Fat Tuesday is just around the corner. And everybody gets all excited about Paczkis, but I’ll be honest – they’ve never been my thing. I much prefer some of the Northern European offerings. And so, I bring you Laskiaipullat – or Finnish Cream Buns.
Jump to RecipeLike a lot of other baked goods associated with Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or related celebrations, Laskiaipullat probably were a way to use up the last of the cream and eggs in the house before the austerity of Lent set in. Now, I’m not Catholic, so I don’t typically “give up” anything for Lent. (In fact, I come from a religious tradition that tends to value general austerity – any such Lenten tradition for us would present the danger of turning into competitive pietism. So it’s better than we don’t.)
I should note here that Scandinavians are much more used to baking with fresh yeast. It’s the standard form in that part of the world. I’ve used it in this recipe both for authenticity, and because I enjoy using it. I can get it, at least seasonally, in my neck of the woods and I have a stash in my freezer. If you substitute instant dry yeast, you may find your rise times are a little bit longer.
Laskiaipullat are related to Swedish semlor, and both can now be found in a dizzying array of flavors. Including such “trendy” options as mocha and passionfruit. But the standard options usually involve a layer of raspberry jam, or almond filling, and then the cream. However, in my research for these, I happened across what seems to be a variant associated with the Finnish equivalent of “home ec” class. The frugality of pulling out a bit of the bun to make room for filling – then making the filling with the left over crumbs, in cake pop-like fashion – strikes me as a very vintage idea. So that’s the one I’ve gone yet. Now – on to the buns!
Laskiaipullat – Finnish Cream Buns
Ingredients
- 2 c milk
- 2 oz fresh cake yeast or 3 packets instant dry yeast (6 ¾ tsp)
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 175 g sugar ¾ c + 2 Tbsp
- 7 g kosher salt 1 tsp
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 750-875 g AP flour 6-7 c
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened 1/2 c. + 6 Tbsp
- Egg wash 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water
- Swedish Pearl Sugar
Cream Filling
- 2 c heavy cream
- 25 g sugar 2 Tbsp
- ½ tsp unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 Tbsp cold eater
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
Raspberry Filling
- Left over bun centers
- ⅓ c raspberry jam
- 1 ½ c prepared whipped cream
Instructions
- Scald milk in a small saucepan. (Heat to 190 F). Allow to cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast to the milk and allow to "bloom" 5 minutes.
- Stir cardamon, salt, sugar, and eggs into milk mixture.
- Place about half of the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn on low. Add the milk mixture, slowly. Allow to mix until a batter forms, then begin adding most of remaining flour, a little at a time, until a shaggy dough comes together. Add the butter, cut into small chunks, and the last of the flour.
- Allow the dough to knead until it becomes smooth and elastic. It will still be somewhat sticky. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and turn once to coat.
- Cover dough with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place about an hour, or until double.
- Weigh the mass of dough, and use a scale to portion out 20 equal pieces. Each bun will use about 100g of dough. Shape each portion into a small, round bun and place on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. 10 buns will fit on a half sheet pan, with sufficient room to rise.
- Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise another 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F
- Brush buns with egg wash, and sprinkle on pearl sugar, if desired. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown. If baking two sheets at once, rotate the sheets 1o minutes into baking.
- Cool Completely
- Slice tops of buns. (Don't slice them in half – we're not making sandwiches.) Use a fork to remove a small portion of the center of each bun. Set aside.
- Bloom gelatin in cold water. Begin whipping cream until soft and thickened. Sprinkle sugar over cream and continue beating. Add extracts and beat in. Heat gelatin in microwave at 5 second intervals until liquified. Add to cream while continuing to beat. Beat cream to soft peaks.
- Add raspberry jam to reserved bun centers, and beat with electric beaters. Fold in about 1 ½ c of the whipped cream.
- Spoon some of the filling mixture to fill the hole in the center of each bun. Top each sliced bun with whipped cream, and replace tops.
