Swedish Lussekatter

Ingredients for 10 servings:

• 50 g yeast
• 100 g butter
• ½ liter milk (whole milk)
• 250 g quark (low-fat quark)
• 1 g saffron, ground
• 130 g sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 kg flour (wheat flour)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Saffron pastries for the Feast of the Queen of Lights on December 13

Crumble the yeast in a bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk, and heat to 37°C. Pour the butter-milk mixture onto the yeast and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add the quark, saffron, sugar, salt, and most of the flour. Knead the dough until it is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Add more flour if necessary.) Let it rise for 40 minutes. Knead the dough on a floured baking board. Form long snakes and roll them into an S shape. Form two shapes crosswise into curls or fancy shapes. Decorate with raisins. Let it rise on the baking sheet for 40 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and bake in an oven preheated to 225°C on the middle rack for approx. 5-8 minutes. Bake large figures at 200°C for 10-15 minutes. The pastries are distributed by Lucia, the Queen of Lights, dressed in white. On December 13th, she and her entourage visit schools, kindergartens, retirement homes and workplaces early in the morning, spreading some light and song during the dark season when the sun no longer rises.