Saffron Buns - Lucie Kattar

Ingredients

• 4 packages active dry yeast OR 9 tsp dry active yeast

• 4 cups milk, heated to 115°

• 4 tsp. saffron, lightly crushed

• 1 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar

• 13 cups flour

• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 6 eggs

• 24 tbsp. unsalted butter,cut into ¹⁄₂" cubes, softened (3 bars or 1 1/2 cups)

• Canola oil, for greasing

• Raisins, for garnish

Directions
PART 1

1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, mix together yeast, milk, saffron, and 1 tsp. sugar; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add the remaining sugar, flour, salt, and 4 eggs. 
3. Mix on low speed until dough forms and gathers around the paddle. 
4. Replace paddle with dough hook and add butter; knead on medium-high speed until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, 8 minutes. 
5. Transfer dough to a large bowl greased with oil and cover with plastic wrap; let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour.

PART 2

1. Divide dough into 64 pieces and roll each piece into an long rope. 
2. Form each rope into an S shape and then roll each end into a tight spiral. 
3. Place shaped dough pieces 2" apart on parchment paper–lined baking sheets; 
4. cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

PART 3

1. Heat oven to 400°. 
2. Uncover the dough pieces and place a raisin at the center of each of the spirals.
3. Lightly beat remaining egg with 1 tbsp. water 
4. Brush each bun with egg mixture. 
5. Bake until buns are golden brown and cooked through, 16 minutes. 
6. Divide dough into 64 pieces and roll each piece into rope. 
7. Form each rope into an S shape and then roll each end into a tight spiral.
8. Place shaped dough pieces 2" apart on lined baking sheets;
   cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Recipe From Saveur

Farmer Cookies - BondKakor

My mother-in-law is living with us for a few months in order to help us with our son (to keep him out of daycare until he is 11 months old). A few weeks ago she whipped up some Bondkakor (Farmer Cookies), which is ironic because #1, she is a farmer and #2, we call her Farmor (which is Pappa's mother in Swedish but almost sounds like Farmer if you don't know Swedish). We quickly ate the first batch, and she was nice enough to make a second batch (as well as some cinnamon buns) for the Grant Family Reunion in Atlantic City. They were a hit. People are emailing me, asking for the recipe. Well, here it is. Carin found it on Susanne's blog: Recepten.se

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups flour (5.5 dl vetemjöl)
3/4 cup + 1 TBS sugar (2 dl strösocker)
1 Tbsp Corn Syrup (1 msk ljus sirap)
1 Tsp baking soda (1 tsk bikarbonat)
1 Tsp water (1 msk vatten)
1/3 cup sliced almonds (0.75 dl (50 g) grovhackad sötmandel)
14 Tbsp butter (200 g smör)


Directions
Combine butter, sugar and syrup. Let stand until the butter is room temperature/soft.
Combine the water and baking soda in a small bowl.
Whisp the butter, sugar, and syrup until smooth.
Add the almonds, flour, baking soda and water to the mixture. Stir until clump.
When the dough is too thick to stir, continue to mix with hands (if the dough is too dry, add a little extra water or butter)
Break the dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a long snake like roll (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick)
Roll the snake like roll in a piece of parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or longer until hard. (or in the freezer if you are in a hurry)
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
Thinly slice the rolls
Place slices onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a siliplat
Bake for approximately 5-7 minutes (until they have a light gold color)
Remove from cookie sheet and let cool

Kannelbullar - Swedish Cinnamon Buns Recipe

I love Swedish Cinnamon buns. Sweet, but not too sweet. Light and fluffy. I made this recipe for midsummer and loved it so much I've made it twice since then. My friends and family rave about it! This recipe has been lightly adapted to make it vegan/dairy free from Kokblog.

Makes about 30-40 buns

Ingredients

Dough

2 1/8 cup (500 ml) unsweetened Almond Milk (Or regular milk if you prefer)
2 envelopes dry active yeast (1 package of dry active yeast = 2 1/2 tsp) (or 25g fresh yeast)
2/3 cup (130 g) brown sugar
5 7/8 cups (840 g) flour
2 teaspoons whole cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon salt
10 TBSP Earth Balance no soy butter substitute at room temperature (or butter or other dairy substitute such as coconut oil if you prefer)

cinnamon filling

8 TBSP Earth Balance no soy butter substitute at room temperature (or butter or other dairy substitute such as coconut oil if you prefer)
1/3 cup (65 gr) sugar
2 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

topping
pearl sugar (Raw Sugar can be a substitute, but its just not the same)
Almond milk (or regular milk) for brushing

