Christmas Calendar 2013 Day 13 - Lucia buns

Today it is Lucia Day, which is celebrate both in Denmark and Sweden with a blond girl in front walking around with burning candles on their head followed by the rest of the singers in burning candles in the hand.

The Danish Lucia song by Alex Garff:

Nu bæres lyset frem                       - Now worn light up
stolt på din krone.                          - proud of your crown.
Rundt om i hus og hjem                  - Around the house and home
sangen skal tone.                            - the song should sound.
Nu på Lucia-dag                            - Now on Lucia Day
hilser vort vennelag                         - welcome to our friends
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.               - Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia

Her ved vor ønskefest                    -  Here at our desire celebration
sangen skal klinge.                          - the song to fade.
Gaver til hver en gæst                     - Gifts for every guest
glad vil du bringe.                           - glad you bring.
Skænk os af lykkens væld              - Grant us the happiness wealth
lige til livets kvæld                          - right to life eve
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.               - Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.

Again I will be celebrating the Lucia Day not by singing, but by baking another version Anne's food ´s Lucia buns, which I also did last year in form of saffron buns a la Anne´s Food

I made two modifications to the original recipe. The first modification was replacement of fromage frais with Greek yogurt (10% fat version). The reason for this modification is, that I did not to buy 500 g fromage frais only needing 100 for these buns, and fromage frais is not something, which I normally use in my kitchen. However, full-fat Greek yogurt I really to eat with rhubarb compote and muesli, so here any leftovers is not problematic for me to use.

The second modification was replacement of almond paste (50% almonds and 50% sugar) with marzipan, where I use a product with 63% almonds.

Lucia buns a la Anne´s Food: - 22 buns

Dough 1:

• 25 g butter
• 250 g milk
• 25 g yeast
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 350 g wheat flour

Dough 2:

• 0,75 g saffron
• 65 g butter - soft
• 50 g light sugar syrup
• 50 g sugar
• ½ egg
• 100 g Greek yogurt/fromage frais
• 300 g wheat flour

Filling:

• 125 g marzipan
• 25 g almonds - finely chopped
• 50 g butter - soft
• 50 g sugar

Decoration:

• ½ egg beaten with a few drops of water

Dough 1:

1. Melt the butter and add the milk into the butter, heat this mix until it is lukewarm.
2. Crumble the yeast into the mixing bowl. 
3. Add the liquid to the yeast and stir until dissolved. I used my KitchenAid for the entire mixing process.
4. Add the dry ingredients (salt, baking powder, sugar and flour), knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes.
5. Use the mixing bowl for the raising the dough in, covering the bowl.
6. Let the dough raise for 1 hour.

Dough 2:

1. Mix the saffron, butter, syrup, sugar, egg and Greek yogurt together.
2. Add this mix into dough 1, mixing on low speed (xx).
3. Add the remaining flour, and knead the entire dough for 5 minutes on speed 1.

Filling:

1. Mix the ingredients for the filling into a rough, but homogeneous mass.

Lucia buns:

1. Divide the dough into a weight of 55 g.
2. Flatten the dough and put a teaspoon full of filling on the dough.
3. Shape the dough around the filling, again into the shape of a ball, firmly sealed.
4. Place the bun with the seam-side in a paper muffin cup.
5. Let the bun raise for 45 minutes.
6. Glaze the buns with beaten egg.
7. Heat the oven (conventional) to 225'C.
8. Bake the buns for 10 minutes in the upper part of the oven, until they are golden, but not brown in colour.