Lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns (VIDEO)

Traditional Swedish saffron buns called Lussekatter (named after Lucia cats) are the ultimate saffron-infused fluffy yeasted brioche to bake before the holidays! These buns are crazy moist and delicious, and primarily made for St. Lucia Day (December 13th) but enjoyed throughout November and December in Sweden.

I have had my fair share of Lussebullar (also called saffransbullar or lussebullar) since I arrived in Sweden in 2017, and this is a Swedish saffron bun recipe that you must try wherever you live in the world!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best Saffron buns recipe
• 📖 Why is it called Lussekatter? Lussekatter history
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• 🎓 Expert tips
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍞 Other Sweet bread recipes
• Lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns (VIDEO)

🌟 Why this is the best Saffron buns recipe

1. It is fun to make – Making brioche including this saffron brioche is super easy, it is made of flour, butter, milk, etc. This easy Lussebullar recipe is totally doable even if you are a beginner - however please make sure you pay attention to my Baking tips.
2. It is not much effort, most of the time is just waiting for the dough to prove – The amount of effort making Lussekatter is really minimal, however, you will have to rest the dough in between steps. Since the saffron bun is a yeasted dough, you can´t speed up the process of proofing.
3. It is super delicious – Imagine delicious saffron-infused buttery, pillowy brioche dough, that is super soft, and the perfect addition to your coffee or tea. Read my secrets below about how to make the Lucia bun not just moist but also super shiny. You will love it!
4. No special equipment is needed – A stand mixer is super handy when it comes to kneading the dough but apart from that, no special mold or tin is needed! If you are strong enough you might not even need a stand mixer and will be able to make this with your hands!

📖 Why is it called Lussekatter? Lussekatter history

The name Lussekatter actually means Lucia cats (and the S shape is meant to represent the cat itself.) Lussekatter is a Swedish pastry that is effectively a saffron-infused brioche in a special S shape. It is associated with advent before the holidays, and a must-bake for December 13th, which is St Lucia Day.

Although it isn’t an official holiday, Lucia celebrations are prominent from schools to universities throughout the country. Lucia Day celebration consists of singing songs, eating Lussekatter as well as heart-shaped gingerbread, and drinking coffee and mulled wine. As part of the tradition, there is a person dressed like Lucia, in white with a chandelier (also called a Lucia chandelier) on her head and a red ribbon around her stomach.

The Lussekatter pastry itself is colored with saffron (that´s why the yellowish color) and shaped like an 'S' where the ends are rolled up separately, and usually a raisin is placed in the middle of each roll-up.

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Butter: Use always unsalted butter as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. In this recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature so soft enough to be able to knead into the dough.
2. Sugar: A relatively small amount of white granulated sugar is used to make the saffron brioche dough. In Sweden these Lucia saffron buns are having a mildly sweet taste, if you like your baked good really sweet, you can double the sugar. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my sugar guide
3. Yeast: I am using fresh yeast in this lussekatter recipe however it can be made with dry yeast too. My active dry yeast pack says that 7 g yeast equals 25 g fresh yeast. I used 12,5 g fresh yeast to make this recipe which is equal to 3,5 g dried yeast (approx. 1 teaspoon). Please check your local brand and calculate your yeast needs accordingly. Also, check my ultimate yeast guide out for more information on how to handle yeast
4. Milk: Use lukewarm temperature whole milk. Make sure your milk is definitely not cold as that would not work out too well with the yeast, but too warm milk can also destroy the yeast
5. Egg: Room temperature as always, 1 egg + 1 yolk to keep the St Lucia buns extra moist and delicious
6. Flour: Lussekatter is effectively a sweet Christmas bread similar to French brioche bread or cinnamon roll. Make sure to use high protein content bread flour which contains more gluten and helps to achieve that lovely airy brioche texture everyone loves. It might not be called bread flour in your country, so check the protein content and choose one that is higher. If you can´t find bread flour, go with all-purpose flour. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
7. Salt: An essential ingredient in most dessert recipes. Balances flavor and enhances other ingredients
8. Saffron: Saffron is what makes this brioche different! Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, and for a good reason. It has an earthy slightly sweet, floral taste and a wonderfully rich golden red color. Giving instructions on the exact quantity is super difficult as it greatly depends on the quality you can purchase. I recommend purchasing higher quality and using a smaller amount, eg. 1 teaspoon of saffron threads. I will give further instructions at a later stage on how to handle saffron for the best taste and color

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to use saffron

Saffron is the key ingredient making these buns for Saint Lucia day and there is a small trick to get the best flavor and color out of your saffron threads.

