St. Lucia Buns (Saffron Rolls)
These St. Lucia Buns (Sweet Saffron Rolls With Almond Filling) are soft, saffron-infused sweet rolls filled with almond paste and Italian pastry cream. Traditionally associated with St. Lucia’s Day in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, this version is a special family adaptation that turns the classic saffron buns into filled rolls with a rich almond center.
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 ½ cups warm milk at 105°F
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads lightly crushed into a powder
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 ounces salted butter 1 stick, plus more for greasing
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 5 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
Filling:
- 1 stick almond paste + 1 tablespoon hot water
- ½ recipe Italian Pastry Cream
- Optional: Pearl sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Grease a 17" L x 11" W rectangle baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
- Prepare half a recipe for the Italian Pastry Cream as directed. In a small bowl, warm the almond paste and 1 tablespoon of very hot water in the microwave for 20 seconds, or until soft.
- Stir the warm almond paste mixture with the pastry cream until well combined (If it is a little chunky, that's normal). Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, sugar, saffron.
- Add the beaten eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 2 cups of flour.
- Increase the speed to medium, kneading the dough until smooth and slightly sticky. Incorporate the softened butter gradually, a few small pieces at a time. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large, buttered bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it gets coated with butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours (depending on house temperature). After the dough has risen, punch it down with your fist once. Place onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough out into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread about 1 to 1 ½ cups of the Italian cream mixture in an even layer on top of the dough (you may have a little leftover). Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. You may have a little bit of the cream dribble out the sides, use it to spoon on top of the rolls just before baking.
- Place the cut rolls seam-side-down on a flat surface, and cut crosswise into 1-inch slices. Place the dough slices flat-side-down in the prepared baking pan. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, let the buns to rise until they double in size (Or refrigerate overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. If refrigerated, let the rolls stand at room temperature while the oven preheats.
- Optional: Sprinkle buns with sugar pearls before baking.
- Bake the rolls until slightly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Let the buns cool slightly and serve warm.
Notes
- Pairings you'll love with this recipe: Italian Hot Chocolate and Italian Fruit Salad.
- Don't press down when cutting the filled dough or the almond cream can ooze out of the sides.
- Use a sharp knife or unflavored floss for cleaner slices.
- Let the rolls rise until doubled during both rises rather than relying only on the clock.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 298IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
