What is Lussebullar?

It’s basically saffron bread with raisins (although when it comes to baking, it’s a lot more complex than that.) December 13 is St. Lucia Day (Festival of Light) and this day is much celebrated in Sweden. However, we have been told that the Christmas spirit always comes earlier in Sweden. It looks like there are celebrations during the whole of December, so seeing the traditional Swedish Christmas pastry – Lussebullar already taking its place in every corner of Sweden, should not surprise us! Learning how to bake lussebullar is part of the Christmas experience for many people in Sweden.

A brief look at Swedish recipes

While researching how to bake lussebullar, I started searching for traditional recipes on Swedish websites and blogs. And here are my comments on Swedish recipes:

1. There are many recipes but each differs from the other. A little consistency would be helpful of course 🙂
2. The only consistency is about the portion: every recipe is at least for 30 buns or more. Do Swedish families really eat that many buns, or do they give some to their neighbors? That’s a question I haven’t found the answer to yet!
3. The measurement is in “dl” even for flour or sugar, which again I’m not used to. And of course 1 dl of sugar weighs differently from 1 dl of flour – so “why dl” is another question I still cannot answer. So either check the internet for corresponding units or you can use some kitchen scale or just guess:)
4. There is this ingredient they called Kesella which I’ve never heard of. It looks like some kind of cream. Half the recipes have this ingredient and half don’t. I used it but I won’t use it next time as I think it makes the dough a little sticky and requires more flour.

Overall, my understanding is that most Swedes have their own style when it comes to baking so I decided to be a little experimental and mix ideas from different recipes rather than stick to just one. I also got some help from my husband both for the picture taking and the baking part – so thanks honey!

Even with two of us, it took nearly half a day for us to finish, but I think (or I hope) it’s because we’re doing it for the first time. Here is my recipe on how to bake lussebullar at home.

Lussebullar – 15 portions

This recipe is perfect if you want to bake lussebullar for the first time. I basically reduced he recipes on the internet by half. I think 15 buns are still too much for us, but we decided to give some to our Swedish friends in order to get their feedback.

Ingredients – I wrote the Swedish names as well to make the shopping easier

14 gr dry yeast (torr jäst) – the recipes do not say it but if you want to use fresh yeast it should be 50 gr
50 gr butter (smör)
2,5 dl milk (mjölk)
125 gr Kesella
0.5 gr saffron (saffran)
1½ dl sugar (strösocker)
1/4 tea spoon salt (salt)
approximately 500 gr of flour (vetemjöl) – the key point is your dough should not be sticky but also should not be too dense before resting it – so it may be more or less for sough to dough)

For the top of buns:
raisin (russin)
1 egg (ägg)

Bake lussebullar – step by step

1. Put the yeast in a big bowl.
2. Grind the saffron with a little sugar in a mortar. (If you, like us, don’t have a mortar, use a little bowl and press with a spoon until the saffron becomes a powder.) Then melt the butter and mix the saffron into it. Stir until the saffron is melted and has a yellow/orange color.
3. Then pour the milk. And heat the mix until 37 degrees (it is the same as your body temperature so you can sink your finger in the mix to find out the temperature. It should not be too hot or cold.) The temperature is very important for the yeast!
4. Pour a little of the butter mix onto the yeast in the bowl. Stir it until the yeast melts perfectly. (You can add more mix if necessary). After the yeast dissolves perfectly, pour the remaining mix.
5. Add the sugar, salt and Kesella, and stir. Then, add the flour. Work the dough with your hands or in a machine. It can take 5 – 10 minutes. In the end the dough should not be sticky. Then wrap it with some cloth and rest it in a warm place for an hour. (To make the dough rise, it is very important to rest it in a really warm place. So you may use more layers of cloth or put it near the heating etc.) Good news – the hard part is over!
6. Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
7. Open the dough bowl. Put the dough on a floured surface, knead a little. Then cut into pieces of approximately 60 gr or 15 pieces.
8. Roll each piece and then give it its shape.
9. Whip the egg and brush it on top of the buns. Put raisins at each end of the bun.
10. Cook it approximately 15 minutes until the top of the buns becomes brown.

Once you bake lussebullar yourself, it’s easy to understand why they are such a beloved Swedish tradition. Enjoy your lussebullar!

Further reading

• Work in Sweden guides
• Learn Swedish