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Lussekatter

https://fannyzanotti.com/best-lussekatter-recipe/
Come early November, every supermarket launches their annual production of lussekatter, which I suspect are loved by many.
As soon as you step in, the sweet scent of saffron gives away the trolleyful of golden buns waiting to be wrapped in small plastic bags. I have never tasted one from the shop, but from what I'm told they tend to be on the dry side.
My lussekatter, although certainly not authentic as their supermarket counterpart, are a dream to work with, to eat warm from the oven, or toasted the next day, to soak in an egg whisked with a dash of cream, milk, and sugar, and then pan-fried until golden, not unlike a French Swedish-toast.
The recipe itself is a simple enriched dough that some would be tempted to call a pain au lait [milk bread]. As with any rich dough, I recommend using a stand-mixer, althought it's definitely possible to make them by hand, simply follow the instructions given on that post.
Author: Fanny Zanotti
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time12 minutes
Makes 20 buns

Ingredients

For the raisins

  • a handful of raisins
  • boiling water

For the dough

  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 600 g strong flour
  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 18 g fresh yeast
  • 0.5 g one envelope ground saffron (read note above)
  • 7.5 g sea salt
  • 375 g whole milk

Instructions

  • Soak the raisins in boiling water and set aside to cool down. This can be done up to three days ahead, in which case, keep the soaked raisins in the fridge.
  • Slice the butter into thin 2-3mm thick slices. Set aside until needed.
  • In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the dough-hook, place the flour, sugar, yeast, saffron and salt. Add the milk and mix on medium speed for around 10 minutes or until the dough detaches from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth, elastic and barely tacky. If you take a small piece of dough, you should be able to stretch it into a very thin membrane.
  • Add the butter, one small piece at a time continuously until all the butter is in – and knead it in for a further 10 minutes.
  • Place the dough in a large bowl, and clingfilm to the touch. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 12.
  • Line three baking trays with paper and set aside.
  • Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in 50-55g pieces and cover loosely with clingfilm.
  • Take one piece and roll into a thin snake, approximately 30cm long, then form an S shape, curling both ends into a spiral. Place onto the prepared baking trays, making sure to give the buns plenty of space. And repeat with the remaining dough.
  • Cover with clingfilm and leave to proof until doubled in size, around 2-3 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.
  • Brush the top of the buns with the egg wash and press two raisins into each bun.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden-brown. Allow to cool down slightly.

Notes

A note on the saffron:
If you don’t have any ground saffron, simply bring the milk to the boil and soak/infuse the saffron threads in it for at least 30 minutes. You will have to wait for the milk to be completely cooled down before using in the recipe.
Edit 13/12/2018: Nowadays, I always tend to dissolve the saffron in a tablespoon or so of rum. I find it brings out the flavour even more!