Saffron Rosewater Hot Cross Buns Recipe

✨ Inspired by traditional English hot cross buns and flavored with Persian pantry staples from Sadaf

Ingredients (makes 12 buns):

For the buns:

  • 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

  • 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast

  • 1 tsp Sadaf Ground Cardamom

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 cup warm milk

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 egg

  • ½ cup Sadaf Raisins or golden raisins

  • ¼ tsp Sadaf Saffron threads, steeped in 1 tbsp hot water

  • 1 tbsp Sadaf Rose Water

For the cross:

  • ½ cup flour

  • 5 tbsp water

For the glaze:

  • 3 tbsp apricot jam or honey

  • 1 tsp rose water (optional)

🥣 Directions:

  1. Activate yeast: In a small bowl, combine warm milk, yeast, and a teaspoon of sugar. Let sit for 5–10 minutes until frothy.

  2. Mix dough: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter, egg, saffron water, and rosewater. Mix to form a soft dough.

  3. Knead: Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Add raisins in the last few minutes of kneading.

  4. First rise: Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.

  5. Shape buns: Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover and let rise again for 30–40 minutes.

  6. Make the cross-paste: Mix flour and water to form a thick paste. Pipe a cross over each bun using a piping bag or ziplock bag with the tip cut off.

  7. Bake: Bake at 375°F for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.

  8. Glaze: While still warm, brush buns with a glaze made by warming apricot jam and rosewater together.

Tiffany Allegro