I won't go into great detail describing the history of semlor in Sweden. You can read all about that in English (or Swedish if you prefer) on Wikipedia. I've tried many a semlor recipe over time ... some good, and some not. I'll save you the time and research, and include the recipe that works best for me.
ROLLS 75 g (5.5 Tablespoons) unsalted butter 2 dl (7 oz) whole milk 1 package yeast 125 g (4.5 oz) Kesella 1 egg, beaten 1 dl (3/4 cup) sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon baking powder 7 dl (3 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading plus 1 egg, beaten (to brush rolls before baking) | ALMOND FILLING 200 g (7 oz) blanched, slivered almonds 2 dl (1/2 cup) sugar 1.5 dl (3/8 cup) whole milk or cream Crumbs from rolls CREAM FILLING 4 dl (1 cup) whipping cream 1 Tablespoon vanilla (or confectioner's) sugar DUSTING Vanilla (or confectioner's) sugar |
- Melt butter and add milk. Bring to "finger warm" temperature. Place yeast in a bowl and add milk/butter mixture little by little until well combined. Add the Kesella, egg (beaten), sugar, salt and baking powder.
- Mix cardamom with flour and add to liquid. Work to create a dough that is pliable, but not too tough. Add more flour as needed. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl in a warm place until it doubles in size (30-40 minutes). I use press-n-seal wrap to keep it from drying out.
- Remove dough from bowl and knead again. Divide in two and work with one piece at a time. Divide each piece into 6 equal parts and forming each into a ball. Use additional flour if necessary. Place them on a baking sheet. I use two Silpat-covered baking sheets and place 6 rolls on each. Cover each baking sheet with a thin towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Set oven to 435°F (225C) and brush the rolls with beaten egg mixture. Bake in the middle of oven until done or lightly browned, approximately 8-10 minutes. When rolls are done baking, remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.
- Finely grind the almonds in a food processor. In a bowl, combine ground almonds with milk and sugar to make a paste.
- When cool, cut each roll in half (actually, a little closer to the bottom than the top). Using a fork, scrape out a decent amount of crumbs from the bottom of each rolls (see photos). Add the crumbs to the almond paste. Re-fill the bottom of each roll with the almond paste, making sure to use all the almond paste.
FREEZING NOTE: At this point, you can freeze the semlor if you are planning to eat these at a later date. Place the covered (re-assembled) rolls in 2 large plastic freezer bags and freeze them. Once frozen, you can thaw one at a time by wrapping a semla in a paper towel and placing in the microwave for a few seconds to thaw. - Add vanilla (or confectioners) sugar to whipping cream and beat until you have a stiff whipped cream. Open each roll and place a dollop of whipped cream in each. You can use a decorative piping attachment if you're really looking to score presentation points. Place the tops back on and dust with vanilla (or confectioners) sugar. Enjoy!