These Cinnamon & Saffron Scrolls would have been much better for my waistline had they been made on a weekend. In that case, they wouldn’t have been sitting there on the bench top, urging me to eat them… with no one around to say “Oi, haven’t you had quite enough of those, young lady?” Perhaps I’ll make them again tomorrow to see if my theory works!
After an attempt at making Mimi Thorisson’s recipe for Kouign Amann not so long ago, which resulted in a very disappointing and rather unpleasant butter-dripping mess, I decided, upon reading the recipe for these scrolls, to halve the amount of butter (and sugar) that is slathered over the dough before rolling it up, as it really did seem quite similarly excessive. I used dried yeast in the place of fresh yeast, so have amended the recipe accordingly and unfortunately was without ground coriander in the pantry, so have amended the title of this lovely recipe accordingly too. The original recipe comes from Jane Lawson’s book titled ‘Snowflakes and Schnapps’, which encompasses a beautiful array of Northern, Central and Eastern European dishes.
Wishing you all a relaxing and happy weekend.
Cinnamon & Saffron Scrolls
For the Scrolls:
- 250mls (1 Cup) Full-Cream/Whole Milk (warmed)
- 2 Large Pinches of Saffron Threads
- 2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
- 2 Free-Range Eggs (1 egg is used for glazing the buns)
- 1 Free-Range Egg Yolk
- 30g (2 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter (melted and cooled)
- 525g (3½ Cups) Plain Flour
- 8g (2½ Teaspoons) Dried Instant Yeast (or use 25g Fresh Yeast)
- Pinch of Salt
- 80g (⅓ Cup) Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 50g (¼ Cup) Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Almonds
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1½ Tablespoons Ground Coriander (if you have some in your pantry!)
For the Icing:
- 125g (1 Cup) Icing (Powdered) Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
To make the Scrolls:
Place 80mls (⅓ Cup) of the warm milk, along with the saffron threads and sugar into a small mixing bowl. Stir and then leave to sit for about 15 minutes, until the milk has transformed into a beautiful yellow colour.
Note: If using fresh yeast rather than dried yeast, add this to the milk, saffron and sugar, along with 2 teaspoons of the flour at this stage and mash to dissolve the yeast. Allow to sit for the same amount of time (15mins), or until frothy.
In another small bowl, beat together one of the eggs and the egg yolk, then add this to the milk, stirring to combine. Now drizzle in the melted butter, continuing to stir as you do so.
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and lightly stir in the dried yeast. Make a well in the centre. Pour the liquid ingredients (including most of the remaining milk) into the flour and bring together to form a soft, pliable dough. Rest for about 1 hour in a large greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and then on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large square, about 5mm (¼in) thick. Spread the softened butter over the top and sprinkle with the brown sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon. Then roll up tightly to form a log.
Using a sharp knife, cut into 2-3cm slices and place the rounds onto baking trays that have been lined with baking/parchment paper, leaving about 1.5cm between each scroll for spreading. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and once again leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Beat the extra egg with 1 tablespoon of water and then brush lightly onto the scrolls, which will give them a lovely glossy finish. Place into the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden. When ready, remove from the oven and transfer the scrolls to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes, before coating with the following icing.
To make the Icing:
Mix together the icing/powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a little water (if required) to make a runny consistency icing.
Use half of the icing to glaze over the scrolls once they’ve been out of the oven for 5 minutes. Then leave the scrolls to sit and cool for a further 10 minutes, before using the other half to add a second layer of icing.
Serve with a nice hot cup of tea or coffee!
- Adapted from a recipe by Jane Lawson in her book ‘Snowflakes and Schnapps’
Gather & Graze 
Lookin’ good! but do try them with coriander one day. Quite lovely in the right sweet recipe – but I’m a huge cinnamon fan too! Glad you liked the recipe ! JL
So lovely to receive this very kind comment from you Jane… in fact you’ve made my day! Will try the coriander next time I make these.
Zenbu Tours sounds intriguing, I look forward to reading more on your website tomorrow when I have some time up my sleeve. Cheers, Margot
Hey Lovely to see you here ! It’s always so much fun for me to see my recipes or variations of on people’s blogs/sites! So thanks Margot! Enjoy browing Zenbu Tours!
