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A saffron bun, or lussekatt in Swedish (pl. Lussekatter, from Saint Lucia), is a rich yeast dough bun that is flavoured with saffron and cinnamon or nutmeg and contains currants. In Sweden, no cinnamon or nutmeg is used in the bun, and raisins are used instead of currants. The buns are baked into many traditional shapes, of which the simplest is a reversed S-shape. They are traditionally eaten during Advent, and especially on Luciadagen (St. Lucy's Day, December 13).

In England, the buns were traditionally baked on sycamore leaves and dusted with powdered sugar. This "revel bun" from Cornwall is baked for special occasions, such as anniversary feasts (revels), or the dedication of a church. In the West of Cornwall large saffron buns are also known as "tea treat buns" and are associated with Methodist Sunday School outings or activities.

Larger versions of the saffron bun baked in a loaf tin are known as saffron cake.

References

Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999), "Bun". p. 114 ISBN 0-19-211579-0

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 Larger versions of the saffron bun baked in a loaf tin are known as saffron cake.
-==Recipe for traditional Swedish saffron buns ("lussekatter")==
-*200 gr lightly salted butter
-*0.5 litres fresh milk
-*50 gr fresh baking yeast
-*200 ml granulated sugar
-*½ tsp salt
-*0.5 - 1 gr pure saffron, ground
-*800-850 gr strong baking flour
-*raisins
-*1 egg
-Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat and add the milk. Warm the mixture to body temperature (test it on the inside of your wrist). If it gets too hot, let it cool.<br>
-Crumble the fresh yeast in a large bowl, and add a little of the warm liquid. Stir until the yeast is dissolved, and add the rest of the liquid. <br>
-Add the ground-up saffron, the salt and the sugar, and stir until all is dissolved. <br>
-Little by little, add the flour, while stirring. When the dough becomes too compact to stir, remove it from the bowl onto a table top dusted with flour, and continue to knead it by hand. Add more flour if needed. The dough should be soft, but not too sticky. When the dough is very smooth and springy, put it back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let it rise for 40-45 minutes in a warm and draught-free place.
-When the dough has risen enough to yield a little when pressed with a finger, turn it out onto the table and knead it briefly again. Then divide the dough into two pieces, and let one half rest. Divide the first half into ten equal pieces. Knead and roll each piece against the table top until it's a long, tapering sausage, and twist in the ends to make a reversed S-shape. Put the buns on a baking sheet lined with baking paper (or greased) and let them rise for 20 minutes covered by a clean tea towel. They rise quite a bit in the oven, so don't put them too close to each other. In the mean time, shape the remaining dough.
-When the buns have risen, brush them with lightly beaten egg, and decorate them by gently pushing raisins into the dough. Bake them in a hot oven (250ºC) for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.
-Let the buns cool underneath a clean tea towel before eaten. When completely cooled, they can be put into plastic food bags and kept in room temperature. If kept longer than a day, store them in the freezer. Stale buns can be freshened up by quickly heating them in the oven or microwave.
-The raisins can optionally be mixed into the dough.
-If baked with dried yeast, follow the instructions on the yeast packet.
 ==References==