This morning we celebrated St. Lucia. St. Lucia Day is a Swedish holiday celebrated at Christmastime on December 13th.
St. Lucia was a young Christian girl who secretly brought food to the Christians in Rome who were hiding in the catacombs under the city in order to save themselves from persecution. She wore a crown of candles on her head to light the way and keep her hands free to carry as much as she could. She was sadly killed for her faith in 304 AD.
Schools and little towns celebrate St. Lucia today in Sweden with a procession with a girl dressed as Lucia, and sing carols. Other children, both boys and girls, dress in white and are part of the procession.
On December 12th we read Lucia Morning in Sweden and prepare our gingerbread cookies and saffron buns. In the early morning the girls dress up and we surprise Grandma (my 1/2 Swedish mother-in-law) with the cookies and buns.
This year we decided not to do the saffron buns because my kids don't like them all that much. However, we did research a new Swedish food and ended up making Swedish cinnamon star bread. Swedish star bread is a mid-summer tradition but it looked so good that we gave it a try. And it was! And it was beautiful! We tried THIS recipe and it was a lot easier than I thought. There are a lot of steps but it goes quickly and it's fun. Don't let the lengthiness of the recipe deter you from making it.
First make the dough and let it rise. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. After it rests, roll out the dough into 4 thin rounds and topped them with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. (The recipe says to keep the top layer plain- no butter or sugar/cinnamon. I didn't listen. It also called for egg instead of butter. I like butter.) Stack the 4 rounds on top of each other. Place a 10" plate on top of the dough and cut around the plate to create a nice clean circle.
Place a 2-3" diameter glass, cookie cutter, or lid in the center of the dough. Do not cut through this circle.
Cut the dough in to 4 pieces, then 8 pieces, and then 16.
This is where it gets fun. Take 2 pieces right next to each other and twist the two outward at the same time, twice. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Pinch the ends together to create a point.
Cover the dough again and let it rise for about 45 min - 1 hour. When it has risen, brush with egg whites and bake.
Final product! It is nice and soft.
Dust with powdered sugar or you could even try a little glaze.
This was perfect. It was delicious! It was a hit with everyone.
We have been enjoying finding out more about our heritage and adopting some of the traditions of our ancestors.
