These sticky orange pistachio buns are a fragrant, less-sugary, nutty twist on classic cinnamon rolls. Made with an enriched yeasted dough, honey, cream cheese and a touch of wholemeal spelt flour for extra depth, they’re irresistibly soft and flavoursome. Just what you need for an indulgent breakfast or teatime treat.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Resting Time2 hourshrs
Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast
Cuisine: British
Keyword: buns, orange, pistachios, wholemeal spelt flour, yeast
In a large bowl (if kneading by hand) or electric stand mixer, weigh in the dry ingredients along with the orange zest.
150 g strong white flour, 100 g wholemeal spelt flour, 35 g golden caster sugar, 1 tsp instant yeast / fast action / easy bake, ¼ tsp sea or rock salt, 1 organic orange
Make a well in the middle and break the egg into it. Then pour in the liquid.
1 medium egg, 125 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
Mix everything together and knead for ten minutes by hand and about seven in a stand mixer. The dough is quite sticky, but will become easier to handle as you knead.
After the first couple of minutes, drop the butter into the dough piece by piece as you knead until it's all thoroughly incorporated.
40 g unsalted butter
Leave the dough to rise in the bowl until nearly doubled in size. It should take an hour or two depending on the temperature. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic bag so the dough doesn't dry out.
Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square baking tin with parchment paper.
Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and form it into an even rectangle with your hands.
Roll the dough out to form a rectangle measuring roughly 25 cm (10 inch) x 38 cm (15 inch). Flour your rolling pin as necessary to prevent sticking.
Using a palate knife, spread the cream cheese mix (see below) over the dough in as even a layer as you can manage.
Sprinkle the ground pistachios over the cream cheese mix, again in as even a layer as you can manage.
Roll the dough up tightly from the shortest side, so that it measures 25 cm (10 inch). Seal the seam by pinching it together with your fingers.
Cut the roll carefully into nine even slices. If they get a bit squished you can rearrange their shape in the tin.
Lay the slices cut side down in the lined tin, so you have three rows of three.
Cover the tin with a plastic bag and leave to rise for an hour or so until the scrolls have nearly doubled in size. They will continue to rise in the oven, so don't worry if they don't look as big as you'd expect.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200℃ (180℃ fan, 400℉, Gas 6) for 30 minutes or until the buns are bronzed all over and look done. If the tops look like they're getting too dark, cover with a piece of kitchen foil.
Pistachio Filling
In a small bowl, stir the honey into the cheese along with the orange flour water, if using and green powder, if using. Stir until mixed and smooth. If mix is runny, see note 2 for how to fix it.
125 g full fat cream cheese, 1 tsp orange flower water, 2 tbsp set honey, 2 tsp green powder of your choice
Roughly grind the pistachios in a spice grinder or mini food processor until you have some that are finely ground and others that are actual pieces.
80 g pistachios
Orange Glaze
Whilst the buns are baking, squeeze the orange juice into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Dissolve the sugar over a gently heat then simmer for a few minutes until you have a syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat.
1 tbsp golden caster sugar, 1 orange
As soon as the buns are out of the oven, brush the warm glaze over the tops, making sure you use it all.
Scatter the chopped pistachios over the top. There should be enough glaze so the pistachios stick to it.
20 g pistachios
Leave the tin on a wire rack until the buns are cool enough to handle. Prepare to get sticky. Tear the buns apart with your hands and tuck in.
Notes
This recipe makes nine modest sized buns, for larger ones, cut the dough roll into six slices rather than nine.The buns aren't particularly sweet. If you'd like a sweeter version, add an additional 15g of sugar to the dough and and an extra tablespoon of sugar to the glaze.
The green powder is more for colour than flavour, it just helps the pistachio filling to look a bit greener than it might otherwise do. But of course, you also get additional nutrition depending on what you used. I used barley grass powder, but there are quite a lot these days to choose from. Wheat grass, hemp seed, spinach, nettle and the list goes on.
Depending on the type of cream cheese and honey you use, the mix could end up on the runny side. You can thicken it up with up to 30g of cornflour. Add it bit by bit, stirring all the time, until you have a spreadable consistency.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.