Winter Recipe: Saffron Sun Bread - Compassionate Meditating Families

History of Magical Saffron Bread

Sun bread has been baked for at least a thousand years as a winter solstice offering bread in the Scandinavian countries. It has been found in Viking graves, and has been made in many shapes throughout the centennia, but has always been seen as magical.

Specially decorated sun bread saved until the planting of the next year’s crops was called sowing bread and was thought to bless the harvest when scattered across the fields.

In some places, it was baked into the shape of a swaddled baby as a fertility charm (lindebarn).

Magical ‘picture breads’ were baked long before saffron reached Scandinavia. Once saffron arrived, however, its price and yellow color lent itself naturally to adding to the picture breads to make saffron sun bread.

In old times, saffron was so expensive that people could only afford to brush their sun bread with saffron. Today, thanks to jet airplanes, we can add fresh whole saffron threads into the whole dough!

Sun wheels have been used as a sun symbol even longer than sun bread has been baked. Scandinavian petroglyphs from the Bronze Age frequently show sun wheels.

However, since different regions baked different shapes, you could bake it out to any shape you like!

This sun bread recipe is being passed to the Shambhala community through a Swedish Shambhalian (me), who learned to bake solstice saffron bread from her mother, who learned from her mother in turn, and who bakes it every year with her daughter. The recipe and the tradition is offered to all Shambhalians.

US Dry Yeast Recipe with Fahrenheit

Prep | 2 h

Rise | 3 h (warm) or 8 h (cold)

Bake | 8-30 m

Ready in | 4 – 15 h

Ingredients

PRE-DOUGH

3 packages (21 g) active dry yeast
300 ml unsweetened soy milk
150 g granulated sugar
400 g bread flour

MAIN DOUGH

400 ml unsweetened soy milk
1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
1 – 1 1/2 g saffron + 3 tsp amaretto or rum (optional)
150 g granulated sugar
250 g vegan butter, softened
3 g (1/2 tsp) salt
400 g whole wheat flour
500 g bread flour

TO FINISH

Raisins or Zante currants
Water, glühwein, or rum
Sugar syrup (optional)

Preparation

(Optional) Soak the saffron threads in a little rum or amaretto

Pre-dough

Pour the yeast into a stand mixer bowl. Warm the milk somewhat – no more than 110-115ºF – and pour it over the yeast. Stir until the yeast is entirely dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp sugar.

Add the rest of the sugar and bread flour. Run the mixer with the dough hook until the dough is soft and has long gluten threads, about 10 minutes.

Cover the bowl and let rise about 60 minutes. The pre-dough can also rise in the fridge overnight.

Mix the soy milk and the whole wheat flour for the main dough and let the flour bran soften until the pre-dough has risen. Pull a little on the pre-dough to see if it’s done – if it’s full of small bubbles and has grown about 50% it’s ready.

Main Dough

Split vanilla pod (if using) and scrape out the seeds. If you didn’t soak the saffron, put it in a mortar together with some sugar and pulverize it with a pestle. Stir together vanilla and saffron and pour over the pre-dough. Add the whole wheat flour-milk mixture in pieces, sugar, butter, salt, and remainder of flour while the mixer is running.

Let the machine knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Don’t skimp on this, because it’s key to the result. The dough should be stretchy and feel a little soft but come off the sides of the bowl. If you’re unsure, let it run a few minutes extra.

Then cover the bowl and let the dough rise for an hour alternatively in the fridge overnight.

Shape dough into symbols

Soak the raisins in the water, glühwein, or rum. Flour laminate countertops and wooden baking tables very lightly. (The butter keeps the dough from sticking much.)

For sun wheel buns

Divide the dough into 5 parts, and continue to roll each fifth ‘sideways’ into 10 further parts. If you have a scale, 50 g is a good amount. Roll each part into a small ball against the table or between your palms.

Roll each ball into a thin roll. Take one roll and join ends to make a circle. Take another roll, cut into four pieces, and lay on top of the circle to make a sun wheel.

Place buns with 1 cm spacing on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with a tea towel, and let them rise for 20 minutes before baking.

For larger sun loaves

Shape a larger piece of dough, or combine several smaller pieces of dough into a large ritual loaf.

Place loaves with 1 cm spacing on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with a tea towel, and let rise for 10 minutes before baking.

Bake

Whisk some soy milk and brush the sun wheels with the milk. Press down soaked raisins or currants into each join.

Bake buns at 430ºF for 8-15 minutes and loaves at 400º F for 15-20 minutes, slightly away from the heat source. When they are golden brown, take out the bread and brush with sugar syrup. Let cool on a rack.

Serve lukewarm with coffee or glühwein. Often served together with gingerbread, another Viking age ritual bread. It is said that gingerbread make you kind – and you can’t go wrong with more kindness, right?