These tender buns are perfect for breakfast, toasted with butter.
Ingredients
1 3/4 sticks butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream
.06 ounces saffron threads
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
6 (.25-ounce) packages yeast
1 cup 2 percent low-fat milk, warm
2 eggs, beaten separately
1 teaspoon salt
8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup raisins
Instructions
1. Combine melted butter and cream.
2. Crush saffron with 1 tablespoon sugar in a mortar until very fine.
3. Combine yeast, milk and 2 tablespoons sugar; let stand 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy.
4. Add butter mixture, saffron mixture, 1 of the beaten eggs and salt to yeast mixture. Stir well. Add remaining sugar. Add 6 cups flour; stir until a stiff dough forms. Turn mixture out onto a floured surface; knead about 10 minutes, adding additional flour 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a large bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Boil water and pour over raisins; let sit until raisins are plump.
6. Preheat the oven to 475F. Knead dough and divide into 24 pieces. Shape each into an S shape. Place 2 raisins at ends of buns. Let rise 1 hour. Brush with remaining beaten egg. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until browned. Yield: 24 buns.
Recipe by Brett Jocelyn Epstein, "Relish the Season," December 2006.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 280 calories, 11g fat, 6g prot., 42g carbs., 1g fiber, 160mg sodium.
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I was going to make this recipe but it does not tell you what to do with the rest of the sugar. Also does it really need 6 packages of yeast?
jtprecht
12/5/06 10:47 PM
I have the very same 2 questions. Anybody out there?
RRKY
12/6/06 10:21 PM
Oh dear, sorry guys. That's the danger of dividing your ingredients three times, they frequently never make their way back into the recipe! So, the remainder of the sugar goes in with the butter mixture, etc. in step 4. Hope that clairfies it. And let us know how they turn out for you! Oh yeah, 6 packets of yeast is a lot but there's also over 8 cups of flour too, so that amount is correct.
The Relish Editors
12/7/06 12:22 PM
Can we substitute tablespoons of yeast for packets? And would it be six tablespoons or less or more?
SweetHeartoftheValley
12/16/07 7:21 PM
I'm a long-time baker and enjoy trying new ethnic recipes. This one appealed to me because my husband is Scandanavian so I baked the saffron buns over the Christmas holiday. Disaster! First of all, even with SIX packets of yeast, they rose a maddeningly small amount in 2 hours. I've never used 6 packets of yeast in any bread, no matter how much flour is called for. I decided to punch them down and make the buns. The second rising was equally as slow and miniscule. I baked them anyway because it was now midnight. The first batch, even on the short side of the baking time, burned on the bottoms. The second batch, I decreased the baking time and although they didn't burn, they were rather dense probably from the lack of rising. I didn't even notice the discrepancy about the sugar until I read the earlier comments. All in all, I think I would prefer to bake limpa bread which is tastier and didn't involve 5 hours of my day and $12.98 worth of saffron!
pallamalady
12/26/07 8:01 PM
Add the remainder of the sugar to the dough. Check out the SAF Instant Yeast packets now available in grocery stores. 1 packet of yeast is approximately 1 tablespoon. Instant yeast is added directly to your flour (do NOT put in hot milk). I use my bread machine. Put melted butter, sugar, cream, hot milk, eggs (I use 2 and skip the saffron/raisins), salt, flour and yeast in mixing container (stir it together using a long wooden spoon to bring the ingredients together). Let it go through the dough cycle. Dump dough on lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape into long cyclinders (~22" long) and form the S-shape. Place on greased sheet pans. Brush dough with melted butter to prevent it from drying out. Insert pans into a plastic bag (keeps moisture & heat in) and leave dough at room temperature until you are ready to bake it (many times I just leave it out overnight and sometimes part of the next day). Bake 350-375oF for 15-22 min (until golden brown). Cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting while still warm (becomes more like a glaze) and add sprinkles for a festive touch. These breads are favorites at our school's Santa Lucia celebration. Devoured instantly and kids are always asking for more. Enjoy!
mtlasch
12/17/08 2:05 PM
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