Most people meet saffron in paella or risotto and then leave the rest of the jar untouched for a year. That is a waste of a spice you went to the trouble of growing. Saffron is floral, faintly honeyed and slightly bitter, and it works in tea, poached fruit, infused spirits and preserved in honey. First, though, it is worth knowing how to get the flavour out of the threads at all.
Get the most out of the threads first
Saffron's colour and flavour compounds are water soluble, and dropping whole dry threads into a dish wastes most of them. Two habits make a noticeable difference.
- Bloom them. Steep the threads in a couple of tablespoons of warm water, stock or milk for fifteen to twenty minutes, then add the liquid and the threads together. The liquid will go deep orange, and that is where most of the flavour now lives.
- Grind them. Crush the dried threads with a pinch of salt or sugar in a mortar first. It breaks down the thread and helps it release.
A pinch is genuinely enough. Somewhere around fifteen to twenty threads will colour and scent a dish for four people, and more is not better. Too much turns the flavour medicinal rather than making it stronger.
1. Saffron tea
The simplest way to taste saffron on its own, and a long tradition across Iran, Kashmir and much of the Middle East, where it is often served with cardamom or as part of a green tea.
How: steep three or four threads in a cup of hot water for ten minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey and a couple of bruised cardamom pods if you like. The water turns a clear gold. It is caffeine free, which makes it a good evening drink.
2. Poached pears with saffron and honey
Saffron flowers in April and May across southern Australia, which is also when pears are at their best, so the pairing is a matter of season as much as flavour.
How: peel four pears and simmer them gently in water with sugar, a cinnamon stick and a good pinch of bloomed saffron until tender. The pears take up the colour. Serve with mascarpone, yoghurt or ice cream.
3. Saffron infused gin or vodka
Saffron sits comfortably alongside the juniper and citrus notes in gin, and the colour change is striking.
How: drop a small pinch of threads into a bottle of gin or vodka and leave it for one to two days, tasting as you go. It will turn a deep orange. Serve with tonic and a slice of orange. For adults, obviously, and go lightly, because the flavour builds faster in spirit than in water.
4. Saffron honey
The best way to store a surplus, and it makes a good gift.
How: warm a jar of honey just enough to loosen it, stir in crushed threads, and leave it a week before using. Honey draws the flavour out slowly, and it keeps. Spoon it over yoghurt, porridge, or a sharp cheese.
5. Saffron rice, done properly
Not the most surprising use, but the one you will reach for most, and the one people most often get wrong by tipping dry threads into the pot.
How: bloom a pinch of threads in a few tablespoons of hot stock while the rice soaks. Stir the coloured liquid through towards the end of cooking rather than at the start, so you keep the aroma. This is the basis of everything from a Persian tahchin to a plain saffron pilaf alongside a curry.
A note on quantities. Culinary amounts of saffron, a pinch at a time, are well established as safe. Very large doses are not, and saffron is traditionally avoided in large quantities during pregnancy. Cook with it freely, but treat it as a spice rather than a supplement. This is general information, not medical advice.
What about saffron on your skin?
Saffron has a long history in skincare preparations, particularly in India, where it is mixed with milk or sandalwood into a paste. If you want to try it, that is your call, with two honest caveats.
Growing something yourself does not make it organic, which is a certification with a specific meaning, and it does not by itself make it suitable for skin. Saffron also stains, and some people react to it. Patch test on your inner arm first and leave it a day before putting anything on your face.
Drying and storing your harvest
Pick flowers in the morning as they open and pull the three red stigmas from each. Dry them somewhere warm, dark and airy until they snap cleanly rather than bending. Store in a small airtight jar out of the light. Kept dry and dark, saffron holds its quality for a couple of years, though the aroma is best in the first.
Frequently asked questions
How many threads is a pinch?
Roughly fifteen to twenty for a dish serving four. Three or four is right for a single cup of tea.
Why is my saffron not colouring the dish?
Almost always because the threads went in dry and whole. Bloom them in warm liquid first and you will see the difference immediately.
Can I use the purple petals too?
The petals are not the spice, and they have no culinary value to speak of. Compost them.
Does saffron go off?
It does not spoil, but it fades. Light, heat and air dull the aroma, so a small dark jar in a cupboard beats a clear one on the bench.
How do I know mine dried properly?
A properly dried thread is brittle and snaps. If it bends, it still holds moisture and will go mouldy in the jar, so dry it further.
Related growing guides
Ready to plant? Browse our Saffron Corms.