat, and cover with a kitchen towel. Let
rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled in
bulk.

5) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down
the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Shape
the dough into a log and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Shape
each piece into a round roll and place the rolls about 2
inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a
kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes, or until almost
doubled in size.

6) Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

7) Brush the rolls with the egg wash just before baking. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, or until the bottom of a
roll sounds hollow when rapped with your knuckles.

What are your favorite holiday traditions? Do you have certain foods that symbolize the holidays for you? I'd love to hear all about them. Share!

From AQUAVIT AND THE NEW SCANDINAVIAN CUISINE by
Marcus Samuelsson. Copyright © 2003 by Townhouse
Restaurant Group. Used by permission of Houghton
Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.