St. Lucia Buns

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St. Lucia Buns are saffron sweet buns that are a tradition in Sweden for Christmas!

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Rising Time3

Total Time1 20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: bread

Servings: buns

Calories: 177kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

1/4 cup (2 ounces) boiling water
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (6 ounces) whole milk room temperature
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter melted
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or golden raisins) optional
1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon) optional
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water, and pinch salt
1/4 cup pearled sugar

Instructions

Combine boiling water, saffron, and turmeric in small bowl and let steep for 15 minutes.
Whisk flour, yeast, and salt together in bowl of stand mixer. Keep yeast and salt separate Whisk milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg, and saffron mixture in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until sugar has dissolved . Using dough hook on low speed slowly add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.
Increase speed to medium low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl but sticks to bottom, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to low, slowly add cranberries and zest and mix until incorporated about 2 minutes
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth round ball about 30 seconds. Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until increased in size by about half 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Press down on dough to deflate, then transfer to clean counter. Press and roll dough into 16 by 6 inch rectangle with long side parallel to counter edge. Using pizza cutter or chef's knife cut rectangle vertically into 16 (6 by 1 inch) strips and cover loosely with greased plastic.
Working with 1 dough strip at a time, (keep remaining pieces covered), stretch and roll into 16-inch rope. If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to stretch it again.
Coil ends of rope in opposite directions to form tight S shape. Arrange buns on prepared sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until puffy, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Adjust oven racks to upper middle and lower middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Gently brush buns with egg mixture and sprinkle with pearled sugar, if using. Bake until golden brown 15 to 20 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Transfer rolls to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Make ahead: You can make the dough and shape the buns and do the second rise in the fridge.
Storage: For best results enjoy within 2 days. But you can keep store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Try reheating in a low temperature oven to warm and soften again.
Freezing: Yes you can freeze these buns for up to 3 months in a plastic bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Smaller buns: You can make into smaller buns. Shape each dough ball into an 8" - 10" rope. Then shape and bake for about 12-15 minutes.
Gluten free flour: Unfortunately a gluten free flour will not work well in a yeast bread recipe
Pearl sugar: If you can't find pearl sugar, or don't want to buy it online - you can also just simply crush up some sugar cubes and make your own.

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