Forget those cinnamon rolls sweet rolls with pistachios are about to become your new favorite breakfast sweet. Made with a pillow-soft, homemade dough filled with a perfectly balanced pistachio filling with hints of orange and honey – need I say more?
Pistachio Sweet Bun
I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I don’t want a cinnamon roll. I know, I know, I know. But sometimes you want a pillowy, soft classic cinnamon roll and sometimes you want something with a little more *pizzaz*. That’s where these sweet pistachio rolls come in. They’re made with our classic soft, sweet bun dough, but instead of a cinnamon-sugar filling, they’re filled with a perfectly balanced pistachio filling with hints of honey and orange. The result is delicious and unique, and special enough to serve for a celebration!
Ingredients for sweet pistachio rolls
Cinnamon rolls are one of those magical confections that taste like they have a million ingredients, but actually call for staples you probably already have on hand. Here’s your shopping list for those pistachio rolls”
- All Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is perfect for making a pillowy, tender, slightly bready dough. I’ve also had success making these with bread flour, but I find that bread flour makes them a little chewy!
- granulated sugar: You need some granulated sugar to activate the yeast and also to slightly sweeten your dough! You’ll also need some granulated sugar to mix in the pistachio filling!
- Instant Yeast: We usually use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise for these homemade cinnamon rolls, but any quick instant yeast will work here! You can also use regular active yeast and double the rise times!
- Butter: You need butter for both the cinnamon roll dough and the cream cheese frosting. We prefer to use unsalted butter so you can control how much salt goes into your baked goods! Besides that, if you only have salted butter on hand, that will work just fine too!
- Milk: Any type of milk will work for this recipe, but we recommend using whole milk for a super soft buttery batter! You’ll also need a few tablespoons of milk to whip your glaze!
- eggs: These homemade buns are made with an enriched batter, which means the recipe calls for an egg! It gives your dough a soft structure and the perfect doughy texture!
- pistachios: You’ll be pulsing raw, unsalted pistachios to make the delicious filling!
- Honey: If you don’t have honey on hand you can always omit it, but it really enhances the flavor profile of the pistachio filling to its finest!
- Orange peel: Orange zest really pushes these buns over the edge! If you prefer a more intense orange flavor, you can also add 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water to the pistachio filling!
- Powdered sugar: You need powdered sugar to sweeten and thicken your frosting!
What kind of pistachios should you use to make these sweet rolls?
For the best light green color, we recommend using unsalted, raw pistachios! If you can only get your hands on roasted pistachios, don’t worry – those will work too! Roasted pistachios are delicious and the flavor is a bit more intense, but they tend to be a little more brown than green, which isn’t as sweet for these sweet pistachio buns.
I know I probably don’t need to say this, but please be sure to shell your pistachios (or buy shelled pistachios to make your life that much easier!) before making the pistachio filling for these sweet buns.
How to store sweet pistachio rolls so they stay soft for days
It can be tempting to eat the whole pan of these sweet buns in one sitting (and I wouldn’t judge you for it), but as someone who’s done this before and is hoping to spare you the tummy ache, rest assured that these bad guys are just as tasty the next day, so you can definitely save some for later. Here are our top tips for storing these homemade cinnamon rolls so they stay fluffy and fluffy for days!
- Bread rolls lightly baked: I think we can all agree that the best thing about a homemade sweet bun is the ooey-gooey center. Make sure to lightly underbake your buns so they don’t dry out and stay soft while you store them!
- Store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped: The more air your sweet buns are exposed to, the stale they become. We recommend storing your rolls in an airtight container for best results, but you can also cover your pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil really well. They stay freshest in the fridge, so wrap them up tightly and pop them in the fridge for leftovers!
- Reheat before eating: All sweet buns are always best sticky and warm. Simply pop your bun in the microwave for 30 seconds or in a 350F oven for 10 minutes to reheat it to that freshly baked warmth!
Happy baking, dear friends!
XXX
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Forget cinnamon buns, these sweet pistachio buns are about to become your new favorite breakfast treat. Made with a pillow-soft, homemade dough filled with a perfectly balanced pistachio filling with notes of orange and honey. These sticky buns are topped off with a drizzle of frosting for the ultimate sweet finish!
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Preparation time:
1 hour -
Cooking time:
30 minutes -
Total time:
3 hours and 30 minutes -
Yield:
12 rolls -
Category:
Breakfast -
Method:
yeast -
Kitchen:
American
-
Preparation time:
1 hour -
Cooking time:
30 minutes -
Total time:
3 hours and 30 minutes -
Yield:
12 rolls -
Category:
Breakfast -
Method:
yeast -
Kitchen:
American
Units:
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 To 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg, room temperature
For the pistachio filling
- 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted pistachios
- 1/4 Cup melted butter
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- seasoning of 1 orange
- 1/3 Cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water, optional
For the glaze
- 1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk and butter until warm and most of the butter has melted, 30 seconds. The mixture should be warm but not hot. If it’s too hot, make sure you let it cool before adding it to the yeast to avoid killing the yeast. Add the warm milk and butter to the flour mixture.
- Add the egg.
- Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until completely combined, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl and add 1 more cup flour and beat until combined. Gradually add the remaining cup of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
- Place the dough on a well-floured surface and knead until smooth and you can stretch a piece of dough between your fingers without breaking, about 10 minutes. This means the gluten has developed and your dough will be pillowy.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Pulse pistachios in a food processor or high speed blender until they break into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, granulated sugar, honey, orange zest, water and orange flower water (if using) and pulse until the mixture comes together to form a smooth, spreadable paste. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of water to get a spreadable consistency!
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a well-floured surface into a long rectangle, about 18″ x 12″.
Spread the filling to the edge of the dough. - Starting at the long end, roll the dough away from you into a tight roll and seal the bottom edge by pinching the dough.
- Use dental floss or a very sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even rolls. Place the rolls in a 9 x 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise for a further hour, until doubled in size and puffed up.
- Bake the buns at 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy. Let cool down.
- While the buns are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a mixing bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the 12 rolls. Enjoy warm!
Keywords: sweet rolls with pistachios