
24 Sep Saffron Bread Wreath
There’s nothing more festive than a slightly-sweet saffron bread wreath!
I was inspired by traditional Swedish saffron buns and also the Santa Lucia tradition of a wreath with candles! I like to make TWO of these wreathes at a time, one to eat and one to use as a centerpiece after I stud it with taper candles!
You will need:
1 cup melted butter
1⁄2 teaspoon saffron
1 cup milk
3⁄4 cup sugar
4 teaspoon dry active yeast
61⁄2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup sultanas or golden raisins plus more for decorating
- Stir the saffron into the butter, and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat the milk and add the butter and sugar.
- Pour into a baking bowl and when its finger warm you stir in the yeast.
- Leave to proof a bit for at least 10 minutes.
- Add flour, eggs, and raisins or sultanas and mix until smooth.
- Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- On a floured surface, work the dough a bit and roll it and tuck it to form it into a tubular ring.
- Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Brush with egg white and decorate with sultanas. Snip around the ring with scissors to make a pretty pattern of slits that will make your baked loaf look as if it has been braided without all the work!
- Preheat oven for at least 20 minutes to 375F. Allow dough to proof more while you’re waiting for the oven to get hot.
- Bake at 375°F until golden, about 25-30 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm with tons of butter!
Photography by Paul “Sweet Paul” Lowe