Sweden · 50 min hands-on · 2 h waiting · Vegetarian · Baking · For confident cooks
Saffransbullar
In German: Safranbrötchen · In English: Saffron sugar buns
For 30 servings · US units
Saffron buns: soft, buttery yeast dough baked until golden
Saffransbullar are soft yeast buns, and the saffron gives them their colour and a delicate, slightly bitter note. They come out in winter, for Yule and for fika. They taste best fresh, once they have cooled just a little.
Ingredients
- ⅛ ozground in a mortar with a pinch of sugarDried stigmas of a crocus flower that turn baked goods and dishes golden yellow and add a bitter-floral aroma.Substitute: Turmeric or safflower match the yellow colour but not the flavour, and turmeric adds an earthy note of its own; the dish will look right but will not taste of saffron.Read more
- 2⅓ cupsmilklukewarm, for the dough
- 1¾ ozdissolved in the milkFresh baker's yeast pressed into a moist block, used to leaven doughs such as bread, cinnamon buns or braided loaves.Substitute: Dried yeast is a good substitute at about one third of the weight, roughly 7 g dried yeast for 21 g fresh. The flavour and the result barely change.Read more
- 3½ ozsugarfor the dough, plus a little for sprinkling
- 7 ozbuttersoftened in cubes or melted
- 1 tspsalt
- 2⅛ lbwheat flouradd gradually, dough may stay slightly sticky
- 2eggbeaten for brushing, sometimes one in the dough
- 1 tspground, in the dough or in the coating sugar (optional)Dried green seed pods of a plant in the ginger family; the small black seeds inside taste floral, resinous and faintly lemony.Substitute: Ground cardamom can stand in for freshly crushed seeds, but it tastes flatter and gives no texture, so use a little more. No other spice matches the flavour; cinnamon or nutmeg turn it into a different bake.Read more
- 2⅛ ozraisinssoaked, in the dough or the filling (optional)
Method
- Grind saffron, warm the milkGrind the saffron with a pinch of sugar in a mortar until fine. Warm the milk, with the saffron already in it if you like, then let it cool to lukewarm.
- Dissolve yeast, add the restDissolve the fresh yeast in the lukewarm milk. Work in the saffron, sugar, salt and butter, and, if you like, the cardamom, one egg and the soaked raisins.
- Work in flour to a soft doughAdd the wheat flour a little at a time until you have a soft dough. It can stay slightly sticky; that keeps the buns moist.
- Knead and leave to riseKnead the dough for 5–15 minutes until smooth and supple. Cover and leave to rise until roughly doubled in size.
- Divide and shape into ballsKnock the dough back briefly, divide it into 30 pieces and shape each into a smooth ball.
- Second rise, preheat the ovenSet the balls well apart on a baking tray, cover and leave to rise for about 45 minutes more. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220–435 °F (conventional, top and bottom heat).
- Brush with eggBrush the buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar if you like.
- Bake until golden and serveBake on the middle shelf for 10–12 minutes until golden. Let them cool a little and serve fresh.
Tips and variations
For knots or swirls, fill the dough with almond paste and butter, orange zest and raisins, then sprinkle with pearl sugar. For something sweeter, brush the baked buns with sugar syrup and roll them in cardamom sugar. Or press a hollow into each bun, fill it with cloudberry cream and dust with icing sugar after baking. For a richer dough, add whipping cream and Kesella (quark) or crème fraîche; a pinch of turmeric deepens the colour. Serve on the day you bake them, still slightly warm, with fika.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Cereals containing gluten, Milk (including lactose)
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
