Saffron Yoghurt Loaf

The bread is pillowy soft, rich, and beautifully golden from the saffron-infused dough. The saffron, one of the most precious and expensive spices, adds a warm, sweet, slightly floral, and earthy flavour that's unique but not overpowering. It’s great for holiday season, but works fantastic for breakfast all year round.

250 g Greek yoghurt, at room temperature
0.5 g Saffron threads
80 g Honey
1 Large egg white plus extra for glaze
40 g Butter, melted and cooled
420 g All purpose flour
1 p / 7 g Instant dried yeast
1/3 tsp Salt
20 g Seeds (pepita, flax or sunflower seeds), optional
1 tbsp Pearl sugar for topping

In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, add greek yoghurt, saffron threads, honey, egg white and cooled butter. Whisk on low until well combined.
Add flour, instant dried yeast, salt and seeds if using to the liquid mixture. Switch to the dough hook and mix the ingredients on slow speed until a rough dough forms, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed and knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough has become elastic and the gluten well developed.
Shape the dough into a ball and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled in size, gently press it down and knead it a couple of times. Divide the dough into 4 even portions. Shape each portion of dough into a 40cm rope and braid them together. Fold two sides into the middle and place it in a standard loaf pan lined with baking paper.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the loaf has reached to the rim of the pan, about an hour.
Preheat the oven 190C/375F. Brush the loaf with egg white and sprinkle the pearl sugar over. Bake in the middle of hot oven for 35 minutes until golden brown.

29 comments:

Kelly Steel 3/4/25 12:23: Thanks for this awesome recipe. Looks so good!
DEZMOND 3/4/25 13:13: It is so pretty indeed. Interestingly, that is more or less the same recipe as with oats, you can replace flour with glufree ground oat flakes and get a glufree bread. That is how glufree bread usually goes - yoghurt, eggs or flax seeds and oats.
Lucimar da Silva Moreira 3/4/25 13:57: Angie que delicia esse pão é de dá água na boca bjs.
Tom 3/4/25 14:16: ...thanks, but I'll stick with hardy rye.
Lola Martínez 3/4/25 15:11: Es un pan muy vistoso, debe tener sabor dulce por la miel y el azúcar perlado, pero sin sobresalir. A mi me encanta.
kathyinozarks 3/4/25 16:35: Good morning, Wow what a beautiful loaf of bread-that would be perfect for Easter dinner hugs Kathy
Christine 3/4/25 17:08: Delicious!
eileeninmd 3/4/25 17:15: Looks good and a pretty golden color.
Take care, have a great day!
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 3/4/25 17:43: It looks so good!
Pam 3/4/25 17:53: Beautiful!
Cocoa and Lavender 3/4/25 21:55: When my students ask me what my favorite spice is, I always answer saffron. The flavor and color are unsurpassed. Your bread looks beautiful, Angie!
Cooking Julia 3/4/25 23:46: That yellow color is incredible!
roentare 3/4/25 23:51: Mmm I would love saffron there
ellie 4/4/25 00:08: Oh, it does look beautiful. I can just taste it💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛 Awesome presentation 💛💛💛
Caitlin'nMegan 4/4/25 00:09: What beautiful bread! Looks amazing 🌸💗😶‍🌫️🙂🧡
J.P. Alexander 4/4/25 00:38: Gracias por la receta. Tomó nota. Te mando un beso.
Raymund | angsarap.net 4/4/25 00:53: Saffron and honey in a loaf? Now that’s what I call luxury baking!
Brian's Home Blog 4/4/25 01:21: I'll bet that's good, it sure is pretty!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 4/4/25 01:43: So soft and pillowy and with a gorgeous colour. And these sugar pearls are such a nice touch.
Dawn 4/4/25 03:13: You always make the best breads. This looks yummy! I love the color of this bread.
Anonymous 4/4/25 05:50: The colour is amazing!
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) https://tandysinclair.com
Balvinder 4/4/25 06:18: This is very beautiful!
Margaret D 4/4/25 08:01: That looks good, Angie.
Julia 4/4/25 12:14: This looks so delicious , I will definitely give this one a try
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
My name is Erika. 4/4/25 13:41: That saffron makes this loaf look so yellow. I'm not sure I've had saffron added to food. How does it change the taste of the bread? Happy Friday Angie.
Angie's Recipes 4/4/25 14:53: You should try it, Erika. It adds a subtly sweet, earthy, and floral flavour to the baked goods and of course the golden colour.
Ananka 4/4/25 23:57: That sounds really good :-D
tigerfish 5/4/25 01:01: Saffron floral flavor and aroma is so unique and distinct.
Lowcarb team member 6/4/25 18:20: That does look good Angie.

All the best Jan

Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. it is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits. ~Baron Justus von Liebig