Saffron substitute

pinkladyvenus

Want to make St Lucia buns which need a teaspoon of saffron. Saffron is £4 a small jar anyone know of a cheaper alternative?

Nargleblast

A pinch or two of turmeric will contribute the colour without ruining the taste.

Callie22

Lidl sell small pots of saffron for 59p. One pot would probably be enough for what you need.

pinkladyvenus

thank you never thought to try lidli

suki1964

I wouldn't use turmeric in a sweet reciepe. If you do need a substitute use a few drops of rose water. However a tiny pinch of saffron goes a long way and a jar does last me quite a while and I cook with it a lot

jackyann

I wouldn't use turmeric either - it is a spice I am very fond of using, but to me, the taste is all wrong for a sweet recipe.

Agree about the rose water, and you can, if you wish, use yellow food colouring.

No immediate help, but all my friends know how much I love saffron. When they are abroad, they get some, knowing that it will be an ideal birthday or Xmas gift for me.
You only need a tiny amount and it keeps well ( a teaspoon sounds like an enormous amount to me!)
I don't know St. Lucia buns, but I would steep one or two strands in milk to get the flavour & colour.
Some people I know "toast" saffron strands then crush them, saying it goes further, but personally I think steeping in whatever liquid you are using works well.

suki1964

Jackyann im with you all the way. There is such a beautiful scented flavour with saffron, turmeric is a fusty dull flavour

I use it in rice dishes, soaking it is the way to go. I soak in warm water then once I've a infusion of yellow orange I mix in the dish. The flavour is so delicate yet so immamissble nor can it be copied

AnnieO1234

Check out amazon, you can buy am awful lot of saffron quite cheaply on there or indeed at your local Asian grocers. X

jackyann

Well, I would say with turmeric, try frying it gently along with whatever vegetables you are cooking. This is how I begin my veggie curries. Done like this it releases a lovely spicy aroma. I am especially fond of using it with cauliflower.
But not to be confused with saffron!

By co-incidence, I always make my own crackers, and last Xmas, all of the cooks in the family got a tiny box of saffron as their cracker gift (hankies this year, but they are very lovely!)
My children still remember me telling them ( I would always talk to them about ingredients as we cooked) that "this is worth more than gold"!

suki1964

jackyann wrote: »

Well, I would say with turmeric, try frying it gently along with whatever vegetables you are cooking. This is how I begin my veggie curries. Done like this it releases a lovely spicy aroma. I am especially fond of using it with cauliflower.
But not to be confused with saffron!

By co-incidence, I always make my own crackers, and last Xmas, all of the cooks in the family got a tiny box of saffron as their cracker gift (hankies this year, but they are very lovely!)
My children still remember me telling them ( I would always talk to them about ingredients as we cooked) that "this is worth more than gold"!

Great advice for a savoury dish, but in this instance it's sweet buns

Farway

Too late now, but you could try growing saffron [hence Saffron Walden].

may take a year or so get the crocus going, but perhaps for long term MSE option?