Maritozzo with saffron, lemon, and mascarpone

Here's how:

• 1

  Milk formula: 

  Pour the milk into a bowl, scrape out the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean, and add them to the bowl along with the milk and saffron. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours so the milk can absorb all the flavors. 

• 2

  Pre-dough: 

  Mix the ingredients for the pre-dough with a spoon. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours. 

• 3

  Combine all the ingredients, including the pre-dough and flour mixture, except for the olive oil, in a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for 13 minutes. Reduce the speed and add the olive oil a little at a time. 

• 4

  Once all the olive oil has been added and incorporated into the dough, increase the speed and mix for another 2–3 minutes. Cover and let rise for about 1.5 hours. 

• 5

  Weigh out the dough into 70-gram pieces and roll them into balls until they are round and even. 

• 6

  Shape the balls into lemons by rolling out a little dough on each side, so that they become oval with slightly pointed edges. 

• 7

  Place on a baking sheet and let rise under a cloth for about 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 240 °C.

• 8

  Place the buns in the oven and bake for about 5–6 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and brush them immediately with milk. 

• 9

  Make a slit on top. Gently split the bun open and pipe a stripe of lemon curd inside. Pipe the mascarpone mousse on top of the lemon curd and smooth it out along the edge with a palette knife or butter knife. 

• 10

  Then decorate as desired—for example, by dipping half the bun in white chocolate or decorating it with edible flowers or some crushed nuts for crunch.