Celebrating Valient Martyr Lucy

St. Lucia Buns take a LONG time to make. The good news is that they taste delicioso and were worth the three hours of sleep deprivation. Nathaniel can vouch for this since he's the one that stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning preparing and baking them.

Traditionally, we get our tree on Gaudete Sunday and use the extra branches from trimming to make Lucia wreaths. We were snowed in Sunday afternoon and left with only one option...a paper wreath. I admit it was somewhat a stress relief to not worry about the potential smell of putrid, singed hair...or worse. (A boy set fire to my hair once in the eighth grade. Suffice it to say that it goes up into flames VERY quickly and smells horrendous.)

And last but not least, here's a page about St. Lucy.

I must now go to remind Daddy to plant the Christmas Wheat.

"St. Lucy did not have her two front teeth out!" chided Augustine, as I took the photo of the Lucy Bride.

RECIPE

St. Lucia Buns

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1 tsp. ground cardamom (this is what makes them taste so YUMMY)!

4 1/3 c. sifted all-purpose flour

1 egg

Raisins

1 egg white

♥Scald milk; pour into a large bowl and add sugar, salt, and butter. Cool to lukewarm.

♥Sprinkle yeast on warm water; stir to dissolve.

♥Add cardamom, 1 c. flour, yeast and egg to milk mixture; beat with electric mixer at medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, 2 minutes, or until smooth. (Or beat vigorously with spoon.) Stir in enough remaining flour, a little at a time, until dough leaves the sides of bowl.

♥Turn onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

♥Place in lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled, about 45 to 50 minutes. Punch down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.

♥Pinch off balls of dough about 2 1/2" in diameter and roll into pieces 12" long and 1/2" thick. Place 2 strips together, back to back, on greased baking sheets and curl or coil the ends. Stick a raisin in the center of each coil. (Or form strips of dough in the shape of an S, coiling or curling ends. Stick a raisin in the center of each coil.) Brush tops of buns with egg white beaten until foamy. Sprinkle with sugar, if you wish. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

 ♥Bake in hot over (400 degrees) 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to wire racks. Serve warm or cold. Makes 18 buns.