Saffron, Pistachio, and Rose Geranium Cream Buns

These cream buns carry many familiar flavours for me. One bite into them, and they take me back to some of my favorite confectionaries from Iran, like sohan-e asali and the traditional saffron and pistachio ice cream. These buns are my twist on the famous Italian Maritozzi. 

Ingredients

For the saffron brioche

280 grams bread flour (T65 in France)

35 grams sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

5 grams instant yeast

80 grams butter, softened at room temperature 

 2 eggs

100 grams full-fat milk

Few pistils of saffron

1 egg and a splash of cream, for the egg wash

For the pistachio pastry cream

400 grams full-fat milk

40 grams cornstarch

4 egg yolks

80 grams sugar

20 grams butter

60 grams pistachio and rose geranium cream*

For the pistachio crème légère

1/2 of the pistachio pastry cream from above

200 grams heavy whipping cream

*I was kindly gifted the pistachio and rose geranium cream from Crème des Crèmes in Paris, but of course, you can use any pistachio cream you have in hand.

Method

For the saffron brioche

Grind the saffron pistils in a mortar until you have ground saffron. Warm the milk over a medium heat until simmering. Pour the hot milk over the saffron and let it brew for 30 minutes.

In a stand mixer stir the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the eggs and infused milk and mix with a dough hook until a cohesive dough forms. 

Add the room-temperature butter one piece at a time and knead until the dough detaches from the sides of the bowl. You should have a shiny yellow dough.

Let the dough proof at room temperature until it doubles in size. Gently degas and put it in the fridge overnight.

For the pistachio pastry cream

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until well blended. Warm the milk over medium heat until simmering. Add one tablespoon of the warm milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk to temper the yolks. 

Continue adding the milk and whisking. Return the mixture to the heat and keep whisking until the pastry cream thickens and you can see the trace of the whisk. Remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes.

Add the pistachio cream and butter to the pastry cream and mix until well incorporated. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.

To assemble

Preheat the oven to 190° C (170° C fan). 

Divide the dough into 9/nine equal parts (they should weigh approximately 60-65 grams each) and form into balls. Let the buns rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until they become visibly puffy. In cold temperatures, this step will take longer - it almost took 2 hours for my buns to proof at 19° C.

Gently eggwash the saffron buns and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Split the buns deeply, but not entirely. Gently open the buns and pipe some pistachio cream in the middle. 

Next, make the pistachio crème légère by whipping the cream to soft peaks and gently folding it into the remaining pistachio cream until a light cream forms. Add a dollop of pistachio crème légère and close the buns slightly. Use a palette knife to smooth the edge.

Decorate the buns with rose petals and crushed pistachios, or simply dust them with powdered sugar. 

These buns are best eaten the same day they are made.

Notes

For the pistachio crème légère, I did not use all the 200 grams of whipped cream. Fold the cream a few tablespoons at a time until you reach a cream that is light, but can still hold its shape.

The pistachio cream I used in this recipe had no sugar in it. If yours is sweetened, reduce the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of your cream.

Noosh-e-Jaan, may it nourish your soul. x