In Sweden, we have a pastry called lussebulle, or saffron bun, that we only eat around Christmas. We start eating them 13th of December when we celebrate Saint Lucy’s day, or Sankta Lucia, as we say in Sweden.
Lucia was an energetic young lady who sacrificed everything for her faith and died as a martyr in 304 AD.

It’s a feast we are taking seriously here in Sweden, and we celebrate it thoroughly.
One reason, I suppose, is because it brings some light into a dark and cold part of the year.

As you can see in this video, it is a beautiful and peaceful event.
But if you claim that it is a bit odd, I won’t argue with you. At least it didn’t include gnomes and gingerbread men that are otherwise common.

A lussebulle is more or less a cinnamon bun without cinnamon. Instead, we add saffron to the dough.
I have been thinking about baking this bun with sourdough.
But for some reason, it has never happened.

But this year, I found a recipe for a babka with saffron in a food magazine.
There was no doubt about it. I just had to try it.

But, of course, it should be naturally leavened instead of baker’s yeast used in the original recipe.

A sourdough babka with saffron.

And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Here are a few related articles you may want to read:

Sourdough Brioche bread

Sourdough chocolate cruffin

MIXING LEVAIN

I used 150 grams of levain in this dough, which is quite much for a total dough weight of 900 grams. I don’t think this bread benefits from long fermentation, so I wanted to speed up the process a bit. Besides, enriched doughs tend to have a slower fermentation.

The mixing ratio was 1:2:2. That means 35 grams sourdough starter + 70 grams water + 70 grams flour.
As usual, I mixed a little bit more than I need, just in case.
The hydration was 100%

MIXING THE DOUGH

I mixed all ingredients quickly into a shaggy dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. As you can see in the picture, the butter is not fully incorporated yet, but it will be in the end.

After the rest, the dough was not so sticky anymore. I kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes. Now I had a smooth dough that shines like a little sun in the bowl.

BULK FERMENTATION

As I mentioned earlier, enriched doughs tend to ferment slower. But with the high amount of levain and a high ambient temperature, about 82°F/28°C, I managed to keep it to 5,5 hours. I performed one set of stretch and fold 30 minutes into the fermentation process. But after that, I left the dough alone.

When the dough was ready, It had increased by about 70%, and it felt smooth and puffy when I touched it.

CHOCOLATE MIXTURE

I placed all ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a bowl and heated it carefully in a microwave oven until the chocolate started to melt.
Next, I whisked it into a smooth mixture and let it cool.

SHAPING

I dumped out the dough on a floured surface and started to stretch it into a rectangle about 12×10 inch/30×25 cm. The dough felt extensible, so it was pretty easy. I didn’t use a rolling pin, but if you prefer to use one, please feel free to do so.

Next, I distributed the chocolate mixture over the dough, except for a 2 cm surface on one of the long sides.
I rolled up the dough from the opposite side and transferred it onto a piece of parchment paper.

Now it was time for the dough to cool slightly in the refrigerator. For my dough, 30 minutes was enough. When I took it out, it was much easier to handle.
I cut the log with a sharp knife, braided the pieces together, and shaped it into some kind of loaf.

After that, it was placed into a bread tin, lined with parchment paper.
To prevent the dough from drying out, I placed it into a plastic bag before it was time for the final rise.

FINAL RISE

The final rise for this dough will probably take longer than you are used to, even at room temperature. Again, enriched dough ferments slower, which becomes more noticeable when it’s time for the final proofing.
My dough needed 3.5 hours at 72°F/22°C to double in size.

SYRUP

While I was waiting for the proofing to get ready, I made the syrup. It’s easy. Just mix sugar and water and bring it to a boil. Whisk until all sugar has dissolved, remove it immediately, and let it cool.

BAKING

Don’t turn up the temperature too much when baking this sourdough babka. It may be burned if the oven is too hot.
I started with 390°F/200°C, but I had to turn it down to 340°F/170°C after 20 minutes. In the end, I had to cover the loaf with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from becoming too dark on the top.

It took 50 minutes for my loaf to get ready. The bread must become fully cooked, so if you have a kitchen thermometer, I encourage you to use it.
The temperature at the center shall reach 200°F/94°C.

I took the ready babka out from the oven and brushed it with the syrup.
How much is up to you and your conscience to decide.

You should wait at least an hour before you can start cutting into it.
It’s not easy.
I had to protect my babka from my son, who was gliding around like a shark in the kitchen.
I don’t blame him. This sourdough babka smelled and looked heavenly.

If you like babka in general, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
You must, of course, like saffron as well, as the taste is quite profound,
but apart from that, this is a no-brainer.