Seeking out the rare and expensive is always a thrill. Sometimes the hunt outweighs the actually find. Not so with saffron. We add a bit of intrigue to the pursuit in our shop. With a little sign in the window “Saffron for Sale Here” people will often browse the shop for along time before asking, “where’s the saffron?” Sometimes it’s mere curiosity and sometimes a purchase of several 1-gram packages. We don’t display it along with the rest of the spices, but instead, in a tin box behind the counter.Some people ask why. Yes, it’s expensive, but really, it’s only $4.55, not the most expensive thing in our shop. Tradition is my usual answer.
It’s a commodity that comes to us through many hours of tending the fields and hand harvesting and drying. It takes 70,000 flowers and perfect growing and drying conditions to produce just one ounce of the most fragrant and flavorful threads. It is really the stigmas of a fall blooming crocus; only three per flower. At the perfect time, on a dry morning the flowers are plucked. Saffron production is often a family’s extra income on a small plot of land. They will grow only what they can handle in the short amount of time available. A good day’s work for an experienced person could produce only about 2-3 ounces of marketable product. The harvest season is short, about 2 weeks in October.
90% of the saffron consumed in America comes from Spain. The largest producer is Iran, with India and Morocco close behind. Smaller production areas are found in Crete, France,Turkey, and Italy. The British have grown small amounts of saffron in their cloister gardens and the Pennsylvania Dutch brought saffron bulbs to America for their famous chicken and dumpling dishes.
Here in Galena a popular holiday treat for the descendants of the original Cornish immigrants that worked the lead mines in the 1830′s is Saffron Buns . One of our local women, Fran, has a standing order for 5 grams of saffron to make all the buns for her family. The intriguing spicy flavor and bright yellow color make the buns a welcome guest at our Christmas morning brunch. It makes us feel like real Galenians…even though we never will be a native, we can dream!
Cornish Saffron Buns
Prep time: 3 hours
Makes 8
1 teaspoon saffron threads (1/2 gram)
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar Heat
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2-3 cups flour
1/4 cup currants
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
the milk to just boiling. Add the saffron and stir to combine. Add the butter. Let steep for 30 minutes. Place the warm water in a large bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Whisk to combine and let sit 10 minutes, until starting to foam. Beat in the egg, sugar, saffron milk, and 1 cup flour. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to create a soft dough. Knead for about 3 minutes until soft and smooth, adding only as much flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface. Knead in the currants. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down and divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a rope about 1-inch thick and 8 inches long. Tie into a knot, tucking in the ends. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Brush with egg wash. Bake 25-30 minutes.
