Saint Lucia Saffron Buns

This is a long recipe...have not tried it since Saffron is so expensive....

Saint Luica Saffron Buns
Mrs. Vincent C. Solomon

1/4 cup milk
pinch of saffron, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 envelope active dry yeast or 1 cake compressed yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
2 eggs
3 cups sifted regular flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
Candied red and green cherries, cut in tiny squares
1 Tablespoon cold water

Scald milk with saffron , sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm . Sprinkle or crumble yeast into very warm water. Stir until yeast dissolves, then stir in cooled milk mixture.

Beat eggs in small bowl ( save 1 Tablespoon) beat in yeast mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cup flour until smooth. Beat in softened butter until completely blended then beat in remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Knead until smooth and elastic on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Place in warm place, away from draft, 1 hour until double in bulk.

Punch dough down: knead several times and divide into quarters.Working with 1 at a time, roll into a rope. Cut into 16 even pieces, then roll each into a 6-inchg long pencil thin strip. Cross each 2 strips on a large greased cookie sheet. Curl each end into a small coil and decorate each tip with a candied cherry square. Repeat with remaining dough to make 32 buns. Cover and let rise again 30 minutes or double in bulk. Stir in water into egg and brush over buns. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar, if you wish. Bake 12 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire racks. Serve warm or cold.