Sweet Saffron Buns Recipes

Steps:

• Place the butter and milk in a medium bowl. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron with a pinch of the sugar, and stir into the mixture. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in a little of the lukewarm butter mixture, then add the remaining butter mixture, the remaining sugar and the salt.
• Gradually add enough of the flour (almost all of it) to make a workable dough, kneading for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in a mixer with a dough hook. Shape into a ball, sprinkle with a little flour and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise in a warm spot for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, and knead in additional flour if the dough is sticky. Shape as desired into buns, braids or lengths. Place on lined baking sheets, and allow to rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400.
• Brush the buns with beaten egg, and press raisins lightly into the dough. Bake until golden and risen, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a bun comes out dry. Smaller buns may take 8 to 10 minutes; larger lengths and braids, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the buns on a rack under a cloth.

Steps:

• Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the temperature has reached 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). Crumble the yeast into a bowl, then pour in the warm milk. Stir well until the yeast dissolves.
• Stir in the quark, saffron, sugar, salt, and 7 cups of the flour. Mix the dough in the bowl until it becomes shiny and silky, adding more flour as needed until it begins to come away from the sides of the bowl. Cover, and let rise for 40 minutes.
• Prepare 2 or 3 baking sheets by covering each with a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface, punch down the dough, then divide into 35 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, 5 to 6 inches long. With the rope lying flat on the work surface, roll each end towards the center, in opposite directions, creating a curled S-shape. Place the buns on the prepared baking sheets, and garnish with raisins if desired. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes while you preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Gently brush each bun with beaten egg, then bake in the oven until puffed and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Put the milk in a small pan and gently heat until it's steaming. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the saffron into a powder. Add this to the pan of milk along with the butter. Swirl to melt the butter, then set aside until lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, caster sugar, 1 tsp salt and the yeast together, and make a well in the middle of the bowl. Pour in the milk mixture along with the egg. Mix together to form a sticky dough, then turn out onto the work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (this will take about 10 mins). Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Set the bowl in a warm part of the house and allow to rise for about 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Knock back the dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Cover the pieces with the oiled cling film while you make the rolls - this will stop the dough from drying out. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out into a 30cm-long strand. Roll up one end into the middle, turn over and roll the other end into the middle, forming the dough into an S-shape. Place the buns on a large (or 2 smaller) parchment-lined baking tray. Once all the buns are made, lightly cover with oiled cling film and prove until almost doubled in size (if making ahead, keep the dough in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning). While the buns prove, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• When ready to bake, brush the buns with beaten egg and press a currant into the centre of each spiral. Put the trays in the oven and bake for around 15 mins. Allow to cool before serving. These are best eaten on the day they are made but will keep for a couple of days.

Steps:

• Heat the water in a glass 2 Cup measuring cup in the microwave for 2 minutes. Put saffron into the boiling water and let steep for at least 15 minutes.
• Dissolve yeast, sugar and warm water in the bottom of your KA mixer bowl or large bowl. Let it activate for 10 minutes.
• In the mixer bowl with the yeast mixture, add the sugar, salt, lard, eggs, flour, and lemon extract. Mix slowly to incorporate.
• Remove your mixer bowl from the mixer. Add the steeped saffron. Put it back on the mixer and slowly incorporate the saffron mixture.
• Last, add the currents and citron and mix thoroughly.
• Let rise approximately 1-2 hours.
• Drop by heaping T. on Air Bake pans. Put no more than 12 on a sheet. Continue dropping buns on additional sheets. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.(1-2 hours).
• While buns are raising, preheat oven to 350 deg.
• Bake each sheet pan separately, they bake to a light golden brown. My oven seems to burn if I have more than one sheet in at a time.
• Bake appr. 15 minutes, remove from the oven and put next sheet into the oven. When they are cool, store in Ziploc freezer bags. What you don't eat the first few days, the rest should last through the holidays. Enjoy!

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix together yeast, milk, saffron, and 1 teaspoon sugar; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining sugar, along with the flour, salt and 2 of the eggs. Mix on low speed until dough forms and gathers around the paddle. Replace paddle with dough hook and add butter; knead on medium-high speed until dough pulls away froms ides of bowl, 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a large bowl greased with oil and cover with plastic wrap; let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour.
• Divide dough into 32 pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch long rope. Form each rope into an S-shape and then roll each end into a tight sprial (maintaining S-shape). Place shaped dough pieces 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400°F Uncover the dough pieces and place a raisin at the center of each of the spirals. Lightly beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush each bun with egg mixture. Bake until buns are golden brown and cooked through, 16 minutes. Transfer buns to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.