Every Chkistmaseve, 24 th of december for my hole life (exept the Christmas of 2000 when I was working in New Zealand) I have been in front of the TV and looked at Donald Ducks Christmas.
We eat: "Lussekatter" (literally "Lucy cat", after Saint Lucy) or lussebulle -
A saffron bun is a rich yeast dough bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants. In Sweden, no cinnamon or nutmeg is used in the bun, and raisins are used instead of currants. The buns are baked into many traditional shapes, of which the simplest is a reversed S-shape. They are traditionally eaten during Advent, and especially on Saint Lucy's Day, December 13. In my house we eat it all Christmas.
Most commercially available saffron buns and cakes availablel today contain food dyes that enhance the natural yellow provided by saffron. The very high cost (it is the world's most expensive spice by weight makes the inclusion of sufficient saffron to produce a rich colour an uneconomical option. The addition of food colouring in Cornish saffron buns was already common by the end of the First World War when the scarcity of saffron forced bakers to find other ways to colour their products. Larger versions of the saffron bun baked in a loaf tin are known as saffron cake.
Ingredients
½ tsp. crushed saffron threads (¼ tsp. powder)
¾ c. (180ml) half and half, lukewarm...., half and half refers to a mixture of 50% milk and 50% cream.
two pkgs. yeast (4½ tsp.) dissolved in ¼ c. very warm (edit lukewarm) water
½ c. (120g) melted butter
two eggs, beaten
¾ c. (180g) sugar
one tsp. salt
4-5 c. sifted flour
Raisins to decorate
Procedure
Mix saffron in warm half and half and let stand while dissolving yeast in the water.
Mix half of flour with other ingredients and beat until well blended.
Add flour until dough is smooth but not too firm. Knead on floured surface for ten minutes.
Place dough in buttered bowl and let rise until double (1½ hours).
Roll seven-inch-long sticks and form S-shaped buns with their ends curled in. Place a raisin in each curl.
Place buns on buttered sheet, cover and let rise 45 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 375-400°F (190-200°C) for 10-15 minutes.
This are for
Pink Saturday
Foodie Friday
http://ourweekendmemoirs.blogspot.com/
