Fresh-Milled Sourdough Lussekatter (Swedish Saffron Buns)

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:10

Bulk & Proofing Time:9 30

Total Time:10

Servings:20 lussekatter

Calories:147kcal

255 ml milk - (1 cup + 1 tbsp)
100 g butter - (½ cup)
0.2-1 g saffron, ground or in threads
50 g freshly milled soft wheat flour - See Ingredients for store-bought flour alternatives.

400 g freshly milled soft wheat flour - See Ingredients for store-bought flour alternatives.
85 g sugar - (¼ cup + 3 tbsp)
1 large egg
120 g sourdough starter, active and bubbly - (generous ½ cup)
3 g salt - (½ tsp)

Weigh out whole wheat berries and grind them on the finest setting of your grain mill. Separate 50g of freshly milled flour and set aside.

In a small pot over medium low heat, warm the milk, butter and saffron, just until the butter has melted. Whisk in the 50g of flour and heat until thickened but not boiling.
Let the mix cool down to under 42°C (107°F). If you dip your finger in, it should feel neither warm nor cold.

In a medium large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine the rest of the freshly milled flour, sugar, salt, egg and sourdough starter. Add the saffron infused tangzhong and combine the ingredients into a shaggy dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes with the dough hook of your stand mixer, hand mixer or your hands, until it becomes smooth and elastic. Gather into a smooth, tacky ball, cover and ferment at room temperature overnight (around 8 hours).

When the dough is puffy and doubled in size, turn it out onto a clean kitchen counter (avoid dusting with flour). Divide the dough into 20 small pieces. Roll each piece of dough out into a long, thin rope beneath the palms of your hands. Roll the rope up from both ends at the same time, to create small S-shaped buns.
Place the shaped buns onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
In the meantime, cover the raisins with hot water in a small bowl, to soak and soften.

When the buns have risen and puffed, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Beat together egg and milk and egg wash the buns. Stick a raisin into the swirls on both ends of the bun.
Bake for 8-15 minutes, or until the buns are just turning golden. Keep an eye on them—over baking them by just a little can make them dry!
Rest the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the buns cool off. Serve straight away or loosely cover with plastic wrap if you plan to serve them later.

If you're not milling at home, choose any whole wheat flour from a European supermarket. In North America, a whole wheat pastry flour with a protein content of at least 10% is the closest match. You can skip the autolyse step if you’re short on time.
Avoid flouring your counter. Adding too much flour while shaping can dry out the crumb, so only use flour when absolutely necessary.
Roll the dough into very thin ropes. The thinner and longer the ropes, the better the swirls will turn out once baked.
Shaped buns likely won’t rise much on the baking sheet, but they will puff up beautifully in the oven. Trust the process.
Hop over to my original Sourdough Lussekatter Recipe for more traditional shapes to try.
The most common cause for dry lussekatter is baking them too long, so take them out as soon as they start turning golden brown.
After the first day, a quick blast in the microwave will bring back their soft, fluffy texture.
For ancient grain, bread flour, or sourdough discard lussekatter, check out the Variations above.
Store any leftover buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2–3 days. They also freeze beautifully. Just thaw and warm gently to enjoy their soft texture again!

Author: Sarah | Grains & Greens Kitchen

Serving: 1Lussekatter | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it turned out!