Ingredients

Starter:

• 100 ml lukewarm milk
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh yeast
• 100 g flour

Dough:

• 12 saffron threads
• 250 g flour
• 25 g fine sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 30 g soft butter
• 150 ml lukewarm milk
• 100 g raisins
• egg yolk

Preparation

1. Starter: Mix milk with crumbled yeast and flour into a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for 1 hour in a warm place until it puffs up.
2. Dough: Pour saffron with 1 tablespoon of boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix sifted flour with sugar and salt. Add chopped butter and mix thoroughly (rub) with flour. Pour saffron into the milk, then mix thoroughly with the starter, finally add raisins. Pour everything into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients combine into a soft and sticky dough. Cover with a towel and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Place the dough on an oiled worktop and knead for 10 seconds. Shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl for 10 minutes. Remove the dough and knead again for 10 seconds. Shape into a ball and place in the bowl, cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour in a warm place.
4. Place the dough on a floured worktop and shape into a roll (as in the photos below). Cover with a towel and leave for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough with your hands into a roll 50 cm long, then roll it into the shape of the letter "S". Dust the baking sheet with flour and place the dough, cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in volume.
5. Preheat oven to 210 degrees. Brush the dough with egg yolk beaten with 3 tablespoons of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes or until the bread has an intense golden color, a hard crust and makes an "empty" sound when tapped. I baked much shorter, 25 minutes at 210 degrees and 5 minutes at the lower temperature.