Semlor: Traditional Swedish Fat Tuesday Buns (semla recipe)
A traditional Swedish cream and marzipan filled brioche bun which is made for Lent.
Equipment
- 1 bread machine (optional)
- 1 stand mixer
- 1 scale (optional)
- 1 brush
- 1 ISI Cream Whipper (optional)
Ingredients
Buns:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, add more if needed
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- ⅓ cup
+ ½ tsp
sugar divided - ½ cup milk warmed
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1 tsp cardamom
- ½ cup water lukewarm
Glaze:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp cream
Almond Paste (See notes for a raw egg-free recipe):
- 1 fresh egg white (mine came from my neighbor and it’s the only way I eat raw eggs not recommended with store-bought eggs)
- ½ cup ground almonds without skins
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
To Assemble:
- 2 cups whipping cream as needed
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In bread machine or stand mixer, place the lukewarm water, yeast and the ½ tsp of sugar. Allow to rest for a few minutes, until the yeast begins to grow. Mix the milk, melted butter, beaten egg together, then add to the yeast mixture.
- Add the cardamom, flour, sugar, and salt, and turn on machine (dough setting on bread machine or use a dough hook if using a stand mixer.) Mix and knead by hand if you aren’t using a machine.
- Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow cycle to finish on dough setting; with stand mixer, or by hand, when the dough is ready, cover it and let rise on the counter until doubled in size.
- After it’s risen, punch down the dough, and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut pieces of the dough and shape into round balls (about 15 to 18), and place onto a greased cookie sheet (or silicone sheet) about an inch apart. I baked mine with the buns too close together and they touched, so don't put them as close as I did in the photo below.
- I also weighed mine so they would all be of equal size, however it’s really unnecessary unless you are a Type A personality, like me. Place the tray in the oven (do not turn it on) to rise for about half an hour or until doubled in size. (I put a large cup of boiling water in the oven for steam, so the buns don’t get a hard crust).
- Once doubled, remove the buns from the oven and brush with the egg glaze (just mix the egg and cream together and brush on gently.)
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (175ºC) then cook the buns for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. While they are baking, prepare the almond paste.
- Make the marzipan by whipping the egg white until soft peaks form, then fold in the ground almonds and powdered sugar.
- Cover and set aside.
- Remove the cooked buns from the tray, and place on a cooling rack.
- When the Semlor are completely cool, whip the cream and assemble them.
- Begin by cutting a top on each bun with a sharp knife, cutting down into the center of the bun to create a space for filling in the bun. Then put a teaspoonful, or more, of the almonds paste.
- Next, top with whipped cream. I used my ISI Cream Whipper, which I adore!
- Place the top on the cream, and dust with powdered sugar. Repeat with remaining Semlor.
Notes
- Alternate marzipan recipe without raw egg.
- You will likely have whipped cream leftover.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bun | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
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