Semlor (Swedish lent buns) | Bosch Home UK

Ingredients

20 g fresh yeast

120 ml milk

70 g sugar (divided)

1⁄4 tsp ground cardamom

2 eggs

320 g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1⁄4 tsp salt

100 g butter

300 ml cream

1 bag vanilla sugar

100 g pistachios

50 g confectioner’s sugar

300 g raspberries

Utensils:

Kitchen machine with whisk and dough hook, MaxoMixx hand blender, oven, baking sheet, parchment paper, kitchen towel, pastry brush, cooling rack, piping bag, knife

Break fresh yeast in the bowl of the kitchen machine. Add milk, 60 g of sugar, cardamom, one egg, and beat until frothy. Then add flour, baking powder, and salt. Change to a dough hook and mix together until well incorporated. Gradually add butter and knead dough for another 10 min., or until soft and elastic. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for approx. 30 min.

After the dough has rested, roll out the dough and divide it into 9 equally sized pieces on a floured surface. Roll each one into a ball. Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel. Let it rise for approx. 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Whisk egg and milk together and brush each roll carefully with the egg wash. Bake for 12 mins, or until golden brown. Then let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling: whip the cream with vanilla sugar using the kitchen machine with a whisk. Transfer the cream to a piping bag. Once the buns have cooled completely, slice the top of the buns and make a small well with a spoon or fork. Add pistachios, the rest of the sugar, and the hollowed-out dough of the buns in the measuring cup and blend to a paste with the hand blender.

Now it’s time to assemble the semlor. Fill the rolls with the pistachio paste, some raspberries, and the cream. Pistachios add a slightly nutty flavour and balance the dessert so that it’s not sickly sweet. Sprinkle raspberries and chopped pistachios on top and put the top back on the buns. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and enjoy.

Tip: As you wait for the dough to rise, sit back and brew some fresh coffee with the Bosch coffee maker or a cup of tea with the Bosch kettle. Swedes are famous for their love for coffee, but if you’re a tea-drinker, semlor pairs well with black tea or a mild rooibos variety as well. It’s a great way to extend the morning Easter brunch through to the afternoon or evening.