{The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge} Party Planning Committee: Saint Lucia Day!

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In honor of St. Lucy’s Day on December 13, the Party Planning Committee is back: this time with tips and tricks for holding your own Saint Lucia Day celebration.

While Saint Lucia (Anglicized: Lucy) is not celebrated everywhere in Lutheran tradition, she is accorded a spot in Lutheran Service Book’s list of church year commemorations—largely due, no doubt, to her outsized place of honor in Scandinavian Lutheran tradition.

After taking a few moments to answer the question: “But isn’t that Catholic?” Rachel borrows Sarah’s story time privileges to share “Twas the Night Before the Diocletian Persecution: The (Mostly) (Maybe?) True Story of Lucia of Syracuse.” Sarah then discusses popular celebratory traditions and introduces several versions of a Sankta Lucia folk song, and Erin brings the conversation to a warm and tasty conclusion with a delectable tray of traditional St. Lucia buns. (See recipe below.)

Deep in the northern sky bright stars are beaming
Christmas is drawing nigh, candles are gleaming.
Welcome they vision rare, lights glowing in thy hair
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Child of the holy light, banish the dark of night
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!

Many thanks to Rev. Weslie and Kristina Odom and their children for the Swedish rendition of the Sankta Lucia folk song.

For more history and folklore, read about Saint Lucy on her Wikipedia page and the global Saint Lucy celebrations on their Wikipedia page.

Additional music for this episode from Grand_Project at pixabay.com/users/grand_project-19033897.

St. Lucia Buns
Adapted from: simplyrecipes.com/recipes/st_lucia_saffron_buns

Makes 14-20 buns

Ingredients:

¾ c milk (175ml)

½ t turmeric

¼ cup (50g) sugar

1 packet active dry yeast (.25 oz) (check the expiration date on the package to make sure it’s still good!)

3.5-4 cups (490g to 570g) all-purpose flour

½ t salt

½ t ground cardamom

4 T butter, just melted

¼ c sour cream

2 eggs, beaten

Finishing:

1 egg, beaten

Raisins (optional: soak them in warm water to plump them up first)

Sugar (turbinado is especially nice)

Directions:

Heat milk, turmeric, and half of the sugar, just until the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture cool until it is warm to the touch, NOT hot.

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk, stir briefly, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.

In a large bowl, whisk 3.5 c (490g) flour, remaining sugar, salt, and cardamom. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeasty milk, 2 eggs, butter, and sour cream. Mix until most of the flour is incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a flour-sprinkled counter and knead. Add more flour, little by little, as needed, until the dough is still a little sticky to the touch, but does not completely stick to your hands.

Oil the dough ball and place in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 14-20 portions. Roll each portion into a long snake. Curl the ends in opposite directions, spiraling into an “S” shape.

Place on a lined baking sheet. Cover and place in a warm spot until the buns double in size, 30-60 min.

Preheat over to 400° F. Brush each bun with egg wash. If using raisins, place them in the middle of each spiral. If using sugar, sprinkle it on each bun.

Bake at 400° F for 10-11 min. Turn halfway through cooking to ensure even browning, until the buns are light golden brown.

Eat warm! They are best freshly baked.

Notes:

You can do one or both rises in the fridge, overnight or while you are at work. For the first rise, just make sure the bowl is well covered. For the second rise, make sure the pan is well covered, but also that there is room for the buns to rise. I used an oiled sheet of foil to cover for the second rise, so that I could give it a little extra room. In each case, if you have time let the refrigerated dough sit in a warm place a bit to take some of the chill off before moving on.