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Saffron bread
Makes 2 STAR LOAVES Cakes, Bread and Pastries
Ingredients
- 250ml oat milk, plus extra for brushing
- 100ml rapeseed oil
- 1tsp cardamom seeds
- 1 pinch saffron
- 90g granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 35g fresh yeast (or around 17g dried)
- 550g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- pinch salt
- raisins and pearl sugar (optional)
For the filling (optional)
- 1 apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 100g almonds
- 5tbsp coconut oil
- 70g granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1tsp crushed cardamom seeds
- 50-100g raisins
Method
Heat the oat milk and oil to 37C in a large pan. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the cardamom seeds and saffron with a little of the sugar. Crumble the yeast into the liquid, add the spices and sugar and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flour and salt and work into a dough. Leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place or until doubled in size.
To make the filling, if using, blend together all the ingredients, except the raisins, in a food processor to make a coarse paste. Stir the raisins into the mixture.
Divide the risen dough into 6 even-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then roll out three of the balls into even-sized rounds. Spread the filling onto one of the rounds and place another round on top. Repeat with the filling and place a third round on top and even out the edges with your hands or a knife.
Mark the middle using a glass, pressing it down halfway. Using a knife, make eight even cuts from the central circle. In the middle of each section, make a long cut. Take the end of the section and thread it through the cut from below, and repeat once so that the dough is looped through twice. Repeat with the remaining sections. Place the star on a tray lined with baking parchment. Repeat to make a second star.
Cover the shaped bread with a tea towel and prove for 30 minutes. Brush the tops with oat milk and sprinkle with pearl sugar, if using. Bake at 200C/180C Fan/ Gas 6 for 20 minutes, until risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack covered with a tea towel.
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