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1
Crush dry saffron to a fine powder and steep in 1 or 2 tablespoons lukewarm half-and-half for 10 minutes.
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2
Sprinkle yeast into 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add 1 tablespoon sugar, cover lightly and set aside in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.
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3
Scald remaining half-and-half and add 1/3 cup sugar, salt and butter, and stir until butter melts.
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4
Cool to lukewarm.
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5
Add to yeast mixture along with strained saffron milk (if you are sure all saffron is dissolved, straining is unnecessary) and 1 beaten egg.
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6
Mix well.
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7
Gradually stir in flour until mixture is smooth and not sticky, but still soft and pliable.
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8
Knead for 10 minutes, or until shiny and elastic.
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9
Place in a lightly floured bowl, dust top of dough with flour, cover loosely and set to rise in draft-free corner until double in bulkabout 1 1/2 hours.
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10
Punch dough down and knead for 2 or 3 minutes.
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11
Shape in any of the following forms, depending on the finished buns or cakes you want.
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12
Let rise 30 minutes and bake in preheated 400 oven for 10 minutes.
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13
Reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 minutes more, or until golden brown.
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14
LussekatterLucia Cats: Pinch off small bits of dough and roll into sausage shapes 5 to 7 inches long.
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15
Place these strips together in pairs, pinching centers to join them and coiling four ends out.
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16
Brush with egg yolk glaze and bake.
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17
Using a little egg white, stick a raisin or currant in the center of each coil of the hot buns.
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18
JulgaltChristmas S: Roll piece of dough to 7-inch sausage, twist into S, brush with egg glaze, bake, then dot with raisins or currants, using a little egg white.
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19
Gulluagn-Double S: Form two 9-inch sausage rolls, twist each into an S and place one over the other, brushing under the top S with milk to make them stick.
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20
Brush with egg yolk glaze, bake, then dot with raisins or currants, using a little egg white.
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21
Praestens HarPriests Hair: This is a larger pastry, for which you need 3 rolls about 7 inches long.
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22
Curl each one, then insert one within the other, sealing them together with milk.
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23
Brush with egg yolk glaze, bake, then dot with raisins or currants, using a little egg white.
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24
LuciakronaLucia Crown: Form seven 7-inch rolls.
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25
Then roll half of each roll flat.
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26
Coil top half of strips as for S buns and place them next to each other to form a tiara effect.
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27
Twine flat ends around each other to join coils.
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28
Brush with egg yolk glaze, bake, then dot with raisins, using a little egg white.
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29
JulbrodSaffron Braid: Shape dough into 3 ropes, then braid.
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30
Brush with egg yolk glaze and sprinkle with sugar and/or grated blanched almonds.
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31
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, lower heat to 350 and bake about 50 minutes more, or until cake sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.
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32
JulkalaChristmas Cake: Shape dough into a large cake.
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33
To make the round cake, form one continuous long sausage roll of all the dough and then coil it.
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34
With a scissors, make 1-inch-deep cuts 2 inches apart around the outside roll.
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35
Brush with egg yolk glaze and sprinkle with coarsely crushed cube sugar.
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36
Raisins may be kneaded into the dough.
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37
Bake as for Julbrod .