Directions

Dough

1 - Heat almond milk until it about 110ºF. Add yeast and stir until yeast has dissolved.
2 - Crack open cardamom seeds. Pull out seeds and pulverize in a mortar and pestle.
3 - Mix together flour, sugar, cardamom and salt.
4 - Add flour mixture to the milk and yeast mixture.
5 - Add in the Earth Balance in small cubes. Mix either with KitchenAid mixer or by hand.
6 - Knead for about 5-10 minutes.
7 - Cover the dough and place in a draft free place and let it rise for at least 40 minutes.
8 - Mix all of the filling ingredients into an even batter. It is important for the butter to be at room temperature so it’s easier to spread.
9 - Divide the dough into two pieces and using a rolling pin, roll each of them out separately to the shape of a rectangle.
10 - Spread half of the filling onto each piece of rolled out dough so that it covers the entire area. Roll the dough up beginning with the long side.
11 - Slice the roll into about 20 equal sized (about 1 inch wide) slices and place them with their cut side up on baking sheet.
12 - Repeat above procedure with the last piece of dough.
13 - Let them rise for about 30 minutes.
14 - Brush each roll with almond milk and sprinkle pearl sugar on top.
15 - Bake them in the oven at 440F for 8-10 minutes.

Långpannepaj with Bacon

This is a swedish recipe from "Hemmets Veckotidning". My MIL Carin made this for us last week and we gobbled it up. Great for leftover lunches and freezing. When I make this I will cheat by using store bought crusts (as reflected below), but you can always make your own if you are so inclined. Carin also lightened up this recipe by substituting the creme fraiche with milk.

Ingredients
3 nine (9) inch pie crusts
2 lb ground beef (800 g)
2 gold onions
1/3 cup crushed tomatoes (1 dl)
3/4 cups white or red wine (2 dl)
1 tbs dried thyme
oregano

topping
1/3 lb bacon (half a package) (140 g)
1 cup mushrooms (200 g)
2 peppers (color doesn't matter)
4 eggs
2 cups milk (5 dl)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (300 g)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400
2. Cook pie crust for 10 minutes
3. Brown the beef.
4. Chop the onions and add to browned beef on low heat
5. Add tomato and wine
6. Simmer on low heat
7. Add spices, salt and pepper to taste
8. Slice the mushrooms and chop the bacon into small pieces.
9. Cook, drain, and set aside
10. Beat the eggs and milk. Mix in the cheese.
11. Split the gound beef between the three pie shells
12. Pour egg mixture over ground beef
13. Sprinkle chopped peppers over the egg mixture.
14. Cook for 30-40 minutes (until the egg is cooked through)

ENJOY!

Äppelkaka - Swedish Apple Cake

This recipe is a family favorite on both sides of the pond. Commonly requested for both Thanksgiving & Jul Afton, this is a great recipe for apple lovers.

Ingredients
6 medelstora äpple (6 Medium Apples)
150 g smör (10.5 Tablespoons Butter)
3 dl vetemjöl (1 1/4 cup flour)
kanel 1-2 tsk (1-2 teaspoons cinnamon)
socker 0,5 - 1 dl beroende på hur söta äpplena är (between 1/4 and 1/2 cups sugar depending on how sweet the apples are)

Directions
1. Skala och skiva äpplena lägg i en ugnsfast form (Peel and slice the apples. Lay them in a baking dish)

2. Blanda socker och kanel och strö över äpplena (mix the sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle over the apples)

3. Hacka samman smör och mjöl till en smulig deg och strö den jämnt över äpplena. (Mix the butter and flour to make dough. Crumble over the apples)

4. Grädda i ugnen i C 225 grader till äpplena är mjuka och pajen fått fin färg. (Cook at 425 degrees F until the apples are soft and the dough has a light brown color)

Denna äppelpaj åt vi på Thanksgiving 2009 hos B&B. (Carin & Gitan made this apple pie for Thanksgiving 2009 at Brittany & Benny's home).

Pepparkakor - Swedish Gingerbread cookies

Ingredients

1) 3 dl sirap
1.25 cups of "sirap". There is no direct substitute. They sell Sirap at IKEA. If I can't find "Sirap" I substitute light molasses or corn syrup (light or dark).

