How to make Swedish Semlor | Swedish Semla Recipe

almond paste

🥗Healthier: marzipan

💰Cheaper: peanut butter

Marzipan provides a similar texture and flavor at a lower cost.

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: whipped topping

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess.

Crumble the yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if you’re working by hand. Stir in a little bit of the cold milk until the yeast has dissolved.

Add the rest of the milk, sugar, freshly ground cardamom and egg and stir.

Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add about half of the flour & baking powder mix to the dough, then stir until the dough just comes together.

Add the salt, the remaining flour mix and the butter. Work the dough using the dough hook on a stand mixer, for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is very soft and elastic.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 9 equally sized pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball using a circling motion until the bun is smooth and shiny.

Gently transfer the buns to a baking sheet with baking paper, leaving some space between them to rise. Cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise for at least 90 minutes, up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds in the oven at 200°C (390°F) for 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Let cool.

Combine almonds, sugar, salt, milk and cardamom in a food processor/mixer. Pulse until the mixture is quite runny but with a slightly chunky texture from the almonds. Place the almond filling in the fridge.

Increase the oven temperature to 225°C (435°F). Whisk together the egg, water and salt in a small bowl. Gently brush the buns with the egg wash if desired.

Bake the buns for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown in color. Let cool on a wire rack.

Cut the tops of the buns to create a lid using a serrated knife, and make a small well in the middle of the bun using a fork. Save the crumb from the buns and add to the almond paste.

Add a splash of milk to the almond filling if it gets too thick in consistency. Spoon the almond filling into the well in each bun.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream to soft peaks. Pipe the cream onto each bun and place the ‘lid’ on top. Dust with powdered sugar.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

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