Fat Tuesday!

Drum roll please!  My very first attempt of making 'Semlor' (in Finish they are called Laskiaispulla) a traditional cardamom filled bun eaten on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras.

 

Traditionally the last day before lent, and when it is allowed to eat as much fatty stuff as you can get your hands on. These buns are filled with different things and how you make them vary from country to country - one standard variation is to fill the bun with an 'almond-paste', or marzipan, and topped with whipped cream. 
    Another way of eating these are to put them in a bowl with warm milk, called 'Hetvägg'. 

Read more about the history of the Semla  (Swedish in this case) - and learn the name of the King, who died after eating 14 in one sitting - here .

Semlor (Fat Tuesday Buns or Sledding Day Buns - for all the Finns out there)

100g of butter margarin eller smör
3 dl (300 ml) of milk
14 g od Dried Fast action yest (2 sachets)
1/2 tsp salt
1 dl sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 tsp of ground Cardamom
600-1000g wheat flour

Glazing : 1 egg
Filling: 
Whipped cream
Icing sugar

• Mix the dry ingredients, start with 600 grams of flour, and add more later until the dough has almost stopped sticking to the sides of the bowl. 

• Melt the butter and stir in the milk, make sure the butter-milk mix is not too hot when pouring into the dry ingredients, it could upset the yeast.

• Cover, and  let stand (in a warm place) for ca 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. 

• Next step is to knead the dough with flour, as you do when making bread etc. 

• Form into small, round buns about the size of the palm of your hand.

• Let stand for a while.

• Break the egg with a fork, and glaze the buns before putting in the oven, on ca.250 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

• Let cool, and then cut the top part of (like a little hat) make a dip in the bun and fill with almond-paste or jam, top with cream and then re-place the lid. Dust the whole bun with icing sugar.

 

X/N