2) 3 dl vispgrädde
1.25 cup whipping cream

3) 3 hg smör (1 hg = 300 g)
1 1/3 cups butter

4) 150 g socker
2/3 cups sugar

5) 150 g farinsocker
3/4 cup brown sugar

6) 1 tsk kryddnejlika
1 tsp clove

7) 1 tsk kanel
1 tsp cinnamon

8) 1 tsk ingefära
1 tsp ginger

9) 1 tsk pomeransskal
1 tsp pomegranite rind. You can substitute orange rind

10) 1 tsk bikarbonat ( blandas med lite mjöl )
1 tsp baking soda - mix with a little flour

11) ca 1,5 l vetemjöl
approximately 7.5 cups flour


Directions
1) Smält smöret i en gryta, ( låt det svalna lite )
Melt butter in a pan (let cool a little). Add to mixing bowl.

2) häll i vispgrädde, socker, farinsocker och sirap.
Add whipping cream, sugar, brown sugar, and sirap (molasses or corn syrup) to the mixing bowl. Mix.

3) Blanda kryddorna och bikarbonat och häll i smeten.
Mix the spices and baking soda and pour into the batter

4) Rör ner mjölet i grytan, rör om väl till en jämn smet.
Stir the flour into the batter

5) Låt stå i kylskåp över natten.
Let stand in the fridge over night

6) Ev behövs mer mjöl till utbakningen.
More flour is needed for rolling the cookies and cutting the shapes

7) Gräddas i 200 gr C ca 5 min eller till fin färg.
Cook at 400 degrees F or until the cookies have a nice color (5-10 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies).

Carins gurkor (Carin's Cucumbers)

Ingrediants
2 kg gurkor ( Västerås ) - 4.4 lbs cucumbers
1 kg socker - 2.2 lbs sugar
0,5 dl salt - 1/5 cup salt
1,5 dl 24% ättika - 3/5 cup vinegar (24% vinegar - I'm not sure what this is)

Directions
1. Tvätta gurkorna noga, skiva dem och lägg i en stor skål. (Wash and slice cucumbers. Put them in a large bowl)

2. Strö över socker och salt. Häll i ättikan. (Sprinkle sugar and salt over cucumbers. Add the vinegar)

3. Rör i gurkorna när det börjar att bildas vätska. (Stir the cucumbers)

4. Låt stå ca 2 dygn, häll sedan upp i glasburkar, allt socker och salt ska då vara löst. (Let sit for 2 days. Pour into glass jars. The sugar and salt should be dissolved)

5. Tillsätt gult senapsfrö och ca 2-3 cm stora pepparrotsbitar ( 2 - 4 st i varje burk ) så håller gurkorna sig i ett år om de står svalt. (Add gold mustard seeds and 2-3 cm large horseradish pieces (2-3 pieces in ever jar). The cucumbers will last for 1 year if the kept cool.

Rårörd saft - Strawberry Saft (Juice)

Ingredients
6 l bär (6 Liters Strawberries)

30 g vinsyra (30 grams Cream of Tartar or Tartaric Acid)

4 l vatten (4 Liters water)

Sugar

Directions

Tvätta bären snoppa jordgubbarna, strö över vinsyran och häll det kokta vattnet över. (Boil the water. Wash the berries. Take the tops off the strawberries. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over the barries, poor in boiling water).

Låt stå över natten. (Let sit over night)

Sila saften, och mät upp mängden. Lika mycket socker som saftens vikt. (Strain the juice off the berries. Add as much sugar as the juice weighs).

1 l saft väger ca 925 g (1 Liter of juice weighs approximately 925 grams)

Rör saft och socker tills sockret är löst, ca 1 tim. (Stir the juice and the sugar until the sugar dissolves -- approximately 1 hour).

Frys in saften. (Freeze the strawberry juice).

***** English conversions and note below added by Brittany***

One of the great foodie things about Sweden is the saft (homemade juice). If you've been to IKEA, you've probably tried their lingonberry saft. My favorite type of saft is the strawberry saft that Carin makes. Although you can make this saft with any type of berry or fruit, the English translations that I've added Carin's recipes specify strawberries.

Flying Jacob aka Flygande Jacob

Carin made this for a party while I was in Sweden several years ago and I fell in love. The combination of bacon, peanuts, cream and bananas meet all of my sweet and salty needs. It sounds a little odd, but give it a try because it sure is tasty!

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chickens
4 bananas
1 ½ cups (4 dl) whipping cream
3/4 cup(2 dl) chili sauce
1 package bacon
1/2 cup(1 dl) salted peanuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (225 degrees Celsius)
2. Cut up bacon into small pieces and fry
3. Remove meat from chicken in small chunks. place in casserole dish. (salt and pepper to taste)
4. Slice bananas and layer over chicken
5. Layer bacon and peanuts over the bananas
6. Whip the cream and mix with the chili sauce. Layer over bacon and peanuts
7. Bake for 20 minutes.

8. Serve with a salad and boiled rice.