"Lussekatter" is something I grew up eating every year on the 13th December in Norway, when researching the origins of them though it seems they originated in Sweden. The tradition of "Luciadagen/Lussinatt", which is what we used to celebrate on the 13th of December seems to be a bit complicated as it is tied with two different cultures and legends. It is somewhat based off of the nordic legend of "Lussi", a mythical female creature that would be out that night which was thought to be the longest night of the year, checking that all households had finished their Christmas preparations. However, the holiday is also tied to St. Lucia who was a christian martyr. Feel free to read up on this more if you want, I find it quite fascinating! However, I'm a recipe creator and not a historian so I'll do what I do best and give you the recipe for these tasty fluffy buns that I highly recommend you all make a batch of today and share with your friends and family.
Ingredients:
1g saffron
470g plant milk
50g vegan butter
85g sugar
2 tsp cardamom
1.5 tsp dry yeast
a good pinch of salt
800g all purpose flour
a few tablespoons maple syrup as "egg wash"
Start by crushing your saffron (I used a mortar + pestle) and add 40ml plant milk to it. Let this infuse for about 1 hour until the milk is fragrant. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the rest of the milk to the saucepan along with the saffron infused mix and heat until lukewarm. In a large bowl combine the flour, cardamom, salt and sugar. Pour the wet into the dry and knead until you have a soft dough. Cover the dough and leave it to rest for about 1-2 hours or until the dough is about doubled in size. Knock out the air and slice the dough into about 15 equal pieces. Roll the pieces out into small "snakes" about 2cm in diameter and form them into lil s shapes or any other saffron bun shape you like. Place the buns on baking trays lined with parchment paper, cover and rest for another 40-50 minutes. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Brush the buns with maple syrup and bake for about 15 minutes or until they look golden. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
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