These buns are traditionally consumed with hot strong coffee throughout December. The shape of the bun can vary and you can be as imaginative as you’d like when folding them.
Try to combine two so you get a double 8, or make them bigger and hang as decorations in your Christmas tree.
2g saffron
Half tbsp sugar
Few drops of vodka
200g butter
50ml milk
100g fresh yeast
200g sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1.1kg plain flour
1 beaten egg
Handful of raisins
METHOD
Pound the saffron with half tbsp sugar and vodka and leave to rest for a few minutes. Melt the butter and add the milk. Heat to 37C. Crumble the yeast in a 3-litre bowl, add a third of the butter and milk mixture and stir well until all the yeast has resolved. Add the remaining butter and milk and the ground saffron. Then add the salt, egg, flour and remaining sugar. Knead the mixture well until smooth, add more flour if too sticky.
Sprinkle some flour on top and cover with a cloth. Leave to rise for 30-40min. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a floured surface until soft. Then take enough dough to shape a 10cm long and 1cm wide “snake”. Roll it under your palm, tuck the top to the left, towards the centre, secure, and then do the same with the bottom but tuck to the right to make a figure of eight shape.
Move to a buttered baking tray, cover and leave to rise to twice the size. Continue until all the dough is used.
Brush the buns with the beaten egg, add a raisin to each end of the bun and bake at 250C (Gas 8) for 6-8min until golden brown. Leave to cool on a grill.