Swedish Saffranskrans
Vibrant saffron bread filled with cardamom orange marmalade, candied orange peel, and golden raisins. The original recipe is from Bake From Scratch.
Servings 20 people
Calories 259kcal
Ingredients
Cardamom Orange Marmalade Filling
- 1/3 cup orange marmalade
- 3 Tbsps unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp cardamom
Candied Orange Peel
- 1 orange
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar divided
Saffranskrans Dough
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp vodka
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 508 g bread flour (4 cups)
- 100 g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 Tbsp instant yeast
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter cubed and softened
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- Sliced almonds for topping
- Pearl or sparkling sugar for topping
Instructions
Cardamom Orange Marmalade
- In a small bowl, combine marmalade, butter, and cardamom. Stir until combined. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days if not using immediately. Bring to room temperature before using.
Candied Orange Peel
- Peel the orange and cut the peel into ¼ inch thick slices. Place in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In the same saucepan, add 1 ½cups of water and 1 ½ cups of sugar to a boil. Add the orange peel and simmer for 30 minutes, or until softened.
- Use a slotted spoon to sieve the orange peel out of the syrup. Toss the orange peel with the remaining sugar and transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Let the peel dry for a day or two.
Saffranskrans Dough
- Grind the saffron and salt in a small mortar. Add the vodka and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
- Scald the milk in a saucepan over medium- low heat. Allow the milk to cool down to 115°F- 120°F. Once the milk has cooled, whisk together the milk, an egg, and the saffron mixture in a glass measuring cup.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, combine flour, sugar, and yeast. Mix on low to combine. On low, slowly pour in the milk mixture. Then bump the speed up to medium- low until fully combined. Add butter a piece at a time and beat until well combined.
- Bump the speed up to medium and beat for about 7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. The dough will be quite soft. Lightly grease a large bowl, add the dough, and turn to coat. Place plastic wrap directly on the dough. Cover the bowl in a tea towel for good measure. Let it rise in a warm, draft free location until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Do NOT punch the dough down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, use a pastry mat if you have one. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rough rectangle. Now roll the dough out to an 18x12 inch rectangle.
- Spread the cardamom orange marmalade filling over the dough, leaving a ½ inch border on all sides. Now sprinkle with candied orange peel and golden raisins. Roll the dough up, starting on the long side in front of you. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and form a ring. Pinch the ends together to seal.
- Use kitchen shears to cut into the dough at a 45° angle. Do not cut all the way down through the dough, leave a ¼ inch of dough on the bottom. Repeat cuts every ½ inch around the wreath. Now pull each piece in alternating directions. Cover loosely with cling wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes. Begin preheating the oven to 350°F.
- Brush the bread with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a tsp of water). Sprinkle with sliced almonds and sparkling sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature hits 190°F.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- If you don't have a mortar, chop the saffron threads finely and place them in a small bowl with the vodka and salt.