Eaten during Lent

In Finland we call the bun “Fastlagsbulle” and in Sweden the bun is called “Semla”. The word “semla” comes from the Latin word “simila” which means flour. The buns are eaten on Thuesdays during the fasting. It is said that by cutting off the top of the bun and hiding the filling inside you can eat it with a clear conscience.
“Hetvägg” (“hot wall”) is an old name of the bun, which originates from the German language and implies that the bun should be warm and eaten with warm milk.
A long time ago the buns consisted of milk and rusks, but soft buns made of wheatdough started to appear in the late 19th century.
These buns can be eaten with hot milk.

The bun:
75g margarine
3dl milk 1 beaten egg
50g yeast
1dl sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
9-10dl wheat flour

For the brushing:
1 beaten egg

Filling:
100g grated almond paste
1dl milk
2dl whipped cream
(if you don’t like almond paste, you can use jam instead)