One Perfect Bite: st. lucia day

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Swedish Saffron Batter Bread - Saffronsbrod

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This year, my feature for the feast of St. Lucia is a simple batter bread that I found in The Great Scandinavian Baking Book. The book was written by Beatrice Ojakangas and most of her recipes are updated versions of the Scandinavian classics that we love to bake at this time of year. I chose to share this one with you because of its versatility and the ease with which it comes together. Even beginners can make this simple bread, though I have a few tips that I want to share with them and keep as reminders to myself. Under the best of circumstances, this is a slow rising bread, so it is really important to start with ingredients that are all at room temperature. Even the eggs. While it may be arbitrary, I pull my ingredients from the refrigerator about 2 hours before I plan to start baking. Butter at that point is easy to cream and there is no danger of cold eggs slowing the action of the yeast. The creamed mixture, by the way, will look terribly curdled. Not to worry, the dough will come together as flour is added, but it will remain shaggy and sticky to the touch. Avoid the temptation to add more flour. You will have to scrape the dough into a pan for its final rise but that's as it should be. The best part of this recipe is its versatility. I decided to use the original recipe in this post, but you can substitute a teaspoon or more of cardamom for the saffron, or make an almond bread by using toasted almonds and almond extract in place of the raisins and saffron. The possibilities are almost limitless and the best part is the bread tastes a bit like panettone, though it is much easier to make. I really enjoy this bread and I hope you will give the recipe a try. You won't regret it. Here's how the bread is made.

Swedish Saffron Batter Bread - Saffronsbrod...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Beatrice Ojakangas

Ingredients:
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup golden raisins
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
2) Cream butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs and salt and beat until smooth. Stir in milk, saffron, and yeast mixture. Gradually beat in flour. When flour has been added, beat at medium speed for five minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Mix in raisins.
3) Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
4) Meanwhile, generously butter a 10 cup kugelhopf or bundt pan and dust lightly with flour.
5) Stir down dough which will still be sticky, and pour or scrape it into prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until dough almost reaches top of pan, about one hour.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7) Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaf is well-browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 1 loaf.

One Year Ago Today: Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Bites

Two Years Ago Today: Christmas Cranberry Conserve

Three Years Ago Today: St. Lucia Buns

Sunday, December 11, 2011

♬ Santa Lucia Crown for the Feast of St. Lucia ♬

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...St. Lucia is an Italian saint who has been "adopted" by the people of Sweden. Christmas celebrations in Sweden begin on her feast day, which is the 13th of December. Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, that date was the shortest day of the year and in some regions of Scandinavia the sun didn't rise at all. Lucia is the patron saint of light, and legend tells us she wore a wreath of candles on her head to free her arms to carry bread to starving Christians hiding in the catacombs. The man she was to marry denounced her for assisting the poor and as a punishment she was blinded and set afire. The flames, however, didn't touch her and it took a stab wound to the heart to finally kill her. It is said that Lucia regained her sight just before her death. She is, to this day, revered as the patron saint of the blind because of her association with light. Her place in Swedish legend was earned because farmers in the middle ages believed she walked across a lake to deliver armloads of bread to starving members of their villages during a famine. They reported her path across the water was illuminated by the crown of candles she wore on her head. Lucia's name is synonymous with light and her crown symbolizes the light of faith and the promise of the sun's return. If you would like to see the procession that takes place on Saint Lucia day, you'll find a beautiful example here.

I have a special fondness for this holiday. Although I'm not Swedish, or Italian for that matter, I have enduring memories of Santa Lucia Day as it was spent on the south side of Chicago when I was a child. You've heard those stories and I've shared my recipes for some of the special foods that I associate with the holiday. We've already done done a coffee cake and Lussekatter or Lucia buns. Today's feature is a special sweet bread called a Lucia Crown. The crown should actually be made from two braids, one large, the other small. They are baked separately, and the small crown, which holds the candles, is placed on top of the other just before serving. The last time I did that, the small crown, with lit candles, slid off and caused more than a little excitement in the kitchen. These days, I use a much safer method of construction and no longer need the assistance of the fire department when I present the crown to my family. It's basically a long braid that's knotted into a circle. A demonstration of the technique can be found here. The dough used to make the crown is actually easy to prepare and it is not beyond the capabilities of a novice baker. There is, obviously, some symbolism built into the crown. Saffron is added to the dough to give it the color of the sun and the use of the candles is self-explanatory. This is a delicious bread and it is handsome enough to be used as a table centerpiece. I hope you'll give it a try. Fans of sweet breads will be happy to know this bread comes with a recommendation and an alert. My socks are going up and down. Hang on to yours. Here's the recipe.

Santa Lucia Crown...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Bread World

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs, divided use
Powdered Sugar Glaze, optional (recipe follows)
Red and green candied cherry halves, optional

Directions:
1) Place 1/4 cup warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, warm milk, sugar, butter, salt, saffron, and 1-1/2 cups flour; blend well. Stir in 2 eggs and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
2) Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a 36-inch rope. Braid ropes. Place on a greased baking sheet and knot into a crown shaped circle. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake crown for 25 minutes or until done, covering braid with foil during last 10 minutes to prevent excess browning. Remove braid from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.
4) To decorate, make holes for candles in crown. If desired, drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze and garnish with candied cherry halves. Insert candles in prepared holes.

Powdered Sugar Glaze: In small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted; 4 to 5 teaspoons milk; and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.