St Lucia Saffron Buns

4.80 (11)
⏱ 55 mins 🍽 Makes 12 🌶 scandinavian ✅ More effort 🏷 Breakfast

This recipe guides you through making classic Scandinavian saffron buns, also known as Lussekatter. Infused with saffron and shaped into an iconic S-form, these sweet, golden rolls are a festive treat often enjoyed in December but delightful any time of year. The process involves making an enriched dough, letting it rise, shaping the buns, and baking them until beautifully golden. They are best served fresh on the day of baking. The recipe makes 12 buns and takes about 55 minutes to prepare and bake.

St Lucia Saffron Buns

Ingredients

  • 300ml whole milk
  • 0.5g pack saffron
  • 75g unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 500g strong white bread flour
  • 100g golden caster sugar
  • 7g sachet fast-action yeast
  • 1 large egg beaten, plus extra for egg wash
  • a little oil for greasing
  • 24 currants

Method

  1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it steams. Grind the saffron to a powder using a pestle and mortar. Stir the saffron and butter cubes into the warm milk, swirling until the butter melts. Leave the mixture to cool until lukewarm.
  2. Combine the flour, caster sugar, 1 tsp salt and yeast in a large bowl, creating a well in the centre. Pour the lukewarm milk mixture and the beaten egg into the well. Mix to form a sticky dough, then knead on a work surface for about 10 mins until smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film, and leave in a warm spot to rise for about 1 hr until doubled.
  3. Punch down the risen dough and split it into 12 equal pieces. Keep the pieces covered with oiled cling film. Take one piece and roll it into a 30cm-long rope. Coil one end towards the middle, flip it over, and coil the other end to form an S-shape. Place each bun on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover lightly with oiled cling film and prove until nearly doubled. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  4. Brush the proved buns with beaten egg for a glaze. Press a currant into the centre of each spiral. Bake the trays in the oven for around 15 mins. Let the buns cool before serving. They are finest eaten the same day but will keep for a couple of days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories263 kcal
Fat8 g
Saturates4 g
Carbs40 g
Sugars11 g
Fibre1 g
Protein7 g
Sodium200 mg

Recipe details

Skill levelMore effort
CategoryBreakfast
Cuisinescandinavian