Vegan Saffron Buns
A simple sweetened yeast bread
24
buns
Ingredients
- 2 sachets Dried Yeast
- ½ cup water - warm, but not boiling
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup Butter - Vegan, melted, cooled
- 1 cup Single Cream - Plant based, I use Elmlea plant-based
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon Saffron - preferably powdered
- 2 Egg Replacer - I use Orgran egg replacer, so in this instance, it will be 2 tbsp egg replacer whisked with 4 tbsp water
- 4 cups plain flour
- Raisins - optional, for decoration
- 1 teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 4 tbsp Soy Milk
- ¼ tsp Tumeric Powder
Instructions
- Sprinkle the dried yeast over the warm water, add a tablespoon of the sugar and leave to bubble up, about 5 minutes or so.
- Add the melted butter, cream, saffron and eggs and beat until you get a smooth, shiny batter.
- Beat in the salt, then add one cupful at a time of the flour, ensuring that you beat well between additions to ensure that you maintain the shiny, smooth batter. Once all the flour is amalgamated, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for between 4-24 hours.
- The dough will now have easily doubled in size and you will be able to break of small handfuls of the dough. Lightly flour your hands and shape them, either in traditional St Lucia formations (often a cat, ox, boar or Christmas cross) or in simple bread rolls or plaits. You could also make one large wreath by dividing the dough into three, plaiting it and then curling it into a circle, pinching together the ends to form a complete wreath. This way of serving the bread is often studded with candles and used as a stunning, edible centrepiece on the table.
- Place your formed buns onto lightly greased baking sheet(s) and leave to rise for another 45 minutes or so. Decorate with Raisins.
- Preheat oven to 180c.
- Brush with the beaten egg and milk wash and bake for between 20-35 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Serve with butter and jam or experiment with sandwich fillings.
Please note that where the recipe asks for milk, butter or yogurt, this refers to any plant-based version that you prefer.