• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Nordic Kitchen stories

Inspired by family recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Baking
    • Bread & Buns
    • Breakfast
    • Brunch
    • Cakes
    • Canapés
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Festive
    • Foraged Food
    • Fika
    • Fish
    • Healthy
    • Lunch
    • Main
    • Meat
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Scandinavian
    • Snacks
    • Sourdough Baking
    • Soups
    • Starters
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • Bespoke Cakes
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Photography

Swedish Saffron Bread with Almond & Vanilla Filling

28th November 2019 By Louise Leave a Comment

Saffron Bread Flavoured with Almond & Vanilla

Saffron Bread Flavoured with Almond & Vanilla

Here we are the 1st December – and so the Festive season begins. Baking is one of my favourite activities at this time of year, I love the ritual of creating Christmas treats for family and friends.

This is a Swedish classic; an enriched sweetened bread referred to as saffranslängd. Now the translation isn’t pretty: saffron longs, doesn’t sell it to you does it? I have to do this delicacy justice and call it something prettier.  With its almond and vanilla filling making it sweet, buttery and deliciously moist.  The saffron adds a unique floral flavour with notes of honey. Saffron is widely used in baked goods at Christmas time in Scandinavia.

I know saffron is exceptionally expensive, and it’s certainly not something you would use every day but you can make this bread with other flavour additions, see my tips below.

If you like this recipe, you might like my Christmas Saffron Wreath

Print Recipe

Swedish Saffron Bread with Almond & Vanilla Filling

Each loaf serves 4-6 people
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Resting Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 55 mins
Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • 15 g fresh yeast or 5g fast action dried yeast
  • 130 ml milk
  • 1/2 tsp saffron
  • 275 g strong white bread flour
  • a good pinch sea salt
  • 60 g butter room temperature and diced
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • sugar nibs

Filling

  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 100 g ground almond
  • 70 g butter room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50 g Raisins soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes. optional

Instructions

  • Begin by grinding the saffron in a pestle and mortar. Pour the milk into a small saucepan then add the saffron. Heat the milk with the saffron to 38°C, remove from the heat and add the fresh yeast if using and stir to incorporate with the milk. Place the flour, (dried yeast if using), sugar and salt in the bowl of a free standing mixer with the dough hook attached. Add the milk mixture with the motor running. Mix until a dough forms on a slow speed.  Once the dough has come together add three quarters of the egg and gradually add the butter, increase the pace to medium/high and work the dough for another 5-8 minutes or until it feels shiny and smooth, you may need to add a tablespoon of flour if the dough is too loose.
  • Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes to rest.
  • Mix the ground almond, butter, vanilla extract and caster sugar until you have a smooth paste, set to one side.
  • When the dough is ready divide it into two. Roll each each one into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. They should be approximately 25-30cm long and 15-18cm wide. Spread an even layer of filling on the surface. Drain the water from the raisins and sprinkle on the the filling if using. Roll into a log lengthways. Transfer the logs to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, with enough room each side baring in mind they will double in size.
  • Now take a sharp pair of scissors and cut down the centre of the log, pushing the ‘v’ shape to either side. (See diagram). Cover with a tea towel and leave it to rise for approximately 45 minutes or until almost double in size.  Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C. Brush with the remaining egg and sprinkle with sugar nibs if you have omitted the raisins. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until it’s golden brown in colour.  Cool on a wire rack.   Serve warm with coffee.
Roll out to a rectangle
Spread the filling
add raisins if using

Roll and start snipping
moving the ‘V’ left to right
Tuck the ends under

Saffron Bread is lovely with a coffee

Saffron Bread with raisins

 

Saffron Bread with raisinsThe first Sunday of advent – Saffron Bread with raisins, delicious served with a coffee

Tips:

  • Fresh yeast is always my preference, I find I get a far better result than with fast action dried.  Most bakeries I have approached will sell fresh yeast if you ask.
  • Omit the saffron and replace with 1 teaspoon of freshly ground cardamom.
  • Omit the vanilla and flavour with the zest of an orange and add 25g dried cranberries per bread.
  • Freezers very well, defrost naturally and warm in the oven.

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Baking, Bread & Buns, Desserts, Festive, Fika, Scandinavian Tagged With: baking, christmas, scandinavian, scandinavian flavours

Previous Post: « Pumpkin, Orange and Ginger Granola (Sugar-free)
Next Post: Salmon, Fennel & Avocado Tartare »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

About Louise

Hej, I'm Louise, a food enthusiast living in Marlow, Bucks, UK. Welcome to my culinary adventures in my Nordic Kitchen. Read More

Topics

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Newsletter

Please subscribe to receive all new recipes by email.

Latest posts

Easter Salad of Quails Eggs & Hasselback Potatoes

Saffron Spiced Easter Salad

30th March 2021

Swedish Saffron and Vanilla Buns

30th March 2021

Nettle & Pine Nut Parcels with Whipped Feta

Nettle & Pine Nut Parcels with Whipped Feta

25th March 2021

Rhubarb & Ginger Cake

Rhubarb & Ginger Cake with Coconut Kefir

11th March 2021

Seared Sea Trout with Lemongrass Veloute

Seared Sea Trout with Pea & Lemongrass Velouté

5th March 2021

Footer

Follow Me on Instagram

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend and were I hope you all had a good Easter weekend and were able to catch up with family or friends after time apart. 

I just wanted to jump on here this morning to say I’m taking a little step back from Instagram for a while to dedicate time to recipe development and research. You’ll find me on stories though, I’m not completely disappearing. Hopefully you can bear with me for a few weeks. 😊
Have a great short week friends.
Easter Saturday lunch ~ scrumptious Beetroot Cured Easter Saturday lunch ~ scrumptious Beetroot Cured Gravlax with Mustard Sauce and delicious crispbread courtesy of @petersyard [gifted]

Life’s good with these little details.
Happy Easter ~ Glad Påsk 🐣 Hope you all enjo Happy Easter ~ Glad Påsk 🐣 

Hope you all enjoy the lovely long weekend.
🌱Wild Garlic Garganelli & Purple Sprouting Broc 🌱Wild Garlic Garganelli & Purple Sprouting Broccoli 🌱

Subtle flavours of garlic with purple sprouting, lemon, butter & Parmesan.  Simple pleasures in the last rays of sunshine 😊
Wild Garlic Garganelli 🌱 What do you do when y Wild Garlic Garganelli 🌱

What do you do when you find yourself with lots of wild garlic and a delivery of fresh eggs? You make pasta of course!  With the season just beginning, it’s just too tempting not to use these fragrant leaves in just about everything.
What have you been making with your wild garlic?

Copyright © 2021 · Nordic Kitchen stories | Cookie Notice | Website by Callia Web