Swedish St. Lucia Traditions

Every year I look forward to December 13 - St. Lucia Day.  Probably because my ancestral heritage is half Swedish, her day is extra special to me.

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you've doubtless read one of my many posts (including yesterday's) about this beloved saint - aka "Saint Lucy".

Past Posts:

• Children's books about Saint Lucia
• Our Family Remembrances
• Photoblog: How to Make Lucia Buns
• St. Lucia Procession: A Crown of Light

Today I'm sharing a tried-and-true recipe for Lucia buns - "Lussekatter" - and a tongue-in-cheek short video you can watch while the "Lussekatter" rise.  Enjoy!

LUCIA BUNS
Ingredients:

• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 pkg. dry active yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. cardamom
• 2 eggs, well-beaten, plus one egg white
• raisins or currants to decorate

(Prep time: 120 minutes.  Bake time: 15 minutes)

Procedure:
Heat milk to a light boil, turning off heat when it reaches the scalding point (with small bubbles across the top). Stir in melted butter, sugar, and salt.
Pour mixture into mixing bowl and allow to cool until “finger-warm” (still quite warm, but just cool enough to touch).
Stir in yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add cardamom to 3 1/2 cups flour; mix flour into liquid. Stir in two well-beaten eggs. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough (just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You don't want to add too much flour).

Transfer dough to a large greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down risen dough. Lightly knead two or three times on a floured surface.
Pinch off small handfuls of dough (about 2 1/4") and roll into long "snakes." Shape snakes into "X"-shaped buns or other desired shapes.

source

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with the towel again, and allow to rise until doubled (about an hour).

Decorate buns with raisins, brush with egg white, and bake in preheated 375º oven about 15 minutes, just until brown. Yield: 20  [SOURCE]

VIDEO: Swedish Lucia for Dummies
Whether you're familiar with this Swedish tradition or are being introduced to it for the first time, this slightly irreverent and very humorous short video won't disappoint...


And don't forget a special literary day coming soon - Jane Austen's Birthday on December 16th.  Have you entered my GIVEAWAY?

go HERE to enter