Lussekatter or Swedish "Lucia cats"

Scroll down for English recipe and text


Lussekatter har jag gjort varje år sedan jag började blogga, och detta året är inget undantag. Denna gången blir det ett recept utan kesella, framförallt för att jag tydligen hade glömt köpa hem det, men även för att det finns många vegetarianer som inte äter det. Jag tänkte att det måste gå att göra saftiga lussekatter även utan kesella. Det gjorde det!
Jag tog helt enkelt vad jag hade hemma istället. Jag ökade mängden smör samt bytte ut en del av mjölken mot grädde.
Sedan tror jag ett bra knep är att inte grädda för länge. Det kan handla om en minut för länge alltså. Tyvärr glömde jag själv salt i degen. Snälla, glöm inte det för det gör otrolig skillnad! Ibland känner man att det där lilla extra saknas i ett recept, och då är det faktiskt oftat just saltet som saknas.









In English:
It is a Swedish tradition to celebrate St. Lucia day on December 13th -that's the reason we make Lussekatter or "Lucia cats". I have no idea why they are called cats though. They don't look like cats to me.

There really is no christmas without Lussekatter so I make them every year.
Most recipes contain quark, but I didn't have that at home, so I simply used what I had - lots of butter and cream. And it worked. Very very well. These are super moist and soo delicious! I forgot to put salt in the dough though. Please don't forget that, it makes a huge difference!



"Lussekatter" or Swedish Lucia buns
Makes 30

50 grams fresh yeast
200 grams butter
1 gram saffron
3 dl milk
2 dl heavy cream
2 dl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
16 dl flour

Decoration:
1 egg, lightly beaten
Raisins


1. Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Melt the butter, add saffron, milk and cream and heat until about 37°C (barely warm to the touch) Add a little of the liquid to the yeast and stir until it has dissolved, then add the rest of the liquid.

2. Add the egg, sugar and salt and stir until dissovled. Add most of the flour (keep some for later) and work into a smooth dough. It should still be a little bit sticky (but manageable!). Leave the dough to rise, covered, for 45-60 minutes. You can see when the dough is ready as it will have doubled in size.

3. Now it's time to make buns! But before you do that, work in the remaining flour (if needed). Divide the dough into equals portions and shape each bun like an "S". Put them on parchment paper. Leave some space between them as they will rise even more.

4. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 30-45 minutes. Put two raisins in each bun and brush with a beaten egg.

5. Bake in the middle of the oven at 250°C for about 7-9 minutes, depending on their size.

6. Let cool. Enjoy! Remember to freeze leftovers immediately or they will become dry very fast.