Sweet Saffron Bread

There is something really indescribable about saffron a little mysterious beauty and put into this bread it becomes a sweet mysterious beauty, bloody marvelous!

Sweet Saffron Bread

Ingredients

• Pinch of saffron threads
• ¾ tsp boiling water
• 350g strong white flour
• 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
• 60g caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 30g unsalted butter, softened and broken into small pieces
• 150ml milk, warm
• 50g currants
• cornmeal, for dusting
• 1 free-range egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk

Method
1. Pour boiling water over saffron thread and leave to infuse for 10 minutes

2. Place flour, sugar, yeast, sugar, salt into a large bowl and mix together well. Add the butter and rub through the flour until it has completely combined with the dry ingredients to leave no lumps. Fit Dough Hook onto mixer.

3. Measure the milk into a jug and mix in the saffron infused water. Add the saffron milk to the flour mixture and set the mixer on low speed for 5 minutes. Add currants or sultanas.
OR if you don’t have a dough hook fitted mixer do steps 4 and 5

4. Grease a flat clean work surface and knead the dough for ten seconds to finish with the dough in a smooth ball. Clean and dry the bowl and replace the dough ball into the bowl to rest for ten minutes.

5. Remove the dough and knead again on a greased, flat surface.

6. Shape the dough into a ball. Replace into an oiled bowl, cover with a teatowel and leave for one hour in a warm (not hot) place.

7. Place the dough onto a clean, flat surface and shape into a baton. Cover with a clean cloth and leave for ten minutes.

8. Spiral each end in upon itself to create an elaborate ‘S’ shape.

9. Sprinkle a large baking sheet with cornmeal and place the dough into the centre of the sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and leave for one hour, until the dough has almost doubled in height.

10. Preheat the oven to 210C/410F/Gas 6½. Uncover the loaf and brush with eggwash. Place into the centre of the oven to bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until the loaf is golden-brown in colour and sounds hollow when tapped on the under-side.