The semlor or semla (singular), is one of the most traditional pastries in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Estonia. It is a cardamom bun filled with almond cream and whipped cream. In my case, I opted for the cream and mascarpone, since in my opinion, besides having a better texture and body, it tastes much richer.
Although these delicious buns need to rest and proof for several hours, they are not difficult at all. They are extremely easy to make, and if you have a Kitchenaid mixer, the job is done — it will knead for 15 minutes by itself and the only thing you’ll need is patience for the resting times.
As is logical with this type of dough, ideally they should be eaten the same day to enjoy the semla at its best, freshly baked; however, after a few days they won’t be as tender as the first day, so in Sweden they have a “trick” for leftover buns: serve them in a bowl of hot milk and eat with a spoon. What do you think?
Ingredients (10 units)
- 450 g of sifted strong flour
- 70 g of sugar
- 1 L egg + 1 S for brushing
- 70 g of melted butter
- 200 ml. of whole milk
- 15 g of fresh baker's yeast
- 5 g of flaky salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground cardamom
- Icing sugar for dusting
Ingredients for the almond paste:
- 125 g of ground almonds
- 60 ml of whole milk
- Icing sugar
Ingredients for the mascarpone cream:
- 250 g of very cold mascarpone
- 120 ml. of cold whipping cream, minimum 35% fat
- 60 g of icing sugar
Preparation
Bun preparation:
- Melt the butter in the hot milk, and once lukewarm, add the fresh yeast until it dissolves.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the Kitchenaid bowl along with the milk mixture and knead for 15 minutes with the hook attachment.
- Let ferment for 2 hours in an oiled container covered with plastic wrap.
- Once fermented and doubled in volume, divide the dough into portions of about 80 g each. Shape the buns and place them on a tray lined with a silicone mat or, if not available, parchment paper. Let ferment another 2 hours covered with lightly oiled plastic wrap.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Brush each bun with beaten egg and bake for 12 minutes, until nicely golden.
Mascarpone cream preparation:
In the Kitchenaid bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar. Add the cream and beat until it whips and becomes a very firm, consistent cream.
Almond paste preparation:
Mix all the ingredients until you obtain a homogeneous paste.
Assembling the filled bun:
Finally, once cool, cut off the top in a triangular shape, hollow out a little of the interior, fill with almond paste and mascarpone cream. For this, you can use a piping bag with a nozzle or simply place it on top with the help of a spoon. To finish, place the top back on and dust with icing sugar.
Et voilà! Enjoy.
