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Swedish Semla Bun

April 9, 2019 by Lizet 21 Comments

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Semla bun is a Swedish bun flavored with cardamom; filled with marzipan and whipped cream, and dusted with some icing sugar.

A few weeks ago I asked you on Facebook to share some of your favorite recipes from your country, so I can make them and post them here on the blog.

Today's recipe is Laurie's request. Semla.

Semla or semlor (plural) are buns eaten leading up to and during Lent in Scandinavia. I thought it was the perfect recipe for this month.

Traditionally semla is served for fettisdag (Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday). These buns are eaten as the last celebratory feast before the Christian fasting period of Lent.

In Sweden, bakeries start selling these already in January. Fat Tuesday - Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras - is the day when people eat at least one and maybe more of these buns.

Semla Dough

The ingredients for these buns are very simple. Flour, milk, eggs, butter and a little bit of ground cardamom.

I made the dough in a bread machine. The weather here is kind of cool (72F/22C) and the machine helps it rise even when the weather is cold.

I used the "dough" setting and it took 1:30 hours from start to finish.

Semlor buns on a baking tray

When the dough was done rising. I divided the dough into 10 equal balls and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.

Semlor buns on cooling rack

Before baking these buns, I brushed them with a mixture of yolk and milk.

Homemade Marzipan

These semlor are filled with marzipan. A lot of the recipes online said to cut some marzipan, mix it with milk and bread crumbs and then use that mixture to fill the buns.

ground almonds in a bowl

Nuts are very expensive in Paraguay, and I don't think I can even get marzipan here. So I found this recipe from Christina's Cucina, where she uses ground almonds (that I just happen to have), an egg white and icing sugar.

homemade marzipan y a bowl

While the buns where cooling, I made this almond paste. Very simple and yummy.

Swedish semla filled with marzipan

I don't remember having marzipan before, so I'm not sure if this is the right consistency and flavor. Nevertheless, it worked just fine!

Swedish semla bun on a cooling rack

Take a bite. It's messy and oh, so delicious!

Thanks Laurie for mentioning these buns!

If you liked the recipe above, please consider rating the recipe and leaving a comment below! and share your picture on Instagram with the hashtag #chipabythedozen

Easter recipes:

  • Chipa Almidón (Paraguayan Gluten-Free Bread)
  • Chipa Pirú (Crunchy Gluten-Free Bread)
Swedish Semla Bun
Print Recipe
5 from 12 votes

Swedish Semla Bun

Swedish Semla Bun or semlor (plural) are buns flavored with cardamom. Filled with marzipan and whipped cream. A touch of icing sugar to finish up.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Resting Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: Sweedish
Servings: 10 buns
Calories: 456kcal
Author: Lizet Bowen

Ingredients

Buns:

  • 1 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/3 cup butter (75g)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 egg yolk (for brushing the buns)
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Marzipan:

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup ground almonds (60g)
  • 3/4 cup icing sugar (93g)

To assemble:

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons icing sugar, divided (34g)

Instructions

  • Dough: In a 16 oz. measuring cup, add milk and butter. Microwave for 1.5 minutes. Mix well and add sugar and yeast. 
  • In a big mixing bowl, add 4 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 egg, and the yeast mixture. Using your hands, bring the dough together.
  • On a flat surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled about 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
  • Divide into 10 equal pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Let them rise for another 30 minutes. Brush each bun with a mixture of 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place them on a cooling rack.
  • Marzipan: In a small mixing bowl, whip 1 egg white until soft peaks form, fold in the ground almonds and icing sugar. 
  • Whipped cream: In a medium mixing bowl, add whipping cream, 2 tablespoons icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, whisk on high speed until medium to stiff peaks forms, about 2 minutes.
  • How to assemble: Cut the top of each bun with a knife. Fill with about 1 tablespoon of marzipan. Pipe some whipped cream. Place the tops back and sprinkle some icing sugar.

Notes

I made the dough using a bread machine. Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Use dough setting and continue with step 4 on the recipe card.

Nutrition

Calories: 456kcal

Swedish Semla Bun
Swedish Semla Bun

More Bread & Donuts

  • Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)
  • Easy White Bread from Scratch
  • Cardamom - Citrus Cinnamon Rolls
  • Buñuelos (Bolivian Donuts)

Filed Under: Bread & Donuts, Dessert Tagged With: bread, Sweden, Swedish buns

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jill

    April 10, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    Can I freeze the unfilled buns for later use?
    Would it be best to freeze them baked or unbaked?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Lizet

      April 10, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      Yes. Freeze then baked.

      Reply
  2. Tawnie Kroll

    September 21, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    Cardamom is one of my favorites spices so I knew I'd love these. So amazing! Great recipe.

    Reply
  3. Toni Dash

    September 21, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    This is so good!! Everyone at my house was impressed!

    Reply
  4. Catherine

    September 21, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    These look so beautiful and delicious! I've not had one before but they remind me of cream puffs which I make towards the holidays. This is a perfect recipe to try soon!

    Reply
  5. jack

    September 21, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    These buns look so delicious, I can't wait to make them!

    Reply
  6. Carrie Robinson

    September 21, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    You had me at cardamom! These look fantastic. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Priya Srinivasan

    February 25, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    Ohhh my god, look at those cute lil beauties!! That photo of the bun with marzipan, looks totally delicious!!! Wonderful bake, i m bookmarking this, definitely going to try and my boys are going to love this!!!!

    Reply
    • Lizet

      February 27, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      They were definitely a hit with my boys 🙂 I'm sure your boys will love it too.

      Reply
  8. Danielle

    February 25, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    One of my favorite ways to make buns. I love the filling - it makes me crave more and more. Can't wait to give your recipe a try!

    Reply
    • Lizet

      February 27, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      👏 👏

      Reply
  9. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

    February 25, 2020 at 3:10 am

    Oh Gosh! These buns look lovely and I love the almond filling inside it. I am not a big fan of marzipan anyway and I absolutely like your way of the filling. Looks so perfect and I would love to start the day with this.

    Reply
    • Lizet

      February 27, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      Yes! great way to start the day 🙂

      Reply
  10. Roslia santamaria

    April 15, 2019 at 6:52 am

    This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients 🙂

    Reply
  11. Kelley

    April 12, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    I can't get over how amazing these look! You make it look so easy too! Must.try.asap!

    Reply
    • Lizet Flores de Bowen

      April 12, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      Kelly, I hope you try them!

      Reply
  12. Linda

    April 11, 2019 at 9:02 pm

    I really don't mind a messylicious bun like this! Love every bite of this bread and how creamy the filling is. I can't wait for warmer days to come so I can make this bread.

    Reply
    • Lizet Flores de Bowen

      April 12, 2019 at 6:02 pm

      I'm glad you liked it Linda!

      Reply
  13. Alex

    April 11, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    So delicious!

    Reply
  14. Candi Elm

    April 09, 2019 at 11:44 pm

    I had never heard of this before. It looks delicious and I loved hearing the story behind it.

    Reply
    • Lizet Flores de Bowen

      April 11, 2019 at 12:25 am

      I hope you give it a try, Candi!

      Reply

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Hello! I am Lizet. Welcome to my blog. This is a collection of the most beloved recipes between my family and friends. Some are my own creations and some are copycat from the many found on the internet, but with a twist using ingredients I can find in Paraguay. I hope you enjoy them! More..

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