Semla
Semla: Swedish cardamom bun with almond paste and whipped cream for Lent
Semlor arrive in Swedish bakeries straight after Christmas and peak on Fettisdagen, Shrove Tuesday, when Stockholm bakeries sell them by the tens of thousands: a soft cardamom bun with its top cut off, the crumb scooped out and mixed with almond paste and milk, then refilled, piled with whipped cream and the 'lid' put back with a dusting of icing sugar. Some eat theirs in a bowl of hot milk, as 'hetvägg'. A common mistake is overbaking the buns, which dries them; they should be soft and pale golden. Chef's tip: grate the almond paste and mix it with the scooped crumb and a splash of milk until it is spreadable but still textured.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the buns
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 ⅞ oz soft butter
- 1 egg
- 1 eggbeaten
For the filling
- 9 oz almond pastegrated
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ¾ cups double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ⅓ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz sugar, ½ tsp salt and 2 tsp ground cardamom. Add 1 cup warm milk, 2 ⅞ oz soft butter and 1 egg and knead for 10 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rise for 1 hour.
10 minStep 2: Shape into 12 smooth balls and place on lined trays. Rise for 40 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 425°F (fan 400°F).
40 minStep 3: Brush with 1 egg and bake for 10–12 minutes, until pale golden. Common mistake: overbaking; they dry out. Cool on a rack.
12 minStep 4: Cut a lid from each bun and scoop out a little crumb. Mix the crumb with 9 oz almond paste and ¼ cup milk into a thick paste and fill the buns.
Step 5: Whip 1 ¾ cups double cream to stiff peaks and pipe a tall swirl on each. Replace the lids and dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does semla take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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