As you will experience saffron is not cheap, in fact, it is the most expensive spice. The good news is that you won´t need an extensive amount, yet it is worth discussing how exactly you should use saffron to get the most out of it.

Saffron is a dried herb and needs hydration to get "active" all the aromas and colors. Finely ground saffron might be available in your country, however, it is usually better to buy saffron threads and grind your own in a small mortar. Then, you can infuse warm milk with the saffron powder for 15-30 minutes, or use alcohol eg. rum instead. I decided to use rum this time and made sure that I decrease the amount of other liquid ingredients (milk) in the recipe by the same amount.

💡 Top Tip: Don´t get confused with turmeric when purchasing saffron. Please note that turmeric is often used instead of saffron to give the foods a similar color at a much cheaper price tag, but the flavors are much different

2. How to activate yeast

The process is easy: heat ½ cup whole milk until lukewarm, mix half of the sugar in, then sprinkle yeast on top and wait 10 minutes until yeast starts to foam. The same process applies whether you are using fresh or dried yeast. The key here is that your milk is warm enough (lukewarm) but not too hot. Make sure that your kitchen is not too cold (above 20C / 68F). If yeast does not start bubbling after 10 minutes, chances are very low that the dough will rise. I recommend starting over again.

Please make sure that you start using the activated yeast after it foams. Leaving it on the kitchen counter for too long might result in yeast overflowing and eventually breaking.

Check my ultimate yeast guide for more information on how to handle yeast.

💡 Top Tip: Follow the quantity of the yeast. Your Lussekatter won´t get better or softer by adding more yeast! There is an exact science of adding leaving agents to baking products, and adding less or adding more is an equally bad choice.

3. How to knead the saffron bun dough

Saffron bullar is basically a sweet bread, therefore the process of making is similar to baking bread meaning you will need to knead the dough.

1. Once the yeast is foamy, place all the wet ingredients (the yeasty mixture + egg) into the bowl of your stand mixer along with the infused saffron
2. Then, after mixing for a minute, add the dry ingredients (bread flour, rest of the sugar, salt) and start kneading with the help of the dough hook.
3. First, it will look a bit messy, but after a few minutes, the dough will start to come together
4. Then, add butter in very small portions piece by piece while the mixer is on 
5. Very important that butter is at room temperature and soft, but not too soft or liquid which would make it impossible to mix that into the dough. Butter might not get mixed in immediately but keep your Stand mixer on, and eventually, it will all come together
6. Once the dough comes together, you will have to knead it for another approx. 10 minutes on medium-high speed up until the dough is super shiny, elastic, and achieves the gluten window! At this point, the dough should be soft, but not stick at all. If you are doing it by hand, it might take 20-30 minutes depending on how strong you knead the dough

💡 Top Tip: Even if the dough might look too sticky at the beginning, do not change this recipe and add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I promise the dough will come together in the process of kneading and does not require more flour or milk etc.

4. How long does it take for the dough to rise

There are two alternatives for rising the saffron buns dough: quickly at room temp or slower in the fridge overnight. I tried both and can confirm that while the longer rise has the benefit of already working with a colder dough, the room temperature rise also works very well and provides wonderful results.

For the overnight version place the dough into a glass or plastic bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it in the fridge for min 12 hours (overnight). The overnight rise in the fridge not just makes the brioche texture fluffier and softer, but also makes your life easier when it comes to shaping and twisting the dough. With that, you will work with a cold dough that has extra gluten development, therefore, is easier to handle.

If you go for the room temperature quicker rise, place the dough into a glass or plastic bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and leave the dough at room temp for 1-2 hours. The exact time greatly depends on the temperature of your kitchen, try to find a warm spot but avoid direct heat. Once the dough doubles in size, punch the air out and start the rolling process as per below.