Looks delicious 🙂
Cheers Rebecca!
I could easily eat half a dozen of these xx
Oh, me too Liz. They were quite a modest size, so it didn’t feel too gluttonous eating more than one. 🙂
I could eat 5 those buns or even more! 😀 They look pretty, Margot, and I love the addition of saffron 🙂
Thanks Mila! I think I actually DID eat 5 of those buns… or was it more!? 😉
They look delicious. But would you really use that much ground coriander? I’ve never used it for anything sweetish before. It works well with gram / chickpea flour, but again that’s definitely savoury. Danish buns! That’s what we call these. They’re probably slightly different. Anyway, just catching up on much neglected email.
I’ll have to let you know next time I try them Johnny… I didn’t have any on hand, so only used the cinnamon to roll up within the scrolls – which worked beautifully in my opinion. Like you, I’ve only used ground coriander in savoury dishes, so will be intrigued to taste them. Hope you’re well and have had a relaxing weekend! 🙂
what a chic scroll you’ve created! These look pillowy soft and scrumptious. Stunning photos as always x
Thanks HM! We all really enjoyed them and would definitely make again.
Margot, these scrolls look amazing. Sounds lovely to have saffron in them. What a treat! Is the saffron taste strong in this one? I baked some simple cinnamon buns just the other day. I totally understand how you find them too hard to resist!
Thanks Jo! The saffron is somewhat overpowered by the other spices, but brings a beautiful colour to the scrolls.
Wow these look delicious! Have never used saffron for sweet treats, but now that I think about it, it seems like a good idea. Pinned!
Thanks so very much! I think the only other time I’ve used saffron in a sweet recipe was to make Sohan e Qom – a delicious Persian toffee seen on Fae’s Twist and Tango. It’s a beautiful ingredient to use! Cheers, Margot
I almost missed this! How is that possible? These scrolls are to die for! They are so perfect for breakfast! I love, love your pic! Yum!
You’re so very kind Francesca – thank you! I’m already craving another batch of these! 😛
I love that you added saffron in this recipe! Sounds delicious!
Thanks so very much Sabrina for your kind words! Cheers, Margot
Oh, la, la Margot that looks delectable and the texture of your dough looks perfect! 🙂
Thanks dear Linda! It’s not quite the sourdough that we’ve been talking about recently, but its definitely a form of bread… so heading in the right direction! How is your starter going? M.xx
Margot, the starter was a disaster 😦 I think I put too much water. I made a new one today…btw, if you need help for New Year, I’m ok 😉 xx
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Linda! I think that mine possibly didn’t have enough water… who would have thought it could be so tricky to start a starter!? 😉 Thanks for your offer of help for TDPC – I’ll be in touch soon. M.xx
Margot! I am drooling… they look so~ good… you can’t trust leaving me alone with them. 😛
Me either Fae! Thanks so much! 🙂
My goodness Margot those rolls are just beautiful, I love the addition of saffron. I think I could eat way too many of them in one sitting. They look incredible.
Cheers Suzanne! The saffron adds a beautiful colour to the dough, but with flavour of saffron being quite subtle, it gets a little dominated by the cinnamon and also the lemon icing. I’ll definitely be making them again – a great afternoon tea treat!
Amazing idea, the pastry looks so fluffy 🙂
Thanks very much Mio! I’m pleased to know that you like them. 🙂
Yes, therein lies the problem of baking delightful goodies such as these. We eat them. Have been meaning to attempt cinnamon scrolls and I really like the look of yours Margot, have added these to my list. (My expanding pants will thank you later.)
Ahhh, tell me about it! Some things I can be trusted to be left alone with… but not these. 🙂 Thanks so much Lisa.
Your scrolls sound sensational Margot, cinnamon and sweet yeasted bread are a classic, I would have struggled to resist too!!
Thanks Sandra! I really am tempted to make them again tomorrow! 😀
Ooh they sound and look great – love the spices! I think that if you eat anything naughty at the weekend it doesn’t count as the calories magically disappear 😉
I like that philosophy Tanya… though the trouble is I ate way too many of these on a weekday! :o/ No restraint at all when it comes to treats like these!