1.125kg~7 cups all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
90grams~1 stick butter, at room temperature and cut into 8-9 pieces
2eggs, beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
Place the milk and saffron in a small saucepan and heat gently over medium-low heat until steaming. Remove from heat and let cool until still warm but your pinky finger can be held in the mixture comfortably.
Meanwhile, combine the sourdough starter, yogurt, honey, and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir until loosely mixed.
Add the saffron and milk mixture, then with the motor running on "low" (or bit by bit by hand), slowly add the flour. Mix and knead until the dough is very elastic, about 10 minutes.
With the motor still running, add in the butter one piece at a time, kneading between each addition to make sure the butter is fully incorporated.
Continue to knead, either with the mixer or by hand, until the dough is very elastic and just slightly sticky, about 10-15 minutes.
Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, then scrape onto a lightly floured work surface.
Divide into 36 pieces, then roll each piece into a 12-inch snake. (Cover the other pieces while you're working to keep them from drying out.)
Shape each bun by rolling each end of the snake toward the center, rolling each end in opposite directions. (See photos for a visual.)
Place shaped buns on buttered or parchment-lined baking sheets, then cover and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425F.
Brush with the egg wash, then bake for 5-10 minutes. Keep a very close eye on these buns, as they brown (and burn) very quickly.
Remove from the baking sheets immediately and let cool on wire cooling racks.
Notes
To bake these first thing in the morning, you may place the rolled buns into the refrigerator overnight. Let the buns sit at room temperature while the oven preheats and reduce the baking temperature to 400F.