💡 Top Tip: Rising any yeast-based dough is a super delicate matter and there are two options as per above. Do not attempt to speed up the process in the oven, it would result in a dough that is over-risen and butter melting all over

5. How to roll and shape the Lucia saffron buns

The rolling and shaping process happens after the dough had its first rise either in the fridge overnight or at room temperature. Have you ever had a disastrous experience shaping brioche bread dough that melts while rolling and shaping? Most recipes fail to explain one thing: the importance of TEMPERATURE!

1. Roll the dough on Silicone baking mat in that way you do not need to add flour while rolling. I suggest rolling it into a rectangle of 32x21 cm / 12.5x8 inches. Aim for a neat rectangle, feel free to use your hands in shaping. Also aim for an even thickness that will ensure even, neat buns. Alternatively, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. If at any point the dough is too warm and sticky, chill it instead of adding more flour
2. Pop the rolled-out dough into the freezer to chill for 3-5 minutes before cutting. You have to chill the dough so you will be able to shape it neatly
3. Once the dough is nicely chilled slice it up from the shorter end using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You will be able to make 14 slices, so one slice will be 21cm / 8 inch long and 2.3cm / 0.9 inch wide
4. Grab one of the slices, gently pull it to about 30cm / 12 inches with your hands, then start rolling it up tightly from one side, then on the other side as well into an S shape
5. Continue with shaping the rest of the dough. Place each S shape onto the baking sheet leaving enough space in between them as they will rise
6. Now onto second proofing

💡 Top Tip: The most important part of the shaping process is always working with a dough that is cold enough. If during the shaping process the dough gets too warm, pop it back into the freezer for a few minutes

6. How to bake

First of all, how not to bake the Lussekatter buns? Never bake them without a second proofing! 

With the second rise, we are looking for the buns to almost double, that might take 1-2h depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Cover the tray with a kitchen towel, so the dough does not dry out, and place it into a warm spot in your house, yet not too hot as you also do not want the dough to melt.

Once you are happy with the second rise, whisk one egg with a splash of water and apply egg wash very gently using a brush. Finally, press 1 raisin or dried cranberry on each side of the S shape dough and bake!

During the end of the second rise pre-heat your oven to 190C / 374F no fan, then once the bun dough has nicely risen, place it into the oven, lower the temp to 180C / 356F (no fan) and bake for about 12 minutes.

Please make sure you invest in an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid under-baked or burnt saffron buns, especially if you typically have trouble with your oven. Check the progress at 10 minutes and adjust the temperature, if needed.

💡 Top Tip: The Lussekatter should get beautiful golden brown by the end of the baking time. Worth checking the bottom of the buns whether they are well baked or need some more time. Please always focus on the texture, instead of time.

🥣 Equipment notes

Regarding the equipment I suggest the following:

First and foremost make sure you measure the ingredients with the help of a Digital scale.

For kneading the lussekatter dough a Stand mixer is super handy with the dough hook on, however, if you are strong like my Mom you can attempt doing it by hand, good luck!

Rolling pin is totally necessary to roll the dough out and if you want to be a Pro, use Silicone baking mat to roll the dough, in that case, the dough will certainly not stick and no need to use extra flour.

🎓 Expert tips

1. For activating the yeast (whether it is dried or fresh), make sure that the milk is lukewarm and your kitchen is also nice and warm
2. For "activating " the saffron, grind it yourself in a small mortar and infuse it in some liquid eg. warm milk or rum
3. You will knead the dough for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer. The dough is ready when it is shiny, elastic, and does not stick to your fingers any longer. Do not add more flour to the dough. If it sticks too much, continue kneading
4. During the rolling and shaping process work with chilled dough that does not stick to your hands
5. Second proofing is necessary for the perfect rise = fluffy texture on your saffron buns
6. Have you ever wondered how to get that beautiful shine on your baked good that you see in professional Bakeries? It is actually super easy. Once the saffron buns are baked, melt a small amount of butter and with the help of a pastry brush, apply thin layers of melted butter all the way on the top and side as well

❓Recipe FAQs

🍞 Other Sweet bread recipes