Its OK if you forgot to order a king cake again.
Here are two ways to make your own: the scratch method, and the cheaters method.
Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is tomorrow.
In the Christian sphere, its the day before the lenten period, which precedes Easter.
The finished bread is then hollowed out and the cavity is filled with a sweet almond paste.
Its finished with whipped cream and the little bread lid returns to top the fluffy mound.
Although it sounds dessert-like, I find that semlor arent overly sweet.
How to make semlor buns from scratch
1.
Its a pretty typical bread recipe.
Bloom the instant yeast in warm milk.
I mixed the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 10 minutes.
The dough will come together in a mass with a bit sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
First proof
Dump the dough onto a very lightly floured countertop.
Gather the edges up into a purse and pinch them together.
Flip it over and round it off into a ball.
Cover it and let it proof for an hour, or until its grown close to double in size.
Keep in mind that proofing can take longer if its chilly in your home.
Shape and second proof
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface again.
The dough should feel puffy and soft.
Fold the dough in half and stretch it out into a rectangular shape.
Cut the dough into at least 12 pieces or up to 16 pieces.
I did 16 because I wanted petite semlor.
Shape the pieces of dough into balls and line them up on a couple parchment lined baking sheets.
Check outmy video on shaping dough ballsif youre unsure how to do it.
Proof the buns for another hour.
If you lightly press a ball and your fingerprint only bounces back half way, theyre ready to bake.
Bake
Brush the buns with egg wash and bake them for about 15 minutes in a 350F oven.
The buns will lightly brown.
Allow the bread to cool completely.
From here, I suggest only keeping out the buns you want to eat today or tomorrow.
Bag and freeze the rest to enjoy semlor another day.
Hollow out the centers, keeping a quarter-inch wall to hold the structure.
Press as much almond paste as you’re gonna wanna fill each bun.
Dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee.
Buy some nice sweet rolls
You dont need to make bread from scratch, just buy some buttery rolls.
Most grocery stores sell packs of brioche buns, or packs of Kings Hawaiian rolls.
Just cut out the hard part and bring those home.
Cut and fill the semlor
Look at that!
You just jumped to Step 5 so fast.
Separate the buns, if needed, and cut a slice off the top for a lid.
Hollow out the rolls carefully, especially if theyre very soft.
Use half of the breadcrumbs for the filling and add them to a bowl.
Add the almond flour, sugar, almond extract, salt, and milk to make the paste.
Fill each bun with almond paste and top them with sweetened whipped cream.
Top them with a bread lid, and dust them with powdered sugar.
With a semla trick this easy, theres almost no excuse not to make one today.
Semlor Buns Recipe
(Modified fromFika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break.)
Start by making the bread.
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk and yeast.
Stir it together after a minute.
Add the butter, egg, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom.
It should feel tacky.
Dump the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and shape it into a large ball.
Place it in an oiled bowl and cover it.
Allow it to proof for an hour, or until just about doubled in size.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface again.
Fold it in half and then stretch it into a rectangular shape.
Divide the dough into 12, or up to 16, pieces.
Shape them into balls and line them up on two sheet pans.
check that they have about two inches of space between them.
Cover with a plastic bag or a tea towel, and let them proof for another hour.
(Use the fingerprint test mentioned above to check on the dough.)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.
Cool the buns completely.
Cut off the very top of each bun, and set them aside.
Hollow out the centers of the buns, and reserve half of the breadcrumbs in a medium bowl.
Discard the rest or save them for other purposes.
Add all of the almond filling ingredients to the bowl and mix them together until a thick paste forms.
If it seems dry, add a splash more milk.
Use a spoon to press the paste into each bun.
Add all of the whipped cream ingredients to a bowl and whisk it until you get stiff peaks.
(Check hereto see what stiff peaks look like.)
Dust with extra powdered sugar.
