put the yeast, water, and 1/2 of flour together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, set aside to let it bubble

melt the butter and milk together, along with the half the lemon zest and half the orange zest and the saffron if using, once melted let cool a bit

when the yeast is bubbling add a cup of flour and start the mixer running

stir the sugar into the milk mix

add the eggs stir to combine

pour in the mixer bowl

add the salt

add roughly 1 1/2 cups flour for a total of 3 in the bowl and let the machine run

knead in 1/4 cup of flour at a time until a smooth dough forms, usually about 1/2 cup total, it can be more though

knead for another 5-8 minutes

then put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 60 minutes or until it is doubled in size

when its doubled in size punch it down and let it rest for 10 minutes

line one or two baking trays with parchment paper

for loaves divide the dough in half break off roughly 1/3 of each portion

roll the large pieces into two round loves, set on baking pan and flatten slightly

take the reserved portion for one loaf, divide that in 4 parts, roll three out to be bones, rolling them thin in three places, make a ball out of the last piece

lay the ball on top

repeat with the remaining dough

for rolls divide the dough in six pieces and follow the directions for the loaves, dividing the rolls between two baking trays

cover and let them rise about 40 minutes or until they're almost doubled

pre-heat the oven to 350˚

once the bread or rolls are ready to bake remove the covering and place in the pre-heated oven

bake bread for 35-45 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom

bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes

cool for ten minutes on the pan

melt 3 Tablespoons, zest in the rest of the orange and lemon

sprinkle with sugar if desired