Semlor are Swedish Cream Buns which normally are served on Fat Tuesday. A sweet enriched flour flavored with Cardamom Seeds and stuffed with an Almond Filling. This was a recipe my family never made nor have I ever tried before. I’ve always wanted to but felt a little intimated. Since watching the British Bake Off during pandemic, I feel like I could tackle this recipe. So I dug in and did some research and picked through a couple of recipes. This one is based off the book Fika – The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break by Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall.
The recipe does take some time. I started around 9am and we enjoyed the rolls at 12:30pm. They are extremely filling and was my complete lunch for the day. I love learning new recipes from my heritage and trying new things. Swedish desserts are perfect for me because the flavoring is so layered and yet not too sweet. This is a cream bun you want to enjoy with a hot coffee. You will taste the cardamom in the roll and the almond is a wonderful companion flavor. The family was fully coated in sugar at the end of Fika!
INGREDIENTS
BUN
- 7 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tsp Dry Yeast
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 3-1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Crushed Cardamom Seeds
Almond Filling
- 2 cup Blanched Almonds
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Almond Extrat
- 1/2 cup Milk
Topping
- Whipped Cream
- Confectioners’ Sugar
BUN INSTRUCTION
Melt Butter into the Milk on a saucepan. Remove from heat and let rest to 110 degrees. Then add yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.
Whisk 1 Egg and Sugar in a large bowl. Reserve the other egg for later.
Stir in milk and butter mixture into the large bowl.
Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Work the dough with your hands for 3 to 5 minutes expect to get very sticky. Let rest for an hour in a mixing bowl covered.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. The dough when you return will have lost most of its stickiness. Divide dough into 12 even part, an ice cream scoop worked perfectly. Round each bun on the baking sheet. Cover and let rest for a 1/2 hour.
Pre heat over to 400 degrees. Whisk the egg and brush on top of dough balls. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops become golden. Remove from oven and let cool and cover with a towel again.
Almond Filling Instructions
Place all the filling ingredients except the milk in the food processor and pulse away. Once the almonds are fine slowly add the milk till it forms a paste.
Cut the lid off the top of the bun. Then remove the inside of the bun and making sure not to cut through the bun. The insides you scoop out go into the food processor for a few more pulses. You may want to add a bit more water to make it smooth again. They reminded me of a mini vorta limpa bread scooped out waiting for the dill dip.
Fill the buns with the filling and top with whipped cream. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and eat immediately.
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