Cardamom bun, pistachio cream and raspberry jam..... yum! Here is the recipe for these stunning semla buns that we are serving at our home this year.
The base for these buns is a typical cardamom bun base and you can absolutely use it for other bun baking too, like buttery sugar buns (recipe here!) or cinnamonbuns!
When making the dough, please keep in mind that kneading the dough for a while makes the dough soft, airy and bouncy. If you have a stand mixer that will be very handy for this recipe but you can absolutely knead the dough by hand too (which I do often as I find it sooooo therapeutic!!).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pistachio and Raspberry Semla
makes around 20
The cardamom buns
50g fresh yeast (if you use dry yeast, check the packaging!)
5dl whole milk
1 egg
2dl sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cardamom
approx. 15dl flour
150g butter
1 egg for egg wash
Warm the milk to 42°C (a little warm to touch) and pour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the yeast and mix with a whisk to blend the yeast into the milk. Once you have a homogeneous liquid, whisk in the egg, sugar, salt and cardamom. Once well combined, start adding the flour one decilitre at a time. Once you have added 13-14 dl, melt the butter in the microwave and add into the dough. Then add the remaining flour and knead either with a stand mixer of by hand for around 8 minutes. This will ensure a soft springy texture.
Leave the dough to rise for 30-45 minutes.
Once the dough has doubled in size, flip it over to a working surface and divide into small batches. Form small balls out of the dough and set onto a baking tray with parchment paper.
Let the dough rise again for another 30-45 minutes.
Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle some coarse sugar on top of the buns.
Bake in a 200°C for around 8-12 minutes. The baking time may vary a lot as it is completely dependent on the size of your buns. Keep an eye on the buns while they are in the oven and they are ready when they are golden brown. After baking, let the buns completely cool down (although you can taste one while they are still warm without the cream - they are delicious!).
Pistachio cream
250g mascarpone
70g pistachio paste
pinch of salt
20g icing sugar
2dl cream
Add the mascarpone into a medium sized mixing bowl and add the pistachio paste. Mix well with a spatula to combine the two. Add a pinch of salt and icing sugar.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream into stiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture. Set into the fridge to wait for usage.
Assembly
Cardamom buns
Pistachio cream
Raspberry jam
Icing sugar
With a sharp serrated knife cut the buns so that you have a bottom part and a "hat" for your semla. Inside, add some jam with a spoon. Then add the pistachio cream with a spoon or pipe it with a piping bag. Add the hat on top and sift some icing sugar on top as decoration.
Enjoy 💚
