Swedish Semlor buns
Ingredients for a Batch of 12
Dough
250ml full fat milk
24g active dry yeast (not fresh or instant)
100g caster sugar
½ tsp (2g) fine salt
500g strong white bread flour
100g softened unsalted butter
2 egg yolks (30-40g)
30 cardamom pods
Crème Chantilly Filling
600ml whipping cream
4 tbsp icing sugar
For brushing
Egg white + a dash of full fat milk
METHOD
First, hydrate the yeast. Weigh the yeast into a small bowl.
Weigh the milk into a small saucepan and heat to hand hot/body temperature - 37°C – this won’t take very long and it should not exceed 43°C (this will kill the yeast). Check the temperature of the milk by sticking your finger into it – if still feels quite warm but you can comfortably keep your finger in it without instinctively pulling it out, it is ready. Pour it into bowl with the yeast, a pinch of sugar and whisk vigorously to combine. Leave aside - after about 5-8 minutes of hydrating, the bowl of yeast/milk will look quite fluffy and foamy.
While the yeast is hydrating, remove the cardamom seeds from the pods and lightly grind in a pestle and mortar. Don’t overdo it – you want to taste and bite into the cardamom seeds in the finished product.
Weigh the flour, salt, sugar, egg yolks and ground cardamom into a large mixing bowl. Pour the milk/yeast mix into the bowl and use your hands to bring it together. You should mix and squeeze it with your hands for about 30 seconds, trying to gather up all the flour. Now add the softened butter to the bowl in small chunks and ‘squidge’ and fold the butter into the dough. The dough may feel too wet and sticky at this point but don’t panic.
Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth – a dough scraper can be very helpful at the start of the process when it is quite sticky. You are aiming for a ball of soft pillowy dough that is just lightly tacky.
It may be a little sticky when you start but resist the temptation to add more flour to it. You'll find that with a little work, the dough will begin to lose its stickiness and become smoother and more elastic.
Place the dough ball back into the large mixing bowl, cover with clingfilm pulled drum-tight around the rim and leave to prove away from any draughts for 45 mins on a warm day or 1-3 hours on a cool day. You are looking for it to have doubled in size.
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Once the dough is proved, roll the dough into a rough sausage shape and use a sharp knife to cut as equal as you can before weighing each section - you want either 60g (small) or 80g (medium) per ball. Shape each piece of dough into a domed ball shape with the seam of the dough on the underside.
Place the shaped buns onto a lined baked sheet, and leave to rise for another 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan, 190°C regular.
Alternatively, if you are prepping in advance, place the buns either in the fridge or the freezer at this point, for baking later. See further notes on storage below.
Brush the tops of each bun with egg white beaten with a dash of milk – go carefully and try not to miss any bits for the most professional glossy finish. Bake in the middle of the oven:
10-11 minutes for a small bun
12-15 minutes for a medium bun – no more - until the tops are golden brown
Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
SERVE!
To serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar, slice off the top of the bun and, for the most professional finish, use a star nozzle to pipe in the cream before replacing the lid and lightly dusting with icing sugar.