Weekend in the Swedish Countryside

We spent the weekend in the Swedish countryside celebrating the marriage of two of our good friends. It was almost a six hour drive to where the wedding was held from Copenhagen so it was quite deep in Sweden, but it was more than worth it. The weather was amazing, the surroundings were beautiful, and the wedding was so special. It was the most wonderful weekend.

Lovely Little Semlors

I have mentioned semlors before and well, I am mentioning them again! I finally got around to making my very own semlors on Saturday and I'm happy to say, they tasted great. They were definitely not as amazing as the ones at my favorite bakery in Lund, but they were still delicious!

There are four parts to a semla (that's what they're called in their singular form). There's the cardamom bun with its top cut off, the almond paste fills the inside of the bun, whipped cream is placed over the almond paste, the lid of the bun is placed back on top, and then bun is dusted with icing sugar. I am not a huge marzipan or almond paste fan in general, but I absolutely love it in semlors. If I get a piece of chocolate covered marzipan, I usually just take one bite and pass it on to the boyfriend, but I will happily and quickly eat up a large semla! I really do hope you'll try making your own semlor, especially as lent is ending this weekend and semla season comes to an end!

Lovely Little Semlors (adapted from Call Me Cupcake)
makes 12 medium sized semlors

For the cardamom buns:
25g fresh yeast
75g butter (normally I use unsalted butter in baking sweets, but I used salted and it is totally fine here)
1 cup milk
1/2 tbsp crushed cardamom seeds
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 - 3 cups all purpose flour
1 egg

Filling:
200g almond paste
splash of milk

Cream topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
(the original recipe calls for vanilla extract and a spoon of sugar as well
but I didn't add it and didn't really miss it)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the milk and the crushed cardamom seeds. Heat this mixture to 37C or 98.6F. Pour warm liquid over the crumbled yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, sugar, and flour. Start by adding 2 1/2 cups flour, and add the extra 1/2 cup if needed. The dough should be a little sticky but still workable. Put a kitchen towel over the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

Work the dough on a floured surface. Divide dough into 12 portions and roll them into smooth balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with the kitchen towel again, and let rise a second time for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 225C or 437F. Brush buns with a lightly beaten egg. Bake in the middle of the oven for 9 minutes. Let cool completely.

Cut out the top of each bun following the cone method. Take off the excess bits of bun on the top piece that was just cut out, and scoop out a little bit of the inside of the bun. Mix together the inside bits of the bun, the almond paste, and a splash of milk until smooth. Whip  heavy cream until you get soft peaks.

To assemble, fill each bun with almond paste, pipe or spoon the whipped cream on top, and lastly, put the "lid" back on. Garnish by sifting icing sugar over the top of the buns.

I hope you fall in love with these little buns too!

Semlor, My Little Loves

On Saturday, the boyfriend and I spent the day in Lund. We had fika with our friend N at my favorite fika spot, St Jakobs Stenugnsbageri, and then we had a drink at Mat och Destillat with Y in the afternoon.

And as I mentioned before, my favorite thing about Sweden is their wonderful buns associated with different seasons. And now that Christmas and lussekatters are out, it is time for semlors!

Semlors were traditionally eaten as a treat before Lent, but now they are eaten up until Easter. I am planning on making my own semlor soon, but just so you get an idea of what they are, they are scooped out cardamom buns, filled with almond paste and whipped cream, and then the top of the buns is placed back on top with a sprinkle of icing sugar.

I love these delicious little buns!

It's Lussekatter Time!

Last Thursday I was in Lund and I met up with my amazing friend Y to bake some lussekatter. These saffron buns are a tradition in Sweden around Christmas and I've been looking forward to having them for a few months now. The lussekatter that Y and I made tasted just like the ones I've had from bakeries in Lund and Malmö the last two Christmases. They are easy to make and just oh so good! Just talking about them makes my mouth water...

Lussekatter (from Call Me Cupcake)
Recipe is in deciliters - sorry! That is the measuring system the Swedes and Danes use...
Makes about 15 to 16 lussekatter, depending on what size you make them.

For the dough:
50 g fresh yeast
200 g butter
1g saffron
3 dl milk
2 dl heavy cream
2 dl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
16 dl flour

To top it off:
1 large egg
Raisins

Preheat oven to 250C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Melt the butter, combining the saffron, milk and butter in a small pot and heat until it reaches 37 degrees or barely warm to the touch. Add a little bit of this liquid mixture to the yeast and stir to dissolve it. One the yeast has dissolved, add the rest of the liquid.

Add the egg, sugar, and salt and stir until it has dissolved. Add most of the flour (save a bit for later) and work it into a smooth dough. It should be slightly sticky but still manageable. Leave the dough to rise, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes. The dough will be ready when it has doubled in size.

Work in the remaining flour if needed. Divide the dough into equal portions and shape them to look like an "S". Place them on the lined baking trays. Leave some space in between each bun as they will rise a bit more.

Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

Put two raisins into the bun and lightly brush with a beaten egg.

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

Let cool and enjoy! Remember to freeze leftovers immediately as they tend to dry out really fast.

Stockholm: Rosendäls Tradgård

Before the boyfriend and I went to Stockholm, my sister sent me a link to Rosendäls Tradgård and recommended that I check it out as there are many really good reviews written about it. Rosendäls Tradgård is located in Djurgården and we made a half day trip out of it by visiting the Vasa Museum first and then walking across the island and through the park to Rosendäls Tradgård.

From their website they say, "Rosendäls garden is an open garden, with the main purpose of presenting biodynamic (organic) garden cultivation to the general public". I really enjoyed visiting Rosendäls as it was such a special place in the center of Stockholm. While we were there we walked past and saw several vegetable patches, rows of flowers (which you can cut yourself and buy at the garden), and a small orchard. We had a little fika there and enjoyed a cinnamon bun and a cardamom bun from their bakery and although we didn't try anything from their cafe, many people were ordering soups and sandwiches from there and everything is made with organic ingredients. This is a great place to visit for people who have green thumbs and for those who are interested in urban farming. It's also a wonderful place to enjoy a cup of coffee and some pastries on a great patio full of wild flowers and greenery. I'd definitely recommend spending an hour or two here the next time you are in Stockholm!

Stockholm: The Colors

The boyfriend and I are back from our long weekend in Stockholm and we both really enjoyed the city, they call themselves the "capital of Scandinavia" and they just might be right! 

From the apartment buildings by Mariatorget on Södermalm to the entire island of Gamla Stan to the royal guards and the archipelago, Stockholm is full of color. Maybe we got lucky as we had sunshine the entire time we were there, but even without it, the vibrant buildings and the gorgeous natural environment that they are located in is bound to brighten up a person's day! 

Just Dropping in to Say

The boyfriend and I left Copenhagen early Thursday morning and will be in Stockholm until Monday evening. We are really enjoying Stockholm so far and I will tell you more about the trip on Tuesday when we get home. Having lived in a small city and town, Malmö and Lund, in the very south of Sweden for almost two years, it's nice to finally come to the capital!

I'll be back with more in a few days and until then, happy weekend!