There is a great recipe for Saffron Buns at: http://www.recipesource.com/baked-goods/buns/00/rec0038.html I tried it and they turned out to be delicious.   Be sure to scald the milk and then immediately add the butter , salt and sugar.  You don’t have to preheat the oven for a full 20 minutes (at least not my oven) but be sure that the oven is hot.  The recipe should say “beaten egg”, of course, and the lukewarm water you put the yeast into can’t be too hot or the yeast won’t rise correctly.  Because there is a high sugar content, and even though the recipe calls for a baking time of 20 minutes, be sure to watch them closely for the last 5 minutes, so that they don’t get too brown.