Braided saffron buns with marzipan

Instructions

Dough

Stir the saffron into 100 ml of the lukewarm milk. Let it sit for 20 minutes so the saffron can release as much colour and flavour as possible. Add the rest of the milk to a mixing bowl and dissolve the yeast in it. Add the sugar, salt and about half of the flour and knead with the dough hook. Add the butter. Add more flour and knead until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and glossy. This takes about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how powerful your stand mixer is. Leave the dough to rise in the bowl for 1 hour, covered with a damp tea towel.

Marzipan filling

Mix all the ingredients well with a fork and set the filling aside until you need it.

Sugar syrup

Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool.

How to make braided saffron buns

Divide the dough in 2 and roll out one half into a 50 x 30 cm rectangle. Spread half of the filling over the whole dough. Fold one half of the dough over the other, so the dough is doubled. Cut the dough into 6 equal wide pieces. Cut each piece into 3 strips without cutting all the way through at the top (see the photos). Braid the 3 strips and roll up the braided dough. Grease a metal muffin tin with butter and place the braided saffron buns in it. Repeat with the other half of the dough, so you have 12 in total. Let the buns rise for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).

Brush the buns with beaten egg and sprinkle with white pearl sugar. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes. Brush them with sugar syrup as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool a little before taking them out of the muffin tin. Serve straight away. Enjoy!