Swedish "Lussekatter"

To bake Swedish lussekatter, crush the saffron threads in a mortar. This step helps to extract the maximum flavor from the saffron.

Warm the milk slightly, but do not let it get hot. It is important that the milk is only lukewarm, as milk that is too hot will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise.

Crush the yeast in a large mixing bowl and stir in the lukewarm milk and 50 grams of sugar until smooth. This should take about 5 minutes until the yeast is completely dissolved.

Add the melted butter, an egg, salt, the remaining sugar and the saffron and mix well.

Gradually add the flour and knead into a smooth dough. Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place for approx. 1 hour until it has approximately doubled in size.

Prepare 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Divide the dough into 20 pieces and shape each piece into a strand about 20 cm long. Then twist the strands into \S\ shapes and place on the baking trays. Press a raisin into the center of each curve.

Cover the tins and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Whisk the remaining egg and brush the lussekatter with it. This gives them a beautiful golden color when baking.

Bake the lussekatter for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Leave the Swedish "Lussekatter" to cool on a cake rack before serving.