Lussekatter — Golden Saffron Lucia Buns (Vegan)
Small S-shaped buns, golden with saffron, dotted with raisins. Soft, fragrant, they bring a sweet sun to the darkest Nordic winter.
Small S-shaped buns, golden with saffron, dotted with raisins. Soft, fragrant, they bring a sweet sun to the darkest Nordic winter.
On December 13, when the night lasts almost all day here in Sweden, we light candles and make lussekatter. The saffron turns them golden like a little sun we give each other in the heart of winter. My version has no butter or eggs — just oil and oat milk — and no one at the table can tell the difference. It's my way of keeping the tradition without weighing on cows or the atmosphere.
- •Wheat flour — a lot (structure)
- •Saffron — a few threads (color and fragrance)
- •Baker's yeast — a piece (leavening)
- •Milk — a bowl (binder)
- •Sugar — a handful (sweetness)
- •Raisins — a few (decoration)
Lussekatter — Golden Saffron Lucia Buns (Vegan)
Small S-shaped buns, golden with saffron, dotted with raisins. Soft, fragrant, they bring a sweet sun to the darkest Nordic winter.
Why this dish? On December 13, St. Lucia's Day, all of Sweden celebrates light in the polar night with these saffron buns. Greta remains attached to them as a family ritual, but makes them without butter or eggs — faithful to tradition, without the carbon footprint of animal products.
On December 13, when the night lasts almost all day here in Sweden, we light candles and make lussekatter. The saffron turns them golden like a little sun we give each other in the heart of winter. My version has no butter or eggs — just oil and oat milk — and no one at the table can tell the difference. It's my way of keeping the tradition without weighing on cows or the atmosphere.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — a lot (structure)
- Saffron — a few threads (color and fragrance)
- Baker's yeast — a piece (leavening)
- Milk — a bowl (binder)
- Sugar — a handful (sweetness)
- Raisins — a few (decoration)
Ingredients
- Wheat flour — 500 g (structure)
- Oat milk — 250 ml, lukewarm (binder (local in Sweden))
- Saffron — 1 g (one packet) (color and fragrance)
- Fresh baker's yeast — 25 g (leavening)
- Sugar — 100 g (sweetness)
- Rapeseed oil or vegan margarine — 75 g (softness)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
- Raisins — a handful (decoration)
Method
- Infuse the saffron in the warm oat milk for 10 minutes to release color and aroma.
- Dissolve the yeast in the saffron milk, then mix with flour, sugar, salt, and oil.
- Knead until you have a soft dough, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour in a warm place.
- Shape into ropes and roll each into an S shape; place a raisin in the center of each spiral.
- Let rise for 30 minutes, brush with oat milk, then bake at 220°C for 8–10 minutes until golden.
How it was made : Lussekatter date back at least to the 17th century; their S-shape is said to evoke a cat or the rays of the sun, and the yellow of saffron symbolizes the returning light. They were traditionally made with butter and sometimes eggs — luxury ingredients — and served at dawn on St. Lucia's Day with coffee.
The contemporary twist : Served warm with filter coffee or oat hot chocolate, Advent fika style; optional dusting of icing sugar.
Greta Thunberg · Charactorium