Saffron Buns

Saffron is one of my favourite spices. Opening the container with the saffron starts this "golden journey" :-) When I was kneading this bun dough together, I could not help myself from time to time to nip a small portion of this dough and eat it raw. The next step in this "golden journey" is the baking process, where your house with being filled up with a wonderful flavour of saffron. And the final step in this "golden journey", which when you eat very single bite of these buns.

The basic bun recipe, I have found in the cake book called "a piece of cake" by Leila Lindholm: And this only adjustment is, that I have replaced cardamon with saffron. 

Saffron buns - 16-18 buns

• ½-1 g saffron
• 300 g milk
• 10 g yeast 
• 150 g sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 150 g butter - soft
• 1 egg
• 700-725 g wheat flour
• 1 egg for glazing 

1. Heat the milk to max. 37'C.
2. Stir the yeast into the milk. 
3. Add sugar, saffron, salt and egg into the milk mix.
4. Add the flour into the milk mix.
5. Knead the dough for a short time.
6. Cut the butter into small pieces.
7. Add the butter into the dough.
8. Knead the dough and butter together. I usually knead for 10 minutes.
9. Let the dough raise for 45-60 minutes.
10. De-gas the dough and divide it into 16-18 buns - I use a scale for this part of the process
11. Place the buns on the oven tray, covered with baking paper
12. Let the bun raise again for 45-60 minutes.
13. Heat the oven (conventional) to 200'C.
14. Place the bun in the lower part of the oven.
15. Let the buns bake for 20-25 minutes.