Lucia Saffron Buns / Swedish Lussekatter

Recipe

Makes 10-15 buns

Ingredients:

450 g spelt flour or a gluten free flour mix + more when needed

100 g coconut blossom sugar

70 g melted virgin coconut oil

25 g fresh yeast or 3,5 g dry yeast

1 g or 1/2 tsp saffron threads

a pinch sea salt

200 ml oat milk

a handful of raisins

Optional but not necessary: 1/2 tsp ground cardamom and a little raw marsipan.

Directions:

1. Start with soaking the raisins in some oat milk or juice for at least 30 minutes.
2. Ground the saffron with some coconut blossom sugar and than add a little luke warm oat milk and mix with a spoon. Let it set for at least 30 minutes for a good colour and taste.
3. Heat the oat milk until luke warm (it should not be to hot!) and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let it set for 5 minutes until foamy.
4. Add the coconut sugar, the saffron, and melted coconut oil and mix with a wooden spoon (melt the coconut oil in a water bath).
5. Whisk together 3/4 of the flour, salt and cardamon (if using) and add the dry mixture little by little to the wet mixture. Mix with the spoon until well combined.
6. Knead the dough with your hands and slowly add the additional flour and the marsipan (if using) little by little. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. It should be a little sticky but not completely stick to your hands when you knead it.
7. Let the dough rise in a large bowl under a cotton towel. Place it on a warm place and let if rise for 30-60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
8. Knead the dough again on a lightly floured table for 5 minutes. Form the dough to a ´snake´ and cut it in 10-15 pieces.
9. Roll each piece to a snake and curl the ends to opposite directions. Or form them how you like to;)
10. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and press down 2 raisins to each end. 
11. Let the saffron buns raise for 30 minutes on a warm place.
12. Preheat the oven to 225°C.
13. Brush the buns with some oat milk or aquafaba.
14. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown.
15. Let them cool 5 minutes before serving.
16. Enjoy with some mulled wine (glögg) or coffee and tea!