St Lucia Saffron Buns Recipes

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add sugar, butter, salt, and saffron, stirring until butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm temperature, about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl, stirring until dissolved. Stir in milk mixture and 3 1/2 cups flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in eggs. Add remaining flour gradually, mixing in the last by hand until dough leaves the sides of the bowl and is very soft.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Knead dough with additional flour as needed, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased large bowl; flip dough to grease both sides. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Punch down dough. Take golf ball-sized bits of dough and roll out into snakes. Roll each end in opposite directions to create 'S' forms. Place buns on the prepared baking sheets.
• Combine egg yolk and water in a bowl with a whisk. Brush over buns.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, leaving oven on. Quickly place 1 raisin in the center of each 'S' curve.
• Return to the oven and continue to bake until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Steps:

• Put the milk in a small pan and gently heat until it's steaming. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron into a powder. Add this to the pan of milk along with the butter. Swirl to melt the butter, then set aside until lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar, 1 tsp salt and the yeast together, and make a well in the middle of the bowl. Pour in the milk mixture along with the egg. Mix together to form a sticky dough, then turn out onto the work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (this will take about 10 mins). Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Set the bowl in a warm part of the house and allow to rise for about 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Knock back the dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Cover the pieces with the oiled cling film while you make the rolls - this will stop the dough from drying out. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out into a 30cm-long strand. Roll up one end into the middle, turn over and roll the other end into the middle, forming the dough into an S-shape. Place the buns on a large (or 2 smaller) parchment-lined baking tray. Once all the buns are made, lightly cover with oiled cling film and prove until almost doubled in size (if making ahead, keep the dough in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning). While the buns prove, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• When ready to bake, brush the buns with beaten egg and press a currant into the centre of each spiral. Put the trays in the oven and bake for around 15 mins. Allow to cool before serving. These are best eaten on the day they are made but will keep for a couple of days.

Steps:

• Melt butter or margarine in a pan and add the milk and the saffron.
• Warm the mixture to 37 oC (100 oF).
• Use a thermometer; the correct temperature is important!
• Pour the mixture over the finely divided yeast; then add the remaining ingredients (except for the egg and the raisins), which should have a temperature of 21-23 oC (72-75 oF).
• Mix into a smooth dough.
• Cover the dough with a piece of cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes.
• Knead the dough, divide it into 25-30 pieces and form each piece into a round bun.
• Let the buns rest for a few minutes, covered by a piece of cloth.
• Form each bun into a string, 15-20 cm long, then arrange the string in a suitable shape, e.g. an S or double S. Regardless of the shape, the ends of the string should meet.
• Press a few raisins into the dough.
• Cover the"Lucia cats" with a piece of cloth and let them rise for 40 minutes.
• Whip the egg together with a few grains of salt, and paint the"Lucia cats" with the mixture.
• Bake them for 5-10 minutes in the oven at 250 oC (475 oF) until golden brownish yellow.

Steps:

• In large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Scald the milk and add the butter to it; cool until the butter is melted and the mixture is lukewarm.
• Preheat oven to 250°F Lay the saffron threads on a piece of foil and place in the oven until toasted, about 5 minutes. Pulverize the toasted saffron with 1 teaspoon of the sugar, using a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon in a cup. Add 1 Tablespoon of the milk and butter mixture.
• Add the saffron mixture, milk and butter mixture, sugar, salt, raisins and eggs to the yeast. Beat until blended. Stir in half the flour and beat until smooth and satiny. Add the remaining flour gradually to make a stiff dough. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and satiny. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to lightly oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• SAINT LUCIA BRAIDED WREATH: Punch the dough down and divide into three parts. Shape each part into a ropelike stand about 36 inches long. Braid the strands by aligning them vertically and alternately crossing each outer strand over the center strand.
• Shape the braid into a circle and place on a greased or parchment covered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together where they meet to seal the strands and to conceal the beginning and end of the braid. Brush with the beaten egg. Let rise for about 45 minutes or just until puffy. Preheat oven to 375°F Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the dough comes out clean and dry. Cool on a rack. 1 large wreath.
• SAINT LUCIA BUNS: Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into 32 parts. Shape each part into a rope about 8 inches long. Place two ropes side by side so they are parallel and touching each other. Curl all four ends toward the center to form a square with rounded corners. Place the buns on the parchment covered baking sheets. Let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 450°F for about 10 minutes, until golden. Cool on rack. 16 buns.
• Scandinavian Feasts Beatrice Ojakangas.