What’s the best way to lure in new visitors? With saffron buns, of course. Or, lussekatter, as we often call them in Sweden.
At least, that’s the trick that Skansen pulled when it wanted to establish its new Christmas market in 1906.
You see, the situation for Christmas markets was serious. A senior police officer complained that the Christmas market at Stortorget in Gamla Stan in Stockholm offered “foreign trash” at steep prices, and gathered pick-pockets and “disturbing elements”. Nowadays, it might sound strange that such an institution has been threatened, but the complaints saw the market abolished for several years at the beginning of the 20th century.
Anyway—Skansen to the rescue. With its steady will to preserve Swedish traditions and customs, Skansen expanded its Christmas market. An article waxes lyrical about all the beautiful handicraft objects—handmade candles, dolls, and Christmas goats.
The sweet treat section was just as impressive. There were Christmas breads with “their special looks and funny names”, such as “Lussikatt [lussi-cat], Guldvagnar [golden wagons], Guldhönor [golden hens], såkakor [sowing breads]”—apparently no less than twelve different kinds, “baked after old shapes”.
Did Skansen manage to attract visitors just because of the stunning saffron buns? Regardless, even now when Stortorget’s Christmas market has been back for many decades, Skansen’s Christmas market is still a tradition for many.
You can ponder the appeal of the lussekatt, while you see how they are made, in stop motion:
These saffron buns are a Swedish custom that have become a permanent baked-good tradition during the holiday season and lead up to Christmas. There are many thoughts to the origins of this celebration.
Fill the saffron buns
The poor bun we call lussekatt doesn’t have a chance. A plain bun just doesn’t get the same help from added butter that a filled bun does. So, yes, my shameless suggestion is that you don’t bake more lussekatter than you can eat in a day. Eat and enjoy (or by my all means put some in the freezer). Roll the rest of the dough out, and fill it with butter, almond paste, and soaked raisins. Shape to buns the way you do with cinnamon buns. These buns stay moist far longer than the poor cat-bun.
Use butter of room temperature
A search in Svenska Dagbladet’s archive shows that it has been popular to add kesella, a type of kvark, to the dough of saffron buns at least since the beginning of the 1990s. But does it really make the dough better? Skip the kvark, or melting the butter, and instead add butter of room temperature in the dough. This way, you need less flour and get less dry buns.
How to Make Lussekatter I Amazing Swedish Saffron Buns
FAQ
Where does Saffron Cake originate from?
Why do people eat saffron buns?
What is saffron bread made of?
What is the history of the Cornish saffron bun?
What is a saffron bun?
A saffron bun, Cornish tea treat bun or revel bun, is a rich, spiced yeast -leavened sweet bun that is flavoured with saffron and contains dried fruit including currants and raisins similar to a teacake. The main ingredients are plain flour, butter, yeast, caster sugar, currants and sultanas.
Is there a good substitute for saffron?
There are a lot of options if you need to substitute saffron and I will just go ahead and list them out. The first option you might like is turmeric, but you could also go with safflower, annatto, marigold flowers, curry, paprika, cardamom, or calendula. The type of substitute will depend on your specific tastes and the dish you are making, so be sure to do some research.
Where do saffron rolls come from?
They are soft, vibrant yellow rolls packed with currants. These tasty treats originate in Cornwall, England. Saffron used to be grown there, so it makes sense that they would have recipes using this expensive spice. Indeed, saffron is responsible for coloring this bread such a unique color.
Are saffron buns easy to make?
These lightly fruited yeast buns are easy to make, though you’ll need time to infuse the saffron and prove the dough. They’re particularly nice jazzed up with a few chocolate chips, but that’s entirely optional. Saffron with its bright yellow hues and subtle floral and bitter notes is a spice which seems singularly exotic.