Semla: Traditional Swedish Fat Tuesday Buns (Semlor)
Swedish cream buns filled with homemade almond paste and whipped cream
Light, cardamom-scented brioche buns filled with silky almond paste and billowy whipped cream, finished with a snowfall of powdered sugar.
Equipment
Ingredients
Buns
all-purpose flour (room temperature)
500 g
active dry yeast
6 g
granulated sugar
70 g
whole milk (warmed)
120 ml
unsalted butter (melted)
75 g
egg (beaten)
50 g
ground cardamom
2 g
fine salt
3 g
Egg Glaze
egg
50 g
heavy cream
30 ml
Almond Paste Filling
egg white
30 g
almond meal
100 g
powdered sugar
100 g
Topping
heavy cream
400 ml
powdered sugar
30 g
Instructions
Activate yeast
Place lukewarm water, yeast and 5 g sugar in a bread machine or stand mixer. Let rest until yeast begins to grow.
Mix the dough
Combine warmed milk, melted butter and beaten egg, then add to yeast mixture. Add flour, remaining 65 g sugar, cardamom and salt. Knead until smooth and slightly sticky.
First rise
Cover dough and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shape the buns
Punch down dough, rest 5 minutes, divide into 15–18 equal pieces and shape into round balls. Place 2.5 cm apart on a greased baking sheet.
Second rise
Proof buns in a turned-off oven with a cup of boiling water for steam until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Apply egg glaze
Brush risen buns gently with egg-cream glaze.
Bake the buns
Preheat oven to 175 °C. Bake buns 18–22 minutes until golden brown.
Cool the buns
Transfer buns to a wire rack and cool completely.
Make almond paste filling
Whip egg white to soft peaks, fold in almond meal and powdered sugar. Cover and set aside.
Whip the cream
Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Keep chilled until assembly.
Assemble each semla
Slice a circular opening in each cooled bun, fill with 1–2 tsp almond paste, pipe or spoon whipped cream on top, replace lid and dust generously with powdered sugar.
Serve
Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator.
Original recipe
Storage
Store assembled semlor in the refrigerator in an airtight container; best eaten within 48 hours.
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