Fastelavnsboller, Semlor, and Maritozzi
Across Europe, the days leading up to Lent have historically been a moment of deliberate excess. Before weeks of restraint, bakers leaned into the richest ingredients they had on hand — butter, eggs, cream, sugar — and paired them with yeast-leavened doughs designed to rise quickly and luxuriously. The result was a family of celebratory buns that appear across cultures under different names: Danish and Norwegian Fastelavnsboller, Swedish Semlor, and Italian Maritozzi. While their shapes, fillings, and flavours vary, they are united by one technical truth: these are enriched, fermented* doughs built to showcase both structure and indulgence.
*Some modern versions are unleavened, made with puff or Choux pastry.
A Shared Framework: Enriched, Yeasted Doughs
Traditionally, all of these buns are made with commercial yeast. That choice made sense historically: yeast offered predictability, speed, and the lifting power needed to raise doughs weighed down by fat, sugar, and eggs. In enriched systems, fermentation isn’t just about leavening — it’s about managing gluten development, gas retention, and flavor without compromising softness. For modern bakers, especially those working with sourdough, these buns offer a fascinating playground for understanding how enrichment interacts with fermentation biology.
Timing Matters: Why These Buns Belong to Lent
These buns are most closely associated with Shrovetide — the final days before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. From a baking perspective, this timing mattered. Rich doughs contain large quantities of dairy and eggs that would traditionally be avoided or rationed during Lent. From a fermentation standpoint, they also represented a shift toward shorter, warmer fermentations, ensuring buns could be baked and eaten fresh for celebration rather than storage.
Today, of course, refrigeration, wild fermentation, and long, controlled proofing have expanded what’s possible — allowing bakers to extract far more flavor from the same foundational doughs.
Fastelavnsboller: Structure First, Filling Second
Danish and Norwegian Fastelavnsboller occupy an interesting middle ground between soft roll and pastry. Modern versions range from classic split buns to laminated hybrids, or even unleavened versions, but at their core they rely on a moderately enriched dough that can hold its shape once filled. The dough traditionally contains milk, butter, sugar, eggs, and yeast — enriched enough to be tender, but not so rich that it loses strength.
From a sourdough perspective, this dough benefits from strong gluten development early, before fat is fully incorporated. Bakers often find success building structure first, then layering in butter and sugar gradually, allowing the dough to remain extensible yet resilient enough to support pastry cream, whipped cream, or jam fillings.
Semlor: Fermentation as a Flavor Carrier
Swedish Semlor (plural) or Semla (singular) are arguably the most fermentation-forward of the group. The dough is subtly sweet, lightly enriched, and intentionally restrained so that the cardamom and almond filling can take centre stage. Commercial yeast versions rely on a quick rise and soft crumb, but this is where sourdough truly shines.
Using a mature, sweet starter allows for longer fermentation, deepening flavor without excessive acidity. Cardamom pairs particularly well with the organic acids produced during sourdough fermentation, creating a more complex aromatic profile. The dough must remain strong enough to be hollowed and filled, making fermentation control — not just leavening — the defining technical challenge.
Maritozzi: High Enrichment, Gentle Fermentation
Maritozzi push enrichment further than their northern cousins. These Roman buns often include oil or butter, eggs, sugar, honey, and citrus zest, producing an exceptionally soft, aromatic crumb. Traditionally yeast-leavened, they rely on careful mixing and proofing to avoid collapse under their own richness.
For sourdough bakers, Maritozzi demand restraint and patience. High sugar and fat levels slow fermentation and stress yeast and bacteria alike, making starter strength and timing critical. Higher inoculation, warmer dough temperatures, and extended bulk fermentation are often key to achieving lift without sacrificing tenderness.
FUN FACT: The name 'Maritozzi' is derived from ‘Marito’, Italian for husband. A fitting treat for Valentines weekend indeed!
Reimagining Lenten Buns Through Sourdough
Reworking these buns with sourdough isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about expanding flavor, improving digestibility, and gaining deeper control over fermentation. Sourdough introduces variability, yes, but also nuance: organic acids strengthen gluten, fermentation byproducts enhance aroma, and time becomes a primary ingredient. In enriched doughs especially, sourdough forces bakers to think more intentionally about sequencing, temperature, and dough chemistry.
Tradition Meets Technique
What makes Lenten buns so compelling for modern, technically minded bakers is their dual nature. They are celebratory and comforting, yet demanding and precise. They invite experimentation while rewarding discipline. Whether you’re working with yeast or sourdough, these buns ask the same core questions: How do fat and sugar alter fermentation? How do we build strength without toughness? And how do we balance indulgence with structure?
Baking at the Edge of Restraint
At their heart, Lenten buns sit at the intersection of abundance and control. Historically, they marked a final indulgence before fasting. For today’s sourdough baker, they mark something else entirely: the challenge of coaxing lightness, flavor, and elegance from some of the most demanding doughs we can make. And that, perhaps, is why they continue to fascinate us — centuries later, and still rising.
Official Sourdough Geek Members - keep an eye out for our Maritozzi recipe very soon, and an entire Bread Talk dedicated to these bakes (happening 2/14/26). Bring your questions and we'll see you there!
🤓 NOT YET A MEMBER? Join our private community as an Official Geek for just $5/month and unlock the good stuff: free courses, video tutorials, live bake-alongs, secret recipes, tasty discounts, our private geek HQ, and BREAD TALK — our twice-monthly, real-time video hangouts.
