Instructions

Buns

1. Pour 3 dl milk and 60 g flour into a saucepan and heat while stirring until the mixture thickens.
2. Leave to cool to at least room temperature, preferably colder.
3. Once cold, add the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer together with all the other ingredients except the butter and salt.
4. Knead the dough for 2–3 minutes before adding the butter and salt.
5. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough feels short and tears easily, it needs more kneading. In a ProBaker, this takes approximately 7–8 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 60 g portions, approximately 25 buns in total.
7. Shape them into smooth, round balls and place them on baking trays. A good way to shape them is to roll each piece between your palm and the worktop with your hand slightly cupped.
8. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for approximately 2 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 200 °C fan (220 °C conventional).
10. Bake for 8 minutes, or until nicely golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Apple compote

1. Cut the apples into small pieces.
2. Place all the ingredients except the almond paste in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Leave to simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the apples begin to soften.
4. Leave the compote to cool completely.
5. Finely grate the almond paste, then mix it thoroughly with the apple compote.

Assemble

1. Whip the cream together with the cinnamon.
2. Cut the top off each semla, fill with the apple and almond filling, then pipe the whipped cream on top. 
3. Replace the lid and dust with icing sugar. Attach a dried apple slice with a little whipped cream.

Tips for making buns

• Knead the dough thoroughly until it is elastic, and give it plenty of time to rise. This allows the flavours to develop and gives you a soft, moist bun.
• Use real cardamom, preferably whole cardamom seeds that you crush in a mortar or grind yourself.
• Don't brush the buns before baking. There is no need for shiny buns when you are going to dust them with icing sugar anyway. You also avoid egg marks and brush marks, and the icing sugar sticks better.
• Cut the lid with scissors! There are, of course, different ways to do this, but if you want a perfect hollow with plenty of room for filling, this is the best method.
• Don't overwhip the cream! It is easy to ruin a semla by whipping the cream too stiffly. Stop whipping when you think it needs just a little more. If necessary, finish whisking by hand, when you have more control over the consistency. By the time the cream has been transferred to the piping bag, it will have reached the right consistency.
• Eat the semlor fresh whenever possible. Fill them just before serving. No one wants a semla that has been sitting in the fridge for several hours, with a firm bun and cream that has lost its fresh texture.