Fika2: rosinboller & cafe au lait (add pics)

EDIT NOTES FOR ME. ADD PHOTOS OF A FEW STAGES OF THE BUNS, PLUS PHOTOS OF OUTSIDE NATURE SEASONAL.



Fika is done on most days here, once or thrice a day. Fika, as I´ve gone on about in other posts here, is both a verb and noun. Coffee break with something sweet like a kanelknuter, skillingsboller, or rosinboller. To Fika, to enjoy that coffee break, to drink your coffee and eat your cake or bun.

Today´s Fika is my favourite cafe au lait, and a very common bun here the rosinboller (raisin bun). You can get them at any cafe, convenience store or bakery. Or you can bake your own. Here is my recipe:

1) Make your coffee.

I boil water in the kettle atop the stove. Put 6 scoops of New Orleans chicory coffee grounds into my French coffee press, and pour the just-off-the-boil water in, steep whilst making the buns.

2) Bake the buns in the oven. Whatever ones today, til rewarmed or baked.

3) Enjoy my fika!

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Most of these recipes for buns can be baked and frozen for another day, as most do not keep long. All are fairly easy to make, you just need the time. For rosinboller:


1-2 small handfuls of raisins (as I don´t like raisins too much, but most recipes call for about 1.5 cups of raisins or more). If you want to (which I usually do not, but it is traditional to) soak the raisins in a cup of liquid such as rum, water, apple juice for about half an hour.

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For the dough:

about 8 cups flour. (I like a mix of whole wheat, white, rye, but this is not traditional).

3/4 cup vanilla sugar. Or less, I usually use much less, as I prefer the buns less sweet.

dash salt.

Spices. I adore spices, and like the buns spicy. Tradition is a tsp or so of cinnamon, and a dash of cardamom. However, as I like a spicy bread, I use about a TBS or more of freshly ground cardamom, with cinnamon, cloves, fresh ground nutmeg. Sometimes some allspice, star anise etc during the holidays, such as halloween and Christmas which is nearing. Add however much spice you like. Traditionally the buns should have a hint of cinnamon with a bit less of cardamom, or vice versa.

6 dl whole milk (about 2.5 cups). Sometimes I add cream, or soured milk, or kefir if I have it already in the fridge, especially if I need to use it up! The whole milk I buy here, if I keep open for a few weeks,  will separate into whey and soured milk, which is great for baking. It makes great raisin buns and lussekatter (saffron buns) if I do not have kefir (a traditional sour milk like milk, a bit more strong than buttermilk). The kefir is great for baking, but a slight bit too strong in flavour sometimes, so I use the whole milk which I leave to sour/separate. This is also great for making a sour dough bread, if you don´t have a sour dough starter liquid. It gives the same flavour, if you slow rise the dough overnight or a few days in the fridge.

150 g butter, cubed

50g fresh yeast in the red packet for sweet breads (the other works ok too), or 1 packet dry yeast. If you use dry yeast, proof it as usual first. To proof I put the dry yeast in some of the warm liquid, with a little of the sugar, and a spoonful of the flour. Do not add salt! You can add the spices at this point if you want. Let sit til bubbly frothy about 15 minutes. If not even a little froth or bubbles, the yeast is dead, maybe the liquid was too warm. Start over. The liquid should be warm to the touch, but any hotter if you add the yeast now will kill the yeast. If you use honey, you can use HOT water to melt the honey, then when the water is cooled down to warm to the touch, then add the yeast for proofing.

2 medium eggs, or 1 large egg. For the recipe.

1 egg, for eggwash for brushing on top buns before baking.

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Make the dough:


Make as in any dough, proofing the yeast if you need, Add all the ingredients, mix til forms a dough. The dough will be a bit sticky, sprinkle with flour, cover with a tea towel to rise for about an hour. Form into balls, place on cookie sheet that has been covered in grease-proof paper (parchment paper) which has also been buttered slightly. Let rise for about half an hour. covered lightly with damp tea towel. Brush with eggwash before baking.

Bake til done, golden brown, in a very hot pre-heated oven 200C.


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Of making the dough, further instructions:

1) Add flour(s), sugar, salt, spices, raisins. Mix together.

2)In a pan, melt the butter. Then add the milk. Warm milk on the stove to warm to the touch! Add the yeast when the milk is warm to the touch, any warmer or hot will kill the yeast. Make sure you have taken the milk off the heat, and turned off the burner. Mix with wooden spoon. Add this, and the raw egg(s) to the flour-sugar-spice-raisins mixture.

3) Mix by hand using hands and/or wooden spoons, til forms a dough. Dough will be sticky, you can add a slight bit of flour, not too much. Knead the dough. Put into a bowl, to rise for a few hours or overnight, covered loosely with a damp tea towel.

4) Knead again, form into tiny balls, put onto baking sheet let rise again for half an hour. Brush with eggwash. Bake in hot oven til golden brown, about 15 minutes.