Saffron Cookies with Sourdough

Here's how:

• 1

  Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Heat the milk, or water, to 25 °C, pour it over the yeast, and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients to the pre-dough, mix, and let stand for 20–30 minutes.

• 2

  Add the remaining ingredients to the dough and knead vigorously until the dough is shiny and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl—about 4 minutes on low speed and 3 minutes on high speed using a mixer. 

• 3

  Let it rise for about 30 minutes.

• 4

  Place the dough on a floured surface and shape it into 4 baguettes. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Let rise for about 60 minutes.

• 5

  Preheat the oven to 225 °C.

• 6

  Brush with beaten egg and top with raisins. Bake in the middle of the oven for 5–7 minutes.

• 7

  Let the buns cool, then cut them in half or into smaller pieces.

• 8

  Place the pieces on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at about 150 °C for about 30 minutes, until they are dry and have turned a nice color. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pieces cool on a wire rack.