Sweden · 45 min hands-on · 95 min waiting · Vegetarian · Baking · For confident cooks
Lussekatter
In German: Lucia-Safranbrötchen · In English: Saffron buns
For 30 servings · US units
Golden saffron buns curled into an S, with raisins tucked into the swirls
Lussekatter are soft yeast buns, tinted golden with saffron and rolled into an S shape. They belong to winter, as much to Christmas as to fika. One batch makes about 30, plenty to share.
Ingredients
- 1¾ lbwheat flourkeep a little back for shaping
- 2 cupsmilklukewarm
- 4⅔ ozbuttermelted or at room temperature
- 1⅔ ozfor sweet doughsFresh baker's yeast pressed into a moist block, used to leaven doughs such as bread, cinnamon buns or braided loaves.Substitute: Dried yeast is a good substitute at about one third of the weight, roughly 7 g dried yeast for 21 g fresh. The flavour and the result barely change.Read more
- ⅛ ozdissolved in the warm liquidDried stigmas of a crocus flower that turn baked goods and dishes golden yellow and add a bitter-floral aroma.Substitute: Turmeric or safflower match the yellow colour but not the flavour, and turmeric adds an earthy note of its own; the dish will look right but will not taste of saffron.Read more
- 5¼ ozsugar
- ½ tspsalt
- 1eggbeaten, for brushing; some sources add another to the dough
- 1¾ ozraisinspressed into the curls as garnish
- 8¾ ozin the dough, keeps the buns moist (optional)A fresh cheese made from skimmed milk, thick, creamy and mildly tangy; standard in every German supermarket, but in English-speaking countries often found only in larger supermarkets, if at all.Substitute: Skyr or strained low-fat Greek yoghurt come closest in texture and acidity, though both are a little more sour; low-fat cottage cheese blended until smooth is milder but can stay slightly grainy.Read more
- 2 tbspfor sprinkling instead of raisins (optional)Hard, opaque white sugar nuggets that hold their shape in the oven and stay on top of baked goods as a crunchy topping.Substitute: Roughly crushed sugar cubes come closest, though the pieces are more irregular and soften slightly at the edges. Belgian pearl sugar, made for Liège waffles, is much larger and does not work as a topping.Read more
Method
- Melt the butter, add the milk and warm everything to about 100 °F. Dissolve the saffron in the warm liquid.
- Crumble the fresh yeast into a large bowl, stir in a little of the saffron milk until it dissolves, then pour in the rest of the liquid.
- Add the sugar, salt, the low-fat quark if using, and most of the wheat flour. Keep a little flour back for shaping. Some recipes also add an egg to the dough.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and glossy and comes away from the work surface. Cover and leave to rise for 40 to 60 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into about 30 pieces on a floured surface and roll each into a thin rope. Curl the ends in opposite directions to form an S.
- Place the buns on baking trays lined with parchment paper, cover and leave to rise for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 435 °F.
- Brush the lussekatter with beaten egg and press raisins into the curls. If you like, sprinkle some of them with pearl sugar instead.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 6 to 10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack under a tea towel so they stay soft.
Tips and variations
For a filled version, spread room-temperature butter mixed with grated almond paste over a sheet of dough and fold the dough over it. To make them dairy-free, use oat drink and dairy-free butter; for gluten-free buns, use a flour blend, psyllium husk and light syrup, and grind the saffron with a little sugar in a mortar. You can also work the butter in as cubes after the first knead instead of melting it with the milk. Raisins soaked in water beforehand stay juicier in the oven. Baked close together in a small tin, they become a tear-and-share loaf; large shapes or braids need 10 to 15 minutes at 200 °C. Serve them while still slightly warm, with coffee for fika.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Cereals containing gluten, Milk (including lactose), Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
