Vegan Swedish Saffron Bread (st. Lucia Christmas bread)
These Vegan Swedish Saffron Breads are fluffy, sweet and oh so delicious. Think fluffy pull-apart bread flavoured with saffron. This is my vegan version of the traditional Swedish St. Lucia or lussekatter bread recipe, and it’s just as wonderfully fluffy and moist as the original st. Lucia Christmas bread recipes.
These saffron breads are traditionally made at Christmas time to celebrate St. Lucia on December 13th, but have become so popular that they are eaten all December…and in my family they are made all year round.
The original recipe for Swedish saffron bread is made with eggs, butter and milk, but I wanted a vegan version that I could make that would be just as good – and I wanted it to be so moist and tasty that no one would ever guess that this recipe is vegan. And that’s exactly what I got in this vegan st.Lucia recipe. It’s incredibly tasty with a moist and fluffy crumb and it actually stays fresh for longer than the original recipe. Win-win for vegan baking.
What’s great about this Vegan Swedish Saffron Bread recipe?
- It’s soft, fluffy and moist
- Deliciously sweet bread that tastes like cake
- Easy to make
- Kid friendly recipe – Great for baking with children
- Simple ingredients that are easy to get
- Meal prep friendly – can be made in advance and frozen
- Crowdpleasers – I have yet to meet anyone that didn’t instantly adore this recipe
- Vegan and soy free
What type of plant milk should I use for vegan st. Luca bread
You can use any type of plant milk that you prefer for this recipe. My personal favourite is almond milk, because it makes bread extra moist and locks in the fluffiness for longer. But oat milk and soy milk also work well… there’s really no going wrong with this recipe.
Should you use raisins or sultanas?
Traditionally a raisin or sultana is placed on each of the rolled up end of the bread… but I’m here to tell you that if you (like me) don’t like raisins, you can just leave them out of the recipe.
If, however, you like raisins, I suggest using larger raisins that are very moist. That’s because the raisins will dry up and shrink during baking and become hard little nuggets.
You can also soak the raisins in water for a few minutes before placing them on the bread. This will lock in the moisture and make them less dry.
Meal prep friendly lussekatter
These easy vegan Swedish saffron breads are not only easy to make, they are also freezer friendly. I like to make a big batch and freeze half for later. They are just as delicious and fluffy when they are allowed to defrost for 10-20 minutes and quickly reheated in the oven before serving. It’s one of my favourite backups to always have in the freezer in case of last minute guests announcing their arrival.
How are these vegan Swedish Saffron Breads made? It’s so easy. Just:
Instructions
- Add flour, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl and combine.
- Next, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat while stirring constantly (make sure butter doesn’t start to boil and bubble). When the butter is melted, add the plant milk and saffron and stir together. Remove from the heat and stir in the yeast.
- Next, pour the milk/butter mixture into the flour while stirring to combine. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes (or use a bread mixer). Once the dough is kneaded, place it in the mixing bowl with a clean towel on top and leave to rise for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Divide the dough into 40 equally large pieces and roll into a long rope. Twist the ends of the dough into an S shape.
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the st. Lucia bread on the baking sheet and cover with a clean cloth. Leave to rise for 15-20 more minutes. Brush the bread with plant milk and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the buns are golden on the outside. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Vegan Swedish Saffron Bread (st. Lucia Christmas bread)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (150g) Plant Margarine or your favorite non dairy butter for baking
- 2¼ cups (500ml) Plant Milk Plus extra for brushing
- 2 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
- ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar
- 1½ tsp Saffron Powder
- 5½ cups (13dl) Plain Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Add flour, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl and combine.
- Next, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat while stirring constantly (make sure butter doesn’t start to boil and bubble). When the butter is melted, add the plant milk and saffron and stir together. Remove from the heat and stir in the yeast.
- Next, pour the milk/butter mixture into the flour while stirring to combine. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes (or use a bread mixer). Once the dough is kneaded, place it in the mixing bowl with a clean towel on top and leave to rise for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Divide the dough into 40 equally large pieces and roll into a long rope. Twist the ends of the dough into an S shape.
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the st. Lucia bread on the baking sheet and cover with a clean cloth. Leave to rise for 15-20 more minutes. Brush the bread with plant milk and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the buns are golden on the outside. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Looking for more delicious vegan baking recipes? Try my easy vegan apple crisp recipe or my easy vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe that are so deliciously chewy.
Wow! These exceeded my expectations. The texture and flavor was phenomenal. Definitely making these again. *the amount of salt was not included so to be on the safe side I did 1/4 tsp.
Great recipe! Thank you.
Thank you for the feedback. So glad you liked the recipe! I added the amount of salt to the recipe 🙂
My oh my!!! These saffron buns after simply blissful!! They are amazing with a hot cup of coffee and perfect for a rainy day! My sister and I are DEFINITELY making these again; they’re just so soft and well, perfect with every bite!!!
If you’re using saffron threads instead of powder how much do you recommend?
Hi, I recommend using 0,5grams to 1gram saffron threads depending on how much you want the saffron flavour to come through in the recipe. Personally, I love saffron, so I use around 1gram saffron threads and crush them before adding to the warm milk mixture, and letting it soak for a few minutes while stirring. If you think you would prefer a more mild saffron taste, then I recommend using 0,5grams saffron threads. It gives a lovely and mild flavour 🙂
Hi, definitely looking forward to trying this recipe, but would like to know how look they’d keep fresh after baking (to know how far in advance I can make them without freezing), and how best to store them, to keep soft? Do I wait until completely cooled to put them into a Tupperware/tin box ? Thanks a lot!
Hi, they keep fresh for around 2 days. After that you can lightly pat them with a little water and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes to make them fresh and moist on the inside again (this tip works with all types of bread). They are best when they get to cool completely before storing them away 🙂
We make little balls of almond paste to replace the raisins.