Classic St Lucia Buns (Lussekatter)

Ingredients

• ¾ cups butter or margarine
• 2 cups milk
• 1 ⅓ tablespoons instant yeast, or 50 g fresh yeast
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoons saffron
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1  egg
• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 1 dl raisins
• 1  egg, for egg wash

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove. Add the milk. Let it cool until lukewarm.

2. Pour the milk and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl and add fresh yeast, stirring until dissolved.

3. Add the salt, sugar, saffron, cardamom, and egg, mixing thoroughly.

4. Slowly add the flour while mixing continuously (you can do this with an electric mixer or by hand). The dough will still be quite sticky.

5. Mix well until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl (you don't actually need to knead the dough, just mix well). Cover and let the dough rise in a draft free place for about 30 minutes.

6. Sprinkle flour on your counter and knead the dough well. You may need to add extra flour if the dough is too sticky to knead. Cut the dough into four sections and roll each into a cylinder. Cut strips out of the cylinder about the size of two fingers. Roll the strips out and form into lussekatter shapes. Add raisins as decoration.

7. Set the formed lussekatter on a greased baking pan, or on baking paper. Cover and let rise until they are doubled in size - about 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 435°F (225°C).

9. Brush each bun with whisked egg. Bake for 7 - 10 minutes, until golden brown on top.