Scandinavian Christmas Baking

Scandinavian+Christmas+Baking

With Christmas right around the corner, people are thinking about what presents they will get and receive, how much snow there will be, and in my case… what food there will be! When thinking about Christmas around the world, it is easy for Scandinavian countries to come to mind. This is because these countries like Finland, Norway, and Sweden to name a few experience a good deal of snow. The Finnish people even believe that Santa Clause lives in a section to the North of Finland. They have a whole village dedicated to him. Also, who could forget Princess Elsa who lived in Norway where the whole premise of the Disney tale was creating cold snow! In Sweden they celebrate Christmas so much, that they have a day called St. Lucia’s day on December 13th before Christmas to celebrate how Christmas was brought to Sweden.

Examining recipes from every Scandinavian country would be amazing, but to focus on these countries who seem to really embody Christmas seems reasonable to get a broader look at Christmas around the world. So, without further wait, lets take a trip to Finland, Sweden, and Norway to see what kinds of Christmas foods are cooking!

Finland: Gingerbread is something we eat in American around Christmas, but lets let the Finnish who have been making them way before American’s show us a recipe.

Gingerbread cookies or “Piparkakut”gingerbread-cookies
(makes a LOT! approximately 200)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes per batch
Oven temperature: 400°F (200 °C)

  • 1 1/4 cups (300 g) margarine
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 g) sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup (2 1/2 dl) dark syrup
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
  • about 7 cups (1 kg) white flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda
  • Boil the syrup and spices, add the margarine and beat until the mixture is cool.
  • Beat the eggs and sugar.
  • Mix the soda in with part of the flour and then combine with the syrup-margarine mixture. Add the whipped eggs and the rest of the flour. Do not knead the final mixture.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave overnight in a cool place.
  • Roll out the dough, cut up into shapes and bake the cookies in the oven until golden brown.

Norway:  It is very cold in Norway around Christmas! Luckily Norweigans have warm, delicious, and sweet bread balls to keep them happy and toasty.

Boller
boller-recipie

You will need:

  • 150-200g butter
  • 500mls milk
  • 100g fresh yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 150-200g sugar
  • 1 kg wheat flour
  • 1 egg to glaze

It tastes also good with a teaspoon of cardamum, but this is optional.  You can also mix raisins in the dough before it is rolled.

Method

Melt the butter.  Add milk and heat to 37oC.  (Any hotter than that the yeast will die.)  Mix in the yeast.  Mix the dry ingredients together and add in the milk mixture.  Mix til a smooth dough.

Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Cut dough into 30 pieces and roll each into a round bun.  Put the buns on a cooking sheet and let them rise for another 30 minutes.  Glaze the buns with beaten egg and bake them at 250oC for 8 minutes.

Sweden: St. Lucia’s day is a day where the Swedish people celebrate how Christmas was brought to them from Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden. They celebrate it with family, friends, and a whole lot of food.

St. Lucia Saffron Buns Recipe

Lucia-Saffron-Buns-Recipe

  • Prep time:2 hours, 30 minutes
  • Cook time:12 minutes
  • Yield:Makes 12 to 14 buns.

This recipe makes 12 to 14 good sized buns

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk (175 ml)
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup (50 g) white, granulated sugar
  • One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package to make sure it’s still good!)
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups (490 g to 570 g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • The seeds from 3 cardamom pods, ground (optional)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 Tbsp, 56 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup of sour cream (or quark if available)
  • 2 large eggs
  • Raisins

Glaze

  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

  1. In a small pot, heat the milk, saffron, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together until the milk is steamy. Remove from heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let cool until about 115°F, or warm to the touch, but not hot.
  2. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm saffron-infused milk and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
  3. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer* whisk together 3 1/2cups (490 g) of the flour, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and ground cardamom if using.
  4. *You can make this recipe without a mixer, for me it’s just a bit easier with one.
  5. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast milk saffron mixture, the eggs, the butter, and the sour cream. Mix the ingredients until well incorporated.
  6. Switch to the dough hook of your mixer (if using, otherwise knead by hand). On low speed start to knead the dough. Slowly add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition. Do this until the dough is still a little sticky to the touch, but does not completely stick to your hands when you handle it.
  7. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. (Note at this point you can make ahead and refrigerate overnight if you wish.) Let sit in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. (One way to tell that the dough is ready is that you poke your finger in it and it takes quite a bit of time for the indentation left by your finger to go away.)
  8. When the dough has doubled in size, gently press it down and knead it a couple of times. Break off a piece and form it into a ball about 2 inches wide (60 to 70 grams if you are weighing). Roll the ball out into a snake, about 14 inches long. Then Curl the ends in opposite directions, forming an “S” with spirals at each end. Place on a lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough shapes double in size, 30 minutes to an hour.
  9. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Using a pastry brush, brush some beaten egg over the tops and sides of the uncooked buns. Place raisins in the centers of the “S” spirals. Place in the oven and cook for about 10 to 11 minutes (turning halfway through cooking to ensure even browning), until the buns are golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.