Swedish Semlor Food

SEMLOR (SEMLA)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs with butter and milk. Sprinkle yeast overtop and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together 5 cups flour with 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and ground cardamom. Once yeast has softened, stir flour mixture into milk mixture until a soft dough forms. Cover bowl with a towel, and allow to rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
• Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir into risen dough, then knead until smooth. Form into 16 balls (or 24 if you'd like smaller semlor) and place onto greased baking sheets. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and the center has firmed. Cool buns on a wire rack to room temperature.
• Once cool, cut a slice about 1/2 inch thick off of the top of the bun and set aside. Scoop or cut out the center of the buns, leaving a shell about 1/2 inch thick. Tear the removed bread into small pieces and place into a bowl. Moisten the bread with milk, then mix in marzipan until smooth. Add additional milk if needed until the marzipan filling is nearly as soft as pudding.
• Whip cream with 2 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks. Fill each shell with a spoonful of marzipan filling. Pipe whipped cream on top of the filling to 1/2 inch over the top of the bun. Replace the tops onto the buns, and dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

SWEDISH SEMLOR

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan, pour in the milk och warm until lukewarm (99 F).
• Crumble the yeast in a bowl and stir in a little of the warm butter/milk until the yeast is completely dissolved.
• Add the rest of the butter/milk, salt, sugar, cardamom and most of the flour (save some for the rest of the baking). Work the dough smooth and shiny. It should let go from the edges of the bowl. Allow the dough to rise under a baking cloth for 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over a baking board and place the dough there. Make 1 bun per person by rolling the dough against the baking board in your cupped hand.
• Put the buns on a baking tray with oven paper and allow them to rise for an additional 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 440°F.
• Brush the buns with the beaten egg and bake them for about 10 minutes in the middle of the oven. Let them cool on an oven rack under a baking cloth.
• Cut of a cover on each bun. Take out a part of the crumb and put it in a bowl. Crumble in almond paste, mix and dilute with the milk to a rather soft mixture.
• Distribute the filling in the buns. Whip the cream and put a large dollop in every bun.
• Put the cover on and sift some confectioners' sugar over 'semlorna'.

SEMLOR: TRADITIONAL SWEDISH FAT TUESDAY BUNS (SEMLA RECIPE)

Steps:

• In bread machine or stand mixer, place the lukewarm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow to rest for a few minutes, until the yeast begins to grow. Mix the milk, melted butter, beaten egg together, then add to the yeast mixture.
• Add the cardamom, flour, 1/3 cup (2.5 oz) of sugar and salt, and turn on machine (dough setting on bread machine or use a dough hook if using a stand mixer.) Mix and knead by hand if you aren't using a machine.
• Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow cycle to finish on dough setting; with stand mixer, or by hand, when the dough is ready, cover it and let rise on the counter until doubled in size.
• After it's risen, punch down the dough, and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut pieces of the dough and shape into round balls (about 15 to 18), and place onto a greased cookie sheet (or silicone sheet) about an inch apart. I baked mine with the buns too close together and they touched, so don't put them as close as I did in the photo below.
• I also weighed mine so they would all be of equal size, however it's really unnecessary unless you are a Type A personality, like me. :) Place the tray in the oven (do not turn it on) to rise for about half an hour or until doubled in size. (I put a large cup of boiling water in the oven for steam, so the buns don't get a hard crust).
• Once doubled, remove the buns from the oven and brush with the egg glaze (just mix the egg and cream together and brush on gently.)
• Preheat the oven to 350º F (175ºC) then cook the buns for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. While they are baking, prepare the almond paste.
• Whip the egg white until soft peaks form, then fold in the ground almonds and powdered sugar.
• Cover and set aside.
• Remove the cooked buns from the tray, and place on a cooling rack.
• When the Semlor are completely cool, whip the cream and assemble them.
• Begin by cutting a top on each bun with a sharp knife, cutting down into the center of the bun to create a space for filling in the bun. Then put a teaspoonful, or more, of the almonds paste.
• Next, top with whipped cream. I used my ISI Cream Whipper, which I adore!
• Place the top on the cream, and dust with powdered sugar. Repeat with remaining Semlor.