Fluffy brioche dough filled with rich pistachio cream, these Pistachio Rolls are cinnamon rolls’ sophisticated cousin. Shaped the day before and risen overnight, they are simple enough for breakfast, but decadent enough for dessert.
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Story time kids: The idea for making these Pistachio Rolls came to me while simultaneously photographing an ingredient shot for my lemon sweet rolls and toasting Greek yogurt bagels which resulted in a lot of smoke, a loud alarm, a scared cat, and no dinner.
After clearing the smoke and bribing the cat with a treat, I decided to make a brioche dough to soothe my nerves, since I already had the ingredients out. Because I accidentally ordered a pound of pistachios (a different long story), I made the filling from my pistachio croissants. The dough rose while I microwaved a frozen dinner, then I rolled these beauties up and went to bed at 7 pm.
Guess what? Sometimes genius has its roots in chaos and these are genius. Like pillowy soft baklava rolls in the best way possible. Now between my classic cinnamon rolls, blueberry-orange rolls, almond rolls, and the lemon rolls that started it all, we're going to have to flip a coin before every special occasion. We are spoiled with choices!
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Ingredients
There are three components to this recipe: the brioche dough, the pistachio filling, and the cream cheese icing. In order to be less visually overwhelming, I'm giving you three separate ingredient photos. The brioche dough picture has one too many eggs and I will fix that later, otherwise everything is correct.
Check them all out, gather your ingredients, and get ready to satisfy all you cravings!
Brioche dough ingredients
Pistachio filling ingredients
Cream cheese icing ingredients
See recipe card below for exact measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
These pistachio brioche buns are so fabulous, I just want everyone to experience them. They are not only great for breakfast, but make an amazingly decadent dessert. Here are some ways we can work around allergies or preferences:
- Non-dairy - This recipe works great with coconut oil and almond or other plant based milk in place of the dairy.
- Egg free - I once forgot all the eggs in the brioche at work and we made the pastries anyway and they were still the softest rolls 😬 So, if you leave out the egg, you'll be fine. It might be slightly less fluffy, but no one ever said "hey, these aren't as fluffy" so again, it's probably worth a try.
- You can add some orange zest on top of the pistachio filling, for a classic Holiday roll vibe. Or make my lemon sweet rolls by using my lemon curd in place of the pistachio filling. Or finally, you can fill your rolls with nutella, because chocolate and hazelnuts will always be the right answer.
Get your nuts here! If you are nuts for nuts, like I am, you've got to try my pistachio muffins with streusel topping. Roasted and salted pistachios are ground up and added to both the muffin batter and the streusel for an over-the-top nutty flavor!
Do you need a stand mixer?
Making the dough for these fluffy pistachio rolls is going to be so much easier if you have a Stand mixer. Although you can knead it by hand, it may take up to 20 minutes to get the same result as you will with a mixer.
My one piece of advice is to place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together as much as possible with a wooden spoon or dough whisk and then cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour. This will chill the butter and make the dough easier to knead.
Making brioche dough: just the highlights
The process of making the brioche dough for these pistachio buns can seem overwhelming. Here is a list of all the easy steps, in order, to reduce your dough stress.
- Melt your butter. Add milk and your egg and whisk.
- Place all your dry ingredients together in the stand mixer.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.
- Knead for 8 minutes on medium, checking for stickiness and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour, if needed.
- Cover and let dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Easy right? I find that reading the instructions for something a couple of times before starting helps. You got this and I can't wait for you to eat your delicious sweet rolls!
Instructions
Making a brioche sweet roll always feels like a lot of work from the outside, but once you get in it, it's really quite straightforward. My melted butter technique makes it even easier. Do what I always recommend, read the entire recipe, gaze in wonder at the pretty process pictures I provide, gather all your ingredients and just do it. You got this!
1. Make pistachio filling
Step 1: Grind roasted pistachios in a food processor until the texture of coarse cornmeal.
Using a hand mixer, or by hand, cream together the butter, sugar, and kosher salt until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2: Add in the ground pistachios, and egg and mix until combined and fluffy. (can also be done in food processor)
2. Making the brioche dough
Step 1: In a small pan on the stovetop, melt your unsalted butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add whole milk and then your egg. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: In the bowl of your stand mixer, place all-purpose flour, kosher salt, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Use paddle attachment to combine them.
