The recipe:

• 300 ml milk
• 1 g saffron
• 50 g fresh baker's yeast
• 150 g sugar
• 125 g butter or margarine
• 700 g all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• salt
• raisins

What to do:

1. Melt butter or margarine in a pan and add the milk and the saffron. Warm the mixture to 37 degrees C (100 degrees F). Use a thermometer, the correct temperature is important!
   
2. Pour the mixture over the crumbled yeast then add the flour, sugar and salt. Mix into a smooth dough.
   
3. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for 30 minutes.
   
4. Knead the dough on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 25-30 pieces and form each piece into a round bun. Let the buns rest for a few minutes, covered by the cloth.
   
5. Form each bun into a long sausage, 15-20 cm long, then arrange it into one of the below shapes. Press a few raisins into the dough.
   
6. Cover the "lussekatter" with the cloth and let them rise for 40 minutes.
   
7. Whisk the egg together with a few grains of salt and brush the "lussekatter" with the mixture.
   
8. Bake them for 5-10 minutes at 250 degrees C (475 degrees F) until golden brownish-yellow.
   
9. Let the "lussekatter" cool on a wire tray covered by the cloth.

Various shapes of Lussekatter:

(The one to the right is my favourite)