It’s OK if you forgot to order a king cake again. Mardi Gras always seems to sneak up (lunar holidays like Easter are always moving around the calendar), but you can still make something festive to celebrate with. If, like me, you’re enamored with almond paste and whipped cream, the Swedish semla bun will be your new official snack this time of year. Here are two ways to make your own: the scratch method, and the cheater’s method.
Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is tomorrow. In the Christian sphere, it’s the day before the lenten period, which precedes Easter. This is a time when observers can give up indulgences, and historically that could include things like cream, butter, and sugar. So instead of wasting them, folk would throw everything together in a recipe to make rich cakes, breads, and pancakes. We have more efficient storage methods these days, but it’s still fun to mark the holiday with traditional foods.
Swedish semlor buns (a singular bun is “semla”) are bread buns that are enriched with butter and eggs. The finished bread is then hollowed out and the cavity is filled with a sweet almond paste. It’s finished with whipped cream and the little bread lid returns to top the fluffy mound. Although it sounds dessert-like, I find that semlor aren’t overly sweet. For me, this bread is more suited for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea, but you can eat it whenever it seems fit.
How to make semlor buns from scratch
1. Mix the dough
I started with a Semlor recipe from Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break and made some modifications from there. It’s a pretty typical bread recipe. Bloom the instant yeast in warm milk. Add melted butter, an egg, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and crushed cardamom seeds. I also made an adjustment here: I figure you might not have whole cardamom seeds, so the cardamom powder measurement is reflected in the recipe. It scents the dough just as well, but you don’t get the bits scattered in your dough the same way.
I mixed the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 10 minutes. The dough will come together in a mass with a bit sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
2. First proof
Dump the dough onto a very lightly floured countertop. Gather the edges up into a “purse” and pinch them together. Flip it over and round it off into a ball. Lightly oil a bowl and put the dough in the bowl, making sure to get some oil over the top of the dough also. Cover it and let it proof for an hour, or until it’s grown close to double in size. Keep in mind that proofing can take longer if it’s chilly in your home.
3. Shape and second proof
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface again. The dough should feel puffy and soft. Fold the dough in half and stretch it out into a rectangular shape. Cut the dough into at least 12 pieces or up to 16 pieces. I did 16 because I wanted petite semlor. Shape the pieces of dough into balls and line them up on a couple parchment lined baking sheets. Check out my video on shaping dough balls if you’re unsure how to do it. Cover the sheet trays with a large plastic bag or damp tea towels so they don’t dry out as they proof. Proof the buns for another hour. If you lightly press a ball and your fingerprint only bounces back half way, they’re ready to bake.
4. Bake
Brush the buns with egg wash and bake them for about 15 minutes in a 350°F oven. The buns will lightly brown. Allow the bread to cool completely. From here, I suggest only keeping out the buns you want to eat today or tomorrow. Bag and freeze the rest to enjoy semlor another day.
5. Cut and fill the semlor
To finish the buns, cut a small “lid” off of the top of each bun. Hollow out the centers, keeping a quarter-inch wall to hold the structure. Put half of the crumbs in a medium bowl (break them up into fine crumbs if you have to). The filling is made by mixing the small bread crumbs with almond flour, sugar, almond extract, salt, and enough milk to moisten the paste. Press as much almond paste as you need to fill each bun. Spoon (or use a piping bag with a star tip) a mound of sweetened whipped cream onto the almond filling and return the “lids” to each bun. Dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.
“I can’t wait” semlor buns (cheater’s method)
Hey, Fat Tuesday might be your last chance to indulge before Easter, and if that’s the case, you don’t have time to waste.
1. Buy some nice sweet rolls
You don’t need to make bread from scratch, just buy some buttery rolls. Most grocery stores sell packs of brioche buns, or packs of King’s Hawaiian rolls. Just cut out the hard part and bring those home.
2. Cut and fill the semlor
Look at that! You just jumped to Step 5 so fast. Separate the buns, if needed, and cut a slice off the top for a “lid.” Hollow out the rolls carefully, especially if they’re very soft. Use half of the breadcrumbs for the filling and add them to a bowl. Add the almond flour, sugar, almond extract, salt, and milk to make the paste. Fill each bun with almond paste and top them with sweetened whipped cream. Top them with a bread lid, and dust them with powdered sugar. With a semla trick this easy, there’s almost no excuse not to make one today.
This recipe includes the roll portion, but if you’re buying the bread, jump to Step 5 and just use the measurements for the almond filling and whipped cream.
Semlor Buns Recipe
(Modified from Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break.)
Ingredients for the bread:
1 cup milk, lukewarm
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
7 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Egg wash
For the almond filling:
½ the crumbs from the bread
2 cups almond flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk (or water)
For the whipped cream:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (plus extra for garnish)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Start by making the bread. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk and yeast. Stir it together after a minute. Add the butter, egg, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. With a dough hook, mix and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it comes together into a ball. It should feel tacky.
2. Dump the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and shape it into a large ball. Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it. Allow it to proof for an hour, or until just about doubled in size.
3. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface again. Fold it in half and then stretch it into a rectangular shape. Divide the dough into 12, or up to 16, pieces. Shape them into balls and line them up on two sheet pans. Make sure they have about two inches of space between them. Cover with a plastic bag or a tea towel, and let them proof for another hour. (Use the “fingerprint test” mentioned above to check on the dough.) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
4. Egg wash the buns and bake them for 15 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool the buns completely.
5. Cut off the very top of each bun, and set them aside. Hollow out the centers of the buns, and reserve half of the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Discard the rest or save them for other purposes. Add all of the almond filling ingredients to the bowl and mix them together until a thick paste forms. If it seems dry, add a splash more milk. Use a spoon to press the paste into each bun.
6. Add all of the whipped cream ingredients to a bowl and whisk it until you get stiff peaks. (Check here to see what stiff peaks look like.) Dollop whipped cream onto each semla (or use a star tip with a piping bag, for fanciness), and put a bread lid back onto each bun. Dust with extra powdered sugar.