♬ Santa Lucia Crown for the Feast of St. Lucia ♬

St. Lucia is an Italian saint who has been "adopted" by the people of Sweden. Christmas celebrations in Sweden begin on her feast day, which is the 13th of December. Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, that date was the shortest day of the year and in some regions of Scandinavia the sun didn't rise at all. Lucia is the patron saint of light, and legend tells us she wore a wreath of candles on her head to free her arms to carry bread to starving Christians hiding in the catacombs. The man she was to marry denounced her for assisting the poor and as a punishment she was blinded and set afire. The flames, however, didn't touch her and it took a stab wound to the heart to finally kill her. It is said that Lucia regained her sight just before her death. She is, to this day, revered as the patron saint of the blind because of her association with light. Her place in Swedish legend was earned because farmers in the middle ages believed she walked across a lake to deliver armloads of bread to starving members of their villages during a famine. They reported her path across the water was illuminated by the crown of candles she wore on her head. Lucia's name is synonymous with light and her crown symbolizes the light of faith and the promise of the sun's return. If you would like to see the procession that takes place on Saint Lucia day, you'll find a beautiful example here.

I have a special fondness for this holiday. Although I'm not Swedish, or Italian for that matter, I have enduring memories of Santa Lucia Day as it was spent on the south side of Chicago when I was a child. You've heard those stories and I've shared my recipes for some of the special foods that I associate with the holiday. We've already done done a coffee cake and Lussekatter or Lucia buns. Today's feature is a special sweet bread called a Lucia Crown. The crown should actually be made from two braids, one large, the other small. They are baked separately, and the small crown, which holds the candles, is placed on top of the other just before serving. The last time I did that, the small crown, with lit candles, slid off and caused more than a little excitement in the kitchen. These days, I use a much safer method of construction and no longer need the assistance of the fire department when I present the crown to my family. It's basically a long braid that's knotted into a circle. A demonstration of the technique can be found here. The dough used to make the crown is actually easy to prepare and it is not beyond the capabilities of a novice baker. There is, obviously, some symbolism built into the crown. Saffron is added to the dough to give it the color of the sun and the use of the candles is self-explanatory. This is a delicious bread and it is handsome enough to be used as a table centerpiece. I hope you'll give it a try. Fans of sweet breads will be happy to know this bread comes with a recommendation and an alert. My socks are going up and down. Hang on to yours. Here's the recipe.

Santa Lucia Crown

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water

2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs, divided use

Powdered Sugar Glaze, optional (recipe follows)

Red and green candied cherry halves, optional

Directions:

1) Place 1/4 cup warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, warm milk, sugar, butter, salt, saffron, and 1-1/2 cups flour; blend well. Stir in 2 eggs and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2) Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a 36-inch rope. Braid ropes. Place on a greased baking sheet and knot into a crown shaped circle. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake crown for 25 minutes or until done, covering braid with foil during last 10 minutes to prevent excess browning. Remove braid from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

4) To decorate, make holes for candles in crown. If desired, drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze and garnish with candied cherry halves. Insert candles in prepared holes.

Powdered Sugar Glaze: In small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted; 4 to 5 teaspoons milk; and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.