In the event you’re trying to dive into baking extra Swedish pastries (which, because the individual behind a sequence known as What’s For Fika, I extremely suggest you do), a semla is a superb place to start out. And if you happen to’re something like me and spend all day meals pics on Instagram, one or two (or extra) photographs of a semla could have proven up in your FYP.
A semla is historically loved round Shrove Tuesday (Fettisdagen, or what Swedes would name Mardi Gras) and all through late winter. It’s a gentle, cardamom-spiced wheat bun, hollowed out and full of candy almond paste, then topped with whipped cream. The highest of the bun is reduce off as a “lid” and positioned again after filling, after which the entire bun will get dusted with powdered sugar.
Whereas many Swedes get pleasure from semla buns merely with espresso for fika, some nonetheless eat them the old style approach (and I imply really old style)—served in a bowl of heat milk (the hetvägg model). Funnily sufficient, that is how I keep in mind my mother serving them to us once we have been little. It’s not quite common anymore, and plenty of Swedes have by no means eaten them this fashion, however then once more, she loves custom—and I like her for it.
In the event you’ve by no means had one, I extremely suggest you begin off by making conventional semla buns for the true unique expertise. However, if you need a enjoyable selection, right here’s a recipe I simply developed for a semla braid (truthfully it seems extra like a footlong sandwich) full of pistachio paste as a substitute of almond, orange blossom whipped cream, and blood and tangelo oranges. Whereas I want I got here up with the flavour mixture alone, I took inspiration from a bakery in Sweden, known as Haga Bageri.
Have you ever ever had a semla earlier than? Let me know within the feedback!
