Saffron pastries for Lucia Day

Baking for Lucia Day on December 13th

On December 13th, the Lucia Festival is celebrated throughout Scandinavia. In Norway, the day is usually only observed in schools and kindergartens, where a child dressed as Saint Lucia, wearing a white dress and a wreath of candles, leads a small procession. The other children follow Lucia, singing the song "Santa Lucia."
Along the way, children distribute soft saffron pastries called lussekatter , symbolizing light. The pastries can have various shapes, but are usually shaped like an "S," the traditional symbol for the sun and life. The yeast pastry is often decorated with one or two raisins.

Ingredients:

150 g lightly salted butter
480 ml milk
2 packets of dry yeast (14 g)
1/2 tsp ground saffron or saffron threads, gently crushed
150 g sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
900 g flour + a little more for shaping
1 tsp salt
Raisins for decoration

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the milk, yeast, and saffron and mix well, then remove from the heat. Stir in the sugar, then thoroughly incorporate 2 eggs. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and knead everything into a sticky dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface with your hands for 5 to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Return it to the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly flour the work surface again. Divide the dough into 14 equal pieces and roll them into thick ropes. Roll the ends of the ropes in opposite directions to the center to form an "S." Spread the dough pieces onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for another 20 minutes.
Whisk the remaining egg in a bowl and brush the dough pieces with it, then decorate with raisins. Bake the Lussekatter, one at a time, in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. They taste best freshly baked.

Source:

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