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Hot cross Swedish semla buns

Adam Liaw
Adam Liaw

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Hot cross Selma.
Hot cross Selma.William Meppem

A mashup of the traditional British hot cross bun and the Swedish semla (a traditional Shrove Tuesday sweet) is a perfect Easter treat.

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Ingredients

Buns

  • 1 cup milk, lukewarm

  • 2 tbsp cream

  • 50g castor sugar

  • 50g unsalted butter

  • 500g bread flour

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ½ tsp ground cardamom 

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • 7g dried yeast

  • rind of one orange

  • 1 cup currants

  • icing sugar for dusting

Cross

  • 75g flour

  • one whole egg, beaten

Filling and glaze

  • 80g 60 per cent almond marzipan, grated

  • 80ml milk

  • 100ml whipping cream, whipped

  • 2 tbsp apricot jam

Method

  1. Step 1

    Scald the milk and cream in a small saucepan and allow to cool almost to room temperature. Rub the sugar, butter, flour, salt, cardamom and cinnamon together to form breadcrumbs. Scatter the dry yeast through. Make a well in the centre, pour in the milk, orange rind and currants and mix to a shaggy dough.

  2. Step 2

    Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel in a warm place. Allow to proof for one hour or until doubled in size.

  3. Step 3

    Punch the dough down and mold into 10 evenly sized balls. Proof for another 30 minutes until doubled in size again. 

  4. Step 4

    To make the cross, mix the flour with about 100 millilitres of water, adding a little at a time until the flour forms a thick paste. Transfer to a piping bag with a smooth nozzle and pipe a cross shape on top of each bun. Glaze with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes in a 200C oven (180C fan-forced). Allow to cool. 

  5. Step 5

    To make the filling, combine the marzipan and milk together in a small food processor and process to a smooth paste. Place the whipped cream in a piping bag with a fluted nozzle.

  6. Step 6

    Cut the buns in half. Heat the apricot jam in the microwave until liquid and brush over the top of the buns. Spread the base with a generous amount of the marzipan and pipe over the whipped cream using a fluted nozzle. Replace the lids of the buns and serve.

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Adam LiawAdam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/recipes/hot-cross-swedish-semla-buns-20160315-4c2k3.html