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Today is Fettisdag, or Shrove Tuesday, which means plenty of Semlor! A Semla is a traditional pastry in Sweden and around Scandinavia associated with Lent and Shrove Tuesday. The Semla consists of a wheat bun which has its top cut off. The inside is scooped out, mixed with almond paste and a tiny bit of whipped cream and then topped with lots of whipped cream. The cut-off top serves as a lid and is dusted with powdered sugar.
Why not make some today and have them with a nice cup of coffee or tea! This is how you make Småkompisar Semlor, the best ones in town! :-)
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Crumble fresh yeast (50 g) into a bowl.
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Melt the butter (75 g) in a saucepan. Add the milk (3 dl) so mixture has lukewarm temperature (between 35-42 degrees). Add some of the liquid to dissolve the yeast then add the remaining lukewarm liquid.
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Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cardamom and 1 dl sugar.
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and 1 egg.
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and 9-10 dl of the flour.
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Work the mixture into a dough. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for around 30 minutes.
Sift 1 tsp baker's ammonia (or 2 tsp baking powder) and remaining flour and work into the dough. Knead the dough on a flour dusted table top until it becomes smooth and stops being sticky.
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Cut the dough into 30 pieces, roll into equal sized buns. Put the buns onto an oven tray lined with baking paper and allow them to rise for 35-40 minutes. Beat one egg and use a brush to glaze the tops of the buns.
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Heat the oven to 250 degrees C and bake the Semlor in the middle for around 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the Semlor before serving:
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Whip the cream.
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Cut a circular “lid” off the top of each bun. Scoop out 1/3 of the inside of the bun. Use good quality almond paste. Mix together the almond paste with the crumbs from inside the bun, add some whipped cream to make a smooth mixture.
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Use the mixture to fill the holes. Spoon the cream on top of the bun filling. Replace the lid of the bun and decorate with icing sugar.
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Enjoy!!!
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