Recepie to the BEST saffron buns

I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in Sweden at the 13'th of December when we celebrate Lucia it's a must to eat Lussekatter/saffron buns. "Mine" usually makes big ohh's and ahhh's. But all I do really is to follow the recipe of Johan Sörberg at the famous Riddarbageriet. The recipe is to be found in his sold out book "Riddarbageriets söta". I'm gonna share it with all of you that doesn't own this book.

This picture was taken after I got photographed as a Lucia
for the frontpage on our morningpaper -96 or something.
One of the few moments when I played normal for a day.

These takes forever to bake - but the taste is so worth it!

I use the gram measurements - you better too, or I come back and haunt you with a stick!

Saffron buns from Riddarbageriets söta by Johan Sörberg

(a bit corrected by me)

700 g wheat flour (12 dl)

300 g milk (3 dl)

196 g caster sugar (2,5 dl)

150 g real butter

50 g yeast

1 egg

14 g salt (2 teaspoons)

0,5 g saffron

1 lump of sugar

raisins

Melt butter in a bowl and add the milk. Make lukewarm (37 degrees C). Add the yeast and stir until it's melted.

Use a pounder to grind the saffron together with the lump of sugar. This will bring out the flavour even more. Pour into the bowl and stir. Now add ALL of the other ingredients. Put on medium speed in the dough mixer for 10 minutes (or use the electric handmixer with dough hooks).

Put a towel over it and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Cut the dough into bits of 60 grams (about 24 pieces). Make to a bun by folding  the corners to the middle, put that side down (called runddriv in swedish). When you have done the last one it's time to roll the first one to a 10 centimeters roll and put under plastic one by one - do not use flour. When the last one is put under the plastic you can start to roll Lussekatter/Saffron buns from the first one. Roll them to about 30 centimeters, and make them squiggly like a Lussekatt should be. Put in a raisin at each end.

Let yeast until double the size. It takes at least 90 minutes. You can't go by time here, only by size.

Bake off in 230 degrees Celsius for about 3-5 minutes. They should look like this:

According to this recipe you don't  brush them with egg until after they have been baked.
* 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of cold water and ½ a teaspoon of salt is the blend you brush them with.
Let cool on a grid under a towel, then pack them in plastic bags. The ones you won't eat for 24 hours you should freeze, since the saffron makes the buns dry eventually.

I always recommend to pre-heat them in the oven before eating them (frozen or not). 100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes will make perfect buns to serve. I never eat any bun without doing this - but I am a professional bun eater.

Not many people have the patience to make these buns by this recipe - but IF you do, you will never use another recipe for saffron buns again. This is the one and only. Thank's Johan!