Saffron Buns

For food lovers, stepping into a Swedish bakery for fika (a social or meditative coffee break) is a bucket list experience. There, cardamom buns are piled high, kladdkaka (a kind of chocolate cake) is sold by the slice, and whole princess cakes are waiting to be taken home. And when Christmastime comes around, saffransbullar (saffron buns) join the party. With their knotted shape, their delicate floral flavor and the mounds of pearl sugar baked on top, they’re among the most special and seasonal Scandinavian desserts.

If a winter trip to Sweden isn’t in the cards, splurging on a few strands of saffron (expensive, but still much less than a plane ticket) helps you recreate the experience at home. Our saffron buns recipe is a fun weekend project, making enough for fika with a few friends.

Ingredients for Saffron Buns

• All-purpose flour: With its mix of hard and soft wheat, all-purpose flour creates a stable yet tender dough for the saffron buns.
• Sugar: Besides sweetening the dough, sugar feeds the yeast and helps the dough brown during baking. Stick with granulated sugar, since brown sugar will overpower saffron’s delicate flavor.
• Active-dry yeast: If your yeast has been sitting in the cabinet for a while, double-check its expiration date. It would be a huge letdown if the dough didn’t rise because of expired yeast.
• Butter: You’ll need a fair bit of butter for this saffron buns recipe—almost two whole sticks! Soften 6 tablespoons of butter to room temperature so it seamlessly kneads into the dough, then melt a stick of butter for the filling.
• Milk: Warm the milk to between 110 to 115°F in a saucepan so it can proof the yeast. Anything warmer will kill the yeast, but anything colder won’t activate it.
• Saffron: Saffron is the star ingredient in this recipe. If you’ve never bought it before, know that saffron can be expensive, but a little goes a long way. Save any leftovers for other saffron recipes, like saffron risotto or Spanish-style paella.
• Pearl sugar: If you can’t find pearl sugar at your go-to grocery store, it’s easy to find online. Use any leftovers for Liège waffles, pear cakes, vanilla cookies or Swedish-style cinnamon buns.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, whisk together 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour with the granulated sugar, salt and active-dry yeast. Cut in the softened butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the warmed milk, vanilla extract and saffron threads to the dry ingredients and use a stand mixer or wooden spoon to beat everything together just until moistened.

Add the eggs and beat the mixture on medium speed for two minutes. Stir in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to form a firm dough.

Editor’s Tip: You may not need all the flour! Add in 1/3 cup at a time until you’ve formed a firm dough.

Step 2: Knead the dough

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until it’s smooth and elastic, five to seven minutes. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover the top with storage wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about one hour.

Editor’s Tip: You’ll know you’ve kneaded the dough enough when you press the dough with two fingers and it springs back. If it doesn’t spring back, keep kneading.

Step 3: Add the filling

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and softened butter until a paste is formed. Punch down the dough using your knuckles to expel the air. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it into a 20×15-inch rectangle. Brush the sugar-butter mixture over the dough to within 1/4 inch of the edges.

Fold the top third of the rectangle toward the middle, then fold the bottom third of the dough to meet the top edge, covering the remaining dough.

Step 4: Tie the dough into knots

Flatten the folded dough slightly with a rolling pin to an 18×8-inch rectangle. Cut the laminated dough into 18 strips, 1 inch wide. Tie the strips into a knot, then tuck and pinch the knot’s ends under. Repeat this process with the remaining strips of dough.

Step 5: Add pearl sugar and bake the buns

Place the knots on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover them with kitchen towels, and let the saffron buns rise in a warm place until they have almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. During the last 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the egg wash over buns, then sprinkle the buns with pearl sugar. Bake the saffron buns until they’re golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Variations

• Add almonds: Another common way to make saffron buns is to spread almond paste in the filling (with the butter and sugar) and sprinkle slivered almonds on top before baking. Floral saffron pairs beautifully with nutty almond.
• Make lussekatter: Swedish lussekatter are made for St. Lucia Day, which falls on December 13th. Recreate a similar treat by adding raisins to the saffron bun dough and shaping the strips into an S. It’s a bit easier than tying them into knots.
• Include orange zest: A little orange zest brightens the flavor of these saffron buns. Grate 1 tablespoon of orange zest into the wet ingredients for the dough before mixing and kneading it.

How to Store Saffron Buns

To store leftover saffron buns, allow them to cool completely to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. They can last at room temperature for up to one day before they start drying out. After that, they’re a great contender for bread pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Can you make saffron buns ahead of time?

Yes, you can make saffron buns ahead of time, but only the night before baking. After shaping the dough and tying the strips into knots, place the buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover them tightly with storage wrap. Refrigerate them overnight, then remove the cover and let the saffron buns rise at room temperature until they have almost doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes. Continue the saffron buns recipe from there, following the directions.

Saffron Buns Tips

How do you serve saffron buns?

Serve saffron buns slightly warm from the oven with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, tea or mulled wine. If you’d like, you can add a little butter, clotted cream or jam on top, but it’s not necessary. Add these gorgeous saffron buns to a brunch spread filled with Swedish recipes, like muesli, open-faced sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and Swedish pancakes.

What can you use instead of pearl sugar?

Instead of pearl sugar, lightly brush the tops of your baked saffron buns with melted butter, then dip the tops in granulated sugar. You could also sprinkle the sugar right in the middle. A few notable Swedish bakeries do that, and it looks so pretty.