For more on the history of these buns see here.
Ingredients
Makes 16 pieces
| Ingredient | Weight (g) |
| Strong white bread flour (plain or gluten-free will do) | 500 |
| Milk / mylk | 250 |
| Butter / margarine | 60 |
| Caster sugar | 40 |
| Instant yeast | 7 |
| Salt | 10 |
| Saffron | 0.5g (or 1 teaspoon) |
| Cardamon (optional) | 1 teaspoon (or 6 pods) |
| Raisins / currants | A handful (or 32 to be precise) |
| Eggs |
2 large (or 60g of vegetable oil) plus extra for glazing |
Method
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan add the milk and bring to just below boiling
- Take off the heat and add the saffron, you can grind it if you like to give a more intense flavour and colour
- Add the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs and optional cardamon to a large mixing bowl
- Once the milk mixture has cooled to body heat, add it to the mixing bowl
- Bring together then knead until smooth and elastic
- Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place (25 degrees Celsius) for around an hour till doubled in size
- Optionally soak a handful of raisins in some spirit
- Put the oven on to preheat to 180 degrees Celsius
- Line two baking trays with parchment (or simply grease them)
- Divide the dough into 60g pieces
- Roll into sausages about 30cm long
- Coil into S-shapes and place on baking tray
- Push raisins deeply into the dough
- Leave to rise for around ten minutes till slightly puffy
- Brush with egg
- Bake for 12-15 minutes till golden
- Leave to cool on a wire rack under a tea-towel to stop them drying out
