Lussakatter : A&S 50 Challenge Project #6

In our modern calendar, Dec. 13th is celebrated by some as the Feast of Saint Lucy.  In Sweden it has a very special observance, with a processional, candles, and, most importantly for my purposes, a special saffron bread which I am going to attempt to recreate!  (If you're interested in learning more about this tradition, you can read about it here.)  This particular celebration is actually something I first learned about when I was in elementary school about thirty years ago, and at my church (Unitarian Universalist Church of Muncie) we have a woman who brought this tradition to the church over forty years ago, and it's still going strong.  Within the SCA, my Pelican, Meistara Thorhalla Carlsdottir af Broberg, is Swedish both in mundane and persona.  This one's for you, Mama T!

For the uninitiated, saffron is pricey!  Saffron is the dried "threads" from the crocus blossom.  We purchased 1.7 grams (yes... one-point-seven grams) of saffron last night for $15.55.  (that's enough for two batches of this recipe, as an example...).  In comparison, crack cocaine's most current prices (according to this site ) is about $40 per quarter ounce.  So technically, saffron is cheaper than crack, but it sure doesn't feel like it!   

In the kitchen, saffron is the world's most expensive spice.  (Seriously.  Click here to read about saffron prices!) As a side note, there are a number of "faux saffron" substitutes available which will create a similar colour, although the flavour is affected (not negatively, but it is a different flavour!).  If saffron is out of your budget, I recommend trying this recipe anyway and using turmeric or "Portuguese saffron" which is actually the stamens of the safflower plant.  READ THE LABELS carefully if you choose to use a saffron substitute.  Don't be misled just because the label says "saffron"!

Another tip: "real" saffron is packaged like the precious cargo it is.  The actual threads are in a small plastic package, inside a white paper package, inside this glass bottle which is sealed.  I'm fairly certain in some supermarkets you have to actually get it from the pharmacy, with the other controlled substances!  (OK, not really, but it is really, really well packaged.  Do not be alarmed!)  You may find (especially in some Hispanic food sections) "saffron" in a small cellophane bag.  It's good.  It's just not "the real deal."  (I have used that with good results for various rice dishes tho!)

 Saffron has a very unique, almost bitter aroma, and it imparts an incredibly rich orange-yellow colour to foods cooked with it (paella uses saffron!). 

For this recipe I ground the threads with a small amount of sugar, and steeped the resulting powder in warm milk.  The colour was exceptionally vibrant (my cell phone camera doesn't do it justice!), and I began to feel hopeful that this was going to work!

Here's the saffron all ground up with some sugar (I think this provides a little more of an abrasive surface, grinding the saffron finely).

Here you can see the colour of the milk right after the ground saffron was mixed in.  The colour deepened considerably as it steeped, while the milk was cooling down to a manageable temperature (approx 100F).

The recipe I used also called for "quark," which is apparently a type of European cheese which I don't have in my kitchen (I am so ashamed...). Cream cheese was listed as a reasonable substitute, however, so I mixed that in.  The dough is very rich and shiny with butter and cream cheese and milk all added to the flour/etc.  At this point the recipe becomes a fairly standard bread recipe, kneading, kneading, kneading... The recipe states that the dough should be shiny and silky, and to be careful not to add too much flour.  The basic proportions are: 2 cups milk, 1/2 c. butter, 1 oz saffron ($$$$), 2/3 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 pkgs yeast, and approx 7 cups flour.  (you'll need a little more flour for rolling out the bread, and an egg, beaten, for brushing it, later). 

After about 10 minutes of kneading, I had a nice vibrant yellow dough ready to rest and rise.  Back into the bowl, with a nice clean kitchen towel to cover it, and the waiting game begins.  Fortunately, I'm making soup for tonight's A&S meeting, so the kitchen is nice and warm and humid and the dough rose fairly quickly (about an hour).

After the dough was finally doubled, I punched it down, then divided it into 24 even pieces.  Each piece was rolled out into a rope and coiled into the traditional shape.  (Some people put raisins in the center of each spiral, but I personally don't care for baked raisins, and I'm out of currants.)  Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind (the stories are pretty gruesome, actually), and this shape is meant to represent a pair of eyes.  (It could be worse, I suppose!)

After brushing the little rolls with some beaten egg, they were baked until shiny and happy.  (I feel like I'm channeling a famous Indiana painter...)   They smell divine, and the rolls are very rich.  Hopefully next year I can get the saffron in time to make this delicacy for my family in  a more timely fashion!