December 10, 2009 - 8:36pm
Lussekatt - Swedish Santa Lucia Saffron buns
I used this recipe found right here on fresh loaf: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4189/santa-lucia-bread#comment-26429 Thanks! It worked great. Found saffron at my local super market, $7 for 0.5gram, ouch! Found quark at whole foods, another ouch, these breads ain't cheap! However, they look great and taste great! Other than the classic S shape, I also made a few other classic shapes.
With the quark addition, and plenty of kneading, the crumb is incredibly soft and moist, even after 3 days.
Very happy to have tried this fun new bread!
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Just in time for December 13th :)
They look absolutely perfect!
To tell you the truth, I hadn't planned on baking these buns this year. I might have to reconsider that now... Great stuff!
Beautiful!
They sure look delicious! Beautiful! Al
What would make a good substitution for quark?
Have a go: http://www.netcooks.com/recipes/Miscellaneous/Quark.-.Curd.Cheese.html
Thank you.
hansjoakim, I'm confused about that quark recipe that you linked. One needs live cultures (like the ones in cultured buttermilk) to make quark. In the linked recipe, they're actually mixing milk and butter, but that doesn't make buttermilk! Have you ever tried to make quark that way?
I suspect many(if not most) European butters have active cultures.
I also wondered if that is the case, and if the recipe would work with American butter.
http://www.foodsubs.com/Chefresh.html
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quark = quark-curd = topfen = quarg = curd-cheese Notes: This versatile fresh cheese resembles soft cream cheese. Germans (who call is quark) and Austrians (who call it topfen) use it to make everything from cheesecake to gravy. To make your own: Combine one quart whole milk with 1/2 cup buttermilk in a clean container, cover, and let the mixture stand at room temperature for two days. Gently cook the mixture for about 30 minutes. It's done when the curd has thickened slightly and begun to separate from the whey. Let it cool and pour it into a colander lined with several folds of cheesecloth. Put the colander into a larger container, wrap with plastic, and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator until the quark is reduced to the consistency of yogurt. Makes about 1 cup. Substitutes: fromage frais (very similar) OR yogurt cheese (more acidic) OR two parts ricotta cheese and one part sour cream OR strained cottage cheese OR mascarpone
love the shaping, color and crumb.
Sylvia
love the look of your breads. i have bought quark before, but had to go to an Austrian patisserie out in the west island. it does resemble curdly cheese.
Those are BEAUTIFUL rolls!! I am not familiar with them or the tradition behind them, but would LOVE the recipe!! I already have saffron and am ready to make my own Quark. How gorgeous!! If they taste ANYTHING like they look, WOW!!
Thanks!
Janet
The location of the recipe is referenced in the first post.
Saffron crocus can be had from an online nursery for about $15 for 30 bulbs. Then you have decoration, and herb. It may take a bit of effort to collect the little strands from the flower, but worth it.
Thanks so much for your pictorial on these St. Lucy holiday breads and I love your shapes, too!
Time to get baking for this year--or at least searching out the Quark and the saffron!
I'm going to make them for my niece named Lucy whose birthday is December 13!