Cakes & Bakes: Saffron loaf

I’ve somehow managed to get to the wrong side of mid-40 without ever having tasted saffron. Justin, however, has used it in some of the kitchens he’s worked in (he’s so windswept & interesting!).

It’s often added to rice dishes and sauces, but I obviously decided to give it my first outing in a cake!

Saffron loaf is a traditional Cornish recipe. It’s a very straightforward bake; mix the dry ingredients, crumb in the butter, add the saffron-infused milk, form a soft dough, a short prove then pop it in the oven for about an hour.

This isn’t a dainty cake. You can cut it into small, delicate pieces for a touch of refinement, of course… but we didn’t go down the Ritz afternoon tea route and had a large slice (with a scraping of butter!).

A rustic pottery mug full of strong tea was the ideal accompaniment.

It’s sweet & fruity with the subtle, yet distinctive, saffron flavour coming through nicely.

A delicious late afternoon pick-me-up – a perfect way to satisfy that peckish stage between lunch & dinner.

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Saffron loaf

Course Tea

Cuisine British

Keyword loaf cake, saffron, tea loaf

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients

• 0.1 g saffron threads
• 125 ml/4½ fl oz milk
• 500 g/18oz plain flour
• 10 g/⅓oz dried fast-action yeast
• pinch salt
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 250 g/9oz cold butter cubed
• 250 g/9oz golden caster sugar
• 350 g/12oz mixed dried fruit I used raisins, currants and sultanas

Instructions

• Grease a 1kg/2.2lb loaf tin
• Heat the saffron and milk in a pan over a medium heat until the mixture has turned yellow and is almost simmering
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and nutmeg
• Add the butter and sugar and rub in using your fingertips or pastry blender until it forms the consistency of breadcrumbs
• Stir in the dried fruit until well combined
• Add the yeast to the saffron milk mixture, stir well before adding it to the dry mixture
• Mix until the mixture comes combines to form a soft dough
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly until smooth
• Put the dough into the greased loaf tin, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour to rise
• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
• Bake for an hour, or until the loaf is beginning to brown
• Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin on to a wire rack and allowing it to cool further

Notes

Great sliced and spread with butter and/or thin slices of cheddar cheese. Have it toasted when it's a few days old.