Glazed Pistachio Rolls
My tender homemade pistachio rolls are filled and topped with a nutty, aromatic pistachio filling and glaze that is just sweet enough. There are a few secrets to the perfect, fluffiest dough for homemade rolls and buns, and I reveal all of them here in my pistachio rolls recipe!
Pistachios are a beloved ingredient in many Middle Eastern ingredients, both savory and otherwise. From cakes to candy, halva to the world-renowned Turkish delight, this earthy, sweet-yet-savory nut is something to behold.
But today we’re starting with breakfast — well, sort of. See, these pistachio rolls are filled with a sweet, nutty filling and topped with a luscious glaze that sort of pushes it toward the “dessert” category… but if we can serve cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then this pistachio rolls recipe is fair game for your first meal of the day.
And let me tell you, this is THE fluffiest roll dough I have made, I’m talking pillowy soft dough. I know you’re going to love it!
These are a little less sweet and more nuanced than some of the sweet rolls you might be used to; pistachios are naturally a little savory and salty, and we’re not adding too much sugar.
Table of Contents
I love to serve them with a little whipped cream and fresh fruit, and they’re great with coffee or tea!
Cutting the Dough
This is an extremely soft dough, and while for most I would use a serrated knife to carefully slice, I use dental floss!
To cut even, clean dough rolls, first measure the length and divide by how many rolls you’d like (for this it’s 8) and make small marks on the dough. Next, slide the floss under the dough, crossing the ends over the top, and pulling tightly to create clean, smooth slices. Works like a charm!
(Be sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities)
- Dough – We’re making a very soft, very stretchy dough for these pistachio rolls made from all-purpose flour, sugar, one egg, a little salt, butter, instant yeast (not active), and finally milk — an ingredient you definitely want for a dough that’s worked for as long as this one is.
- Pistachio Filling – A combination of melted butter, powdered sugar (white granulated sugar won’t dissolve quickly or easily, so powdered is best), and ground pistachios. If you find products labeled pistachio flour or pistachio meal, they’re the same thing and will work just fine in this recipe.
- Glaze – No time-consuming reductions or simmering needed for this glaze. It’s a simple drizzle made from:
- Rose Water – Floral and lightly sweet, it’s an ingredient used throughout Europe and Asia in a number of desserts. Make sure you’re getting rose water and not rose syrup — they’re very different.
- Heavy Cream – Only substitute with milk if you’re okay with a much thinner glaze.
- Powdered Sugar
- Make the Dough & Let Rise. Combine the dry dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add all of the wet ingredients. Use a dough hook attachment to knead on low speed until just combined and the flour is totally incorporated. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Knead & Let Rise. Now, knead on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is very smooth, elastic, and shiny. Cover and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
- Make the Filling. Add all of the filling ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Roll Out & Fill. Place the risen dough on a clean, floured workspace. Roll into a 10”x16” rectangle. Spoon the filling onto the center and spread evenly almost all the way (but not quite) to the edges. Grab the edge of the longer side of the dough and roll.
- Slice the dough into 8 rolls. You can easily do this with dental floss! Slide the floss under the roll, pull up and cross over the top of the log, and pull until it cuts through the dough.
- Let Rise Again. Transfer the rolls to a prepared baking pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes until doubled in size.
- Bake the pistachio rolls at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. Once golden, remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before glazing.
- Glaze. Add the glaze ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together. If you prefer a thick glaze, spread it as-is over the rolls. If you’d like it a little thinner, add cream until it’s a drizzle-able consistency and drizzle over the buns.
- Serve. Top as desired with extra crushed pistachios and dried rose petals. Serve and enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Stand Mixer & Dough Hook – I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this pistachio rolls recipe. It requires 10 minutes of vigorous kneading which will be pretty exhausting to do by hand.
- Rolling Pin
- 9” x 9” Baking Pan – Or a round, 9” cake pan. Line with parchment paper just in case any filling leaks out of the rolls.
- Dental Floss – My preferred tool for getting clean, smooth slices for pistachio rolls.
Storing and Reheating
Pistachio rolls are softest and tastiest right after they’ve been glazed. But if you have any leftovers, they’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (though they’ll start to get a little hard and chewy before then). Unfortunately, due to the cream in the glaze, they can’t be stored at room temperature.
Cover and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. I actually like reheating these in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute to get them really soft and melt the glaze just a little bit!
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Giving dough time to rest after it’s first mixed gives the dry ingredients time to take in the wet ingredients and hydrate. It also allows the gluten in the dough to relax. This makes the dough much easier to work with.
Not only that, but the softer, more malleable dough rises better if it’s given time to rest before the more intensive, high-speed kneading in the subsequent step.
If there’s a spread or paste that you like, by all means, use it in your pistachio rolls! But pistachio paste/spread can actually be pretty difficult to find in the States, and it’s expensive. I also think those pastes have way too many extra ingredients.
The filling I make here with ground pistachios, powdered sugar, and melted butter is a very easy, homemade alternative.
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Glazed Pistachio Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 350 g all-purpose flour (2 3/4 cups)
- 50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
- 4 g salt (1/4 tsp)
- 7 g instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
- 1 large egg
- 160 g milk (2/3 cup)
- 50 g butter room temperature (1/4 cup)
Pistachio filling
- 150 g ground pistachios (1 cup)
- 50 g powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
- 70 g melted butter (1/3 cup)
Glaze
- 100 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 5 g rose water (1 tsp)
- 25 g heavy cream (2 tbsp)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, add the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Then add the wet ingredients of egg, milk, and softened butter. Using a dough hook, knead on Low speed until the ingredients come together and flour is fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes, leave it on the stand mixer.
- Next, turn the mixer on again and knead on High speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should be shiny and elastic. Cover again and let rise for 1 hour, in a draft-free, warm area.
- In a bowl mix together the Filling ingredients until smooth. Set aide.
- On a clean surface dusted with flour, roll the dough into a 10×16" rectangular shape and spread the pistachio filling on top almost to edges. Roll it up from the longer side and slice 8 rolls (See Note 1).
- Arrange the roll slices in a greased 9×9" baking pan or round 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper (in case any of the filling leaks out) or a large oven-safe skillet. Cover with tea towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes, should be doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven, let cool for 30 minutes before glazing.
- Mix the Glaze ingredients together and spread or drizzle over the rolls (add more cream if you prefer it thinner). Sprinkle with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals (optional).
Notes
- I use dental floss to cut dough rolls by sliding the floss under the dough, crossing the ends over the top, and pulling tightly to create clean, smooth slices.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
