Recipe

Classic Swedish Semla

Av Semmelguidens redaktion · Publicerad

This recipe makes ten soft, cardamom-scented semlor with a proper almond filling and billowing whipped cream. It's been test-baked repeatedly and delivers reliable results every time.

Semla

This recipe makes ten soft, cardamom-scented semlor with a proper almond filling and billowing whipped cream. It's been test-baked repeatedly and delivers reliable results every time.

Makes: 10 semlor

Ingredients

Dough - 25 g fresh yeast - 2.5 dl (1 cup) whole milk - 75 g butter, at room temperature - 1 egg - 60 g caster sugar (about 3 tbsp) - 1 tsp ground cardamom - 0.5 tsp salt - 500 g plain flour (about 8.5 dl / 4 cups)

Almond filling - 150 g grated marzipan - 1 dl (scant ½ cup) milk, added gradually - The crumbs scooped out from the buns

Cream - 3 dl (1¼ cups) heavy whipping cream - 1 tbsp icing sugar

To finish - Icing sugar, for dusting - The bun lids

Steps

  1. Warm the milk to 37 °C (98 °F) - it should feel neutral against your finger. Crumble in the yeast and stir until fully dissolved.

  2. Add the egg, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Stir to combine.

  3. Add the flour a little at a time and mix into a dough. Add the butter in small pieces, then knead in a stand mixer for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

  4. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, until doubled in size.

  5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 10 equal pieces - weigh them for accuracy, around 85 g (3 oz) each. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball using your palm against the work surface.

  6. Place the buns on a baking-paper-lined tray, spaced well apart. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 40 minutes.

  7. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F), conventional heat (top and bottom). Brush the buns gently with beaten egg.

  8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10–12 minutes, until deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a tea towel, and leave to cool completely - the towel traps just enough steam to keep the crust soft.

  9. Cut a lid from the top of each bun, roughly the top quarter. Scoop out a shallow hollow with a teaspoon - keep every last crumb.

  10. Crumble the scooped-out bread into a bowl. Grate in the marzipan and stir in the milk a little at a time until you have a smooth, shapeable paste that holds its form without running. Spoon the filling evenly into each hollow.

  11. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to firm, pipeable peaks. Pipe a generous mound of cream over the filling in each bun.

  12. Set the lids in place, dust lavishly with icing sugar, and serve in a deep bowl with warm milk alongside.

Tip: Semlor are at their best on the day they're made - but the unfilled buns freeze well, so you can fill them to order as needed.