Whole Wheat Santa Lucia Buns

These Santa Lucia Buns are a whole wheat version of a traditional Swedish holiday bread.

This time last year, I posted a wonderful traditional Santa Lucia buns recipe, which included saffron, currants, and Swedish pearl sugar. Be sure to visit the post to find out more about the holiday.

This time, I decided to try a more "rustic" version with whole wheat flour. You could add saffron to these, but I think the flavor of the pricy spice would be overwhelmed by the hearty whole wheat flavor.

This version of the bread starts with both a soaker and a biga, prepared the day before mixing the final dough.

Note: You can make these buns with 100 percent whole wheat, or, if you'd like a slightly lighter flavor, use a 70/30 blend of whole wheat and bread flour.

I loved these buns fresh from the oven and slathered with melty butter. They were also excellent toasted like bagels and served with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

This month, the Bread Bakers group is baking whole grained holiday breads, a theme chosen by Kalyani of Sizzling Taste Buds. After the recipe, be sure and check out the rest of the Bread Bakers' recipes.

I adapted this recipe from the book Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor. If you want to learn how to bake artisan bread and pizza, get Peter's books.

Yield: 12 buns

Whole Wheat Santa Lucia Buns

ingredients:

Soaker

• 227 grams (1 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour
• 4 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
• 170 grams (3/4 cup) unscalded buttermilk or scalded milk

Biga

• 227 grams (1 3/4 cups) whole wheat flour
• 1 gram (1/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
• 142 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) water
• 1 large egg, beaten slighly

Final Dough

• All of the soaker
• All of the biga
• 113 grams (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) whole wheat flour (see Note above)
• 5 grams (5/8 teaspoon) salt
• 7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 71 grams (1/4 cup) honey or agave
• 56 grams (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

instructions:

Soaker

1. Mix the soaker ingredients in a bowl until everything is incorporated. 
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. 

Biga

1. Mix all of the biga ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands to knead the dough for 2 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, and then knead a second time for about a minute. 
2. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours, and up to 3 days. 
3. Remove the biga from the refrigerator about 2 hours before mixing the final dough. 

Final Dough

1. Break the soaker and the biga up into small pieces and add them to the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low with the paddle attachment for one minute. Switch to the dough hook, and mix on medium low for about 4 minutes. Adjust the flour and/or water to achieve a smooth and slightly sticky dough. 
3. Knead the dough by hand for another four minutes. Form it into a ball and let it rest for five minutes, and then knead by hand for another minute. Form the dough into a ball, and place it into an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 to 60 minutes. 
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and let rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. 
5. Roll each dough ball into a 10 inch log, and form the final rolls by rolling the ends toward the middle, like a snail (see photos). 
6. Place the shaped rolls onto the baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Spray lightly with spray oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour. 
7. Place the buns into the oven, and lower the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The buns are done when the interior reaches 190 degrees F. Cool on a wire rack. 

http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2017/12/whole-wheat-santa-lucia-buns-breadbakers.html

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Check out everyone's whole grain holiday bread recipes!

• 100% Whole Wheat Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Eggless Whole Wheat Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls from Spill the Spices
• Gingerbread and Oatmeal Bread from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Kamut Cloverleaf Rolls from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Key-Shaped Challah with Finger Millet from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Khameeri Puri from Sneha's Recipe
• Oats Whole Wheat Bread from The Mad Scientist's Kitchen
• Santa Lucia Buns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Slovak Pasca from Ambrosia
• Spelt Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Whole Wheat Grissini from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Whole Wheat Stollen from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Wholewheat Garlic Flavoured Monkey Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds