Want to know how to bloom saffron, or infuse as some may call it? Or make liquid saffron as it’s also known? To ensure you get premium quality Saffron to bloom, you can purchase the best quality saffron on the market and start turning it into liquid gold!
Crush the Saffron threads in a pestle and mortar first, with an optional tiny pinch of salt or sugar to aid the grinding, then we soak it in water. The salt or sugar helps the grinding process, as the crystals act as little stones. However this is purely optional, you can just grind or pound the saffron threads on their own.
Do you use sugar or salt to grind saffron? This depends on the recipe you’re using it in. If you’re blooming saffron for desserts like Saffron Ice Cream, then you can add a pinch of sugar.
But if you’re preparing it for a savoury dish like Jewelled Rice then it makes sense to use salt to help with the grinding.
After pounding or grinding the saffron, you soak it in hot water (not boiling) or drop an ice cube on it, whatever your preferred method is. See below.
1) Liquid Saffron with Water
This is the preferred method, as you get the strongest aroma and flavour when you bloom saffron or soak saffron in hot water.
2) Bloom Saffron with an Ice Cube
The other method is to drop an ice cube on your pounded saffron, leaving it to melt. When the ice is fully melted, you get bloomed saffron or liquid saffron. This method is also perfectly fine, it’s just a matter of preference.
This will depend on your recipe. But a rough guide is about 1/4 teaspoon or a pinch.
A pinch (or 1/4 teaspoon) of saffron plus 2 Tablespoons of hot water is perfect for many recipes. If you don’t want too much liquid, then you reduce the amount of water to just 1 tbsp for concentrated liquid saffron.
Now it’s bloomed and ready to add to you recipes!
