Cornish Saffron Buns with Sourdough Discard
5th March is St Piran's Day, the national day of Cornwall. Pyran was a 5th-century Cornish abbot. According to one legend, he was thrown into a tempest-tossed sea off the Irish coast, strapped to a mill-stone. The waters instantly calmed and he floated to the Cornish shore, where he found safety. He's the patron saint of tin miners, said to have rediscovered tin-smelting when tin in his black hearthstone, made of ore, rose to the top in the form of a white cross, hence the appearance of the Cornish flag. It was believed that on St Piran's Day Pyran would communicate tin-manufacturing secrets to the miners.
These saffron buns remind me of family holidays spent in Cornwall with my nieces and nephews. The buns are delicious served with clotted cream and jam for afternoon tea. They use sourdough discard - I'm always keen to devise recipes that use up the byproduct of sourdough making (I freeze the discard until I have enough to bake with).
The amount of saffron you use is a matter of taste: 1 heaped teaspoon gives a good depth of flavour, but add more if you like. Add any dried fruit that you like, but I recommend sticking to 150g in total of dried fruit, so as not to overload the dough.
These buns are best enjoyed the same day you bake them. If there's some left over the day after, they're very good toasted.
Ingredients
For the buns
For the topping
Equipment
Method
1. Put the milk in a saucepan and warm it until it is just warm (not hot). Add the saffron strands and infuse for 15 minutes.
5th March is St Piran's Day, the national day of Cornwall. Pyran was a 5th-century Cornish abbot. According to one legend, he was thrown into a tempest-tossed sea off the Irish coast, strapped to a mill-stone. The waters instantly calmed and he floated to the Cornish shore, where he found safety. He's the patron saint of tin miners, said to have rediscovered tin-smelting when tin in his black hearthstone, made of ore, rose to the top in the form of a white cross, hence the appearance of the Cornish flag. It was believed that on St Piran's Day Pyran would communicate tin-manufacturing secrets to the miners.
These saffron buns remind me of family holidays spent in Cornwall with my nieces and nephews. The buns are delicious served with clotted cream and jam for afternoon tea. They use sourdough discard - I'm always keen to devise recipes that use up the byproduct of sourdough making (I freeze the discard until I have enough to bake with).
The amount of saffron you use is a matter of taste: 1 heaped teaspoon gives a good depth of flavour, but add more if you like. Add any dried fruit that you like, but I recommend sticking to 150g in total of dried fruit, so as not to overload the dough.
These buns are best enjoyed the same day you bake them. If there's some left over the day after, they're very good toasted.
Ingredients
For the buns
- 200ml milk
- 1 heaped teaspoon saffron strands
- 500g strong plain bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 50g white caster sugar
- 40g butter
- 7g dried yeast
- 150g sourdough discard
- 100g raisins
- 50g mixed peel
For the topping
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Equipment
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
Method
1. Put the milk in a saucepan and warm it until it is just warm (not hot). Add the saffron strands and infuse for 15 minutes.
2. Mix the flour, salt and sugar together, and then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Reheat the milk-saffron mix until just warm (not hot) and then stir in the dried yeast.
4. Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the milk, followed by the sourdough discard.
5. Wash the raisins and mixed peel in warm water and dry them off using kitchen paper. Add to the rest of the ingredients and combine together into a dough.
6. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for approximately 5 minutes until elastic and then transfer it to a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it to rise for approximately 1 hour until doubled in size.
7. Divide the dough into approximately 10 equally sized pieces (approximately 100g in weight each) and shape into buns (knocking back the air as you shape them).
8. Place the buns onto the baking tray, spaced slightly apart, and leave, covered with a clean tea towel, for 30 minutes for a second rise.
9. Towards the end of the rise, pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C non fan). Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. The buns in the middle may take a little longer so cover the outside buns with foil if needed. Alternatively, turn the baking tray round half way through the bake.
10. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, dissolve 2 tbsp granulated sugar in 2 tbsp water.
11. Transfer the buns to a cooling tray and brush the tops with the sugar syrup as soon as they’re out of the oven.
12. Serve, sliced in half, with butter/clotted cream and/or jam.