copyright © Ulrica Söderlind
As do the Swedes, I prefer fresh cakes of yeast, although an equivalent amount of dried yeast an be substituted. There are a number of traditional shapes for Lucia buns; the most common one are the figure-eight shaped with a raisin in the center of each loop.
Preparation and baking time: About 3 hours, makes about 2 dozen buns, depending on size
Saffron threads, one tube, approximately 0.5 grams
1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 cup milk
7 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cakes of fresh yeast ( 0.6 ounces each)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 and 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour,
plus additional flour for kneading
Glaze:
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
With a mortar and pestle, rub saffron threads and one teaspoon of sugar together and set aside. Heat the milk to lukewarm, about 99 degrees Fahrenheit, and add the melted butter along with the saffron-sugar mixture. Crumble the yeast in a bowl and pour about 1/4 cup of the warm saffron milk on top and stir gently. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt and let rest five minutes.
Add the remainder of the sugar, the milk, 3 cups of flour and the beaten egg and stir with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour on top and knead dough in the bowl for several minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
Shape into a ball. Dust the top of the dough with flour, cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, dry place until double in size, about 60 to 90 minutes
Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Divide the dough into small pieces and, using your hands, roll the dough bits into an S or other traditional Lucia shape.
Push raisins into dough as desired for decoration. Place buns on a cookie sheet that has been buttered or covered in parchment paper.
Cover buns with a clean cloth and let rise again until double in size, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Make the glaze by beating one egg with 3 Tablespoons milk. Brush the tops of the buns with the glaze just prior to baking. Bake 5 to 10 minutes; cool on a rack.