This saffron bread recipe makes a tender, stamped Persian-style sweet rather than a risen loaf. Butter, icing sugar, eggs and saffron produce small golden rounds that bake in 10 to 12 minutes, with an optional three-colour variation.
Ingredients
- 750 g plain flour, sifted
- 350 g softened butter or solid baking fat
- 250 g icing sugar, sifted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons concentrated saffron infusion
This is often called saffron bread, but its rich dough and short bake give it the texture of a cookie or tea pastry. It contains no yeast and does not need to rise.
Prepare the saffron
Make the saffron infusion before mixing and let it cool. It should be strongly coloured without carrying much water into the dough. Our saffron-brewing guide explains the method.
Cream the butter and sugar
Put the softened butter and icing sugar in a large bowl. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth, pale and slightly lighter in texture.
Do not melt the butter. Warm liquid fat cannot hold the air created during mixing and makes the stamped shapes spread in the oven.
Add the eggs, vanilla and saffron
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first is absorbed before adding the second. Scrape the bowl, then mix in the vanilla and saffron infusion.
The mixture may look slightly separated after the saffron goes in. A small amount of flour will bring it back together; avoid beating it for a long time at this stage.
Add the flour gradually
Stir in about three-quarters of the flour with a sturdy spoon. Add the rest in small portions, stopping when the dough forms a soft, cohesive mass that no longer sticks heavily to your fingers.
Flour absorbs differently. You may not need every gram, especially in a dry kitchen. Too much flour makes the finished saffron bread crumbly and dull.
Rest and shape the dough
Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 175°C/350°F and line two baking trays.
Pinch off pieces about the size of a hazelnut and roll them gently into balls. Space them 3 cm apart, then press each one with a small cookie stamp or the patterned base of a clean glass.
Press firmly enough to leave a clear mark but not so far that the edges split. If the stamp sticks, dip it lightly in flour and tap off the excess.
Bake the saffron bread
Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes. The tops should remain golden-yellow and the bases should be only lightly coloured.
Leave the pieces on the tray for 5 minutes before moving them to a rack. They are fragile when hot and become firmer as they cool.
Three-colour saffron, cocoa and vanilla version
For the variation described in the original recipe, prepare the creamed butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla without adding saffron, then divide the mixture into three equal bowls before the flour goes in.
- Mix the saffron infusion into the first portion.
- Mix 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa into the second.
- Leave the third portion plain and vanilla-coloured.
Divide the flour between the bowls, adding it gradually until each dough has the same soft consistency. Roll one hazelnut-size piece from each colour, place the three together and press them once with the stamp.
Common problems
- Pattern disappears: chill the shaped tray for 10 minutes before baking and use softened, not melted, butter.
- Dough cracks: knead in 1 teaspoon cooled saffron infusion or milk.
- Pastries spread: the fat was too warm or the flour was insufficient.
- Texture is hard: stop adding flour as soon as the dough becomes workable and avoid overbaking.
Storage
Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Separate layers with baking paper so the stamped surfaces stay neat. This recipe contains wheat, eggs and milk when made with butter.