Using the paddle attachment, with the mixer on medium-low speed, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a shaggy dough with no more visible dry flour.
Step 3: Switch to dough attachment, increase to medium speed, and knead dough for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency.
If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix one minute and check again. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
Step 4: Turn mixer back on medium and mix for 5 more minutes, or until the dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.
Step 5: Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands. Place into a greased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Step 6: Place the covered dough in a warm place in your kitchen for 1 to 2 hours proofing time, or until at least doubled in size.
3. Shaping and assembling
Step 1: Uncover your risen dough. Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured surface.
Step 2: Use rolling pin to roll your dough into a 9 inch by 12 inch long rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
Using an offset spatula, or silicone spatula, spread the pistachio mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.
Step 3: Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice into 8 strips along the 9 inch side, or as many rolls as you would like to make with your dough.
Step 4: Place the rolls into a cake pan or cast iron pan that has either been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to have a second rise overnight.
4. Baking
Step 1: In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked in the center of the middle roll.
Tip: To ensure the center is fully baked, remove the rolls from the oven and gently pull the side of a center roll apart with a fork. If the dough appears raw and gooey, they need more time in the oven. Continue baking for 5 more minutes and check again.
5. Frost and serve
Step 1: While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in enough milk to reach a spreadable icing consistency.
If you would like your icing thicker, add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time. For a thinner frosting that you can drizzle, add more milk.
Step 2: Allow rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese icing on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
Sprinkle with more chopped pistachios, if desired. Serve and enjoy as a delicious breakfast or brunch, or have with an iced latte or a cup of tea as an afternoon treat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute active dry for instant yeast on a one-to-one basis. If you are unsure if it is fresh, you'll want to "activate" it in the room temperature milk before combining the wet ingredients, then add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. If it is a new jar or packet, just add it straight into the dry ingredients. There will be plenty of time for it to dissolve and activate.
Yes you can. Although letting the dough rise slowly overnight develops more flavor and gives you softer rolls, you can let the shaped pistachio rolls rise for a couple more hours at room temperature and then bake as directed.
Your pistachio rolls will keep best covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or 4 days if refrigerated. If keeping longer, freeze and then individually wrap each roll and store in a zip top bag for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour.
Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes or in a microwave for about 20 seconds.
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Pistachio Rolls
Equipment
- 9 inch cast iron skillet ~ or ~
Ingredients
Brioche dough
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) milk room temperature
- 1 (50 g) large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
Pistachio filling
- ¾ cup (110 g) roasted pistachios
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt use ⅛ teaspoon if pistachios are salted
- 1 large (50 g) egg room temperature
Cream cheese icing
- 2 ounces (56 g) cream cheese ¼ of a block
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the pistachio filling
- Grind roasted pistachios in a food processor until the texture of coarse cornmeal. Using a hand mixer, or by hand, cream together the butter, sugar, and kosher salt until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the ground pistachios, and egg and mix until combined and fluffy.
Make the brioche dough
- In a small pan on the stovetop, melt your butter. Remove from heat. To the butter, add milk and then your egg. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, place all-purpose flour, kosher salt, instant yeast, and granulated sugar. Use paddle attachment to combine them.
- With your mixer on low, pour in your wet ingredients and allow to combine with the dry ingredients until you have a sticky dough with no more visible dry flour.
- Switch to dough attachment and knead dough for 3 minutes. Turn off mixer to check consistency. If most of the dough is sticking to the bottom and sides of the bowl, turn mixer on low and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix one minute and check again. If still sticking, add one more tablespoon of flour.
- Turn mixer back on medium and mix for 5 more minutes, or until the dough is smooth and wrapping around the dough hook. When you touch the dough it will feel sticky, but it will not stick to your fingers. Some of the dough will be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, and that's okay.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball with your hands, Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the covered dough in a warm spot in your house for 1 to 2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Shaping and assembling almond sweet rolls
- Uncover the dough. Use your hand to press the air out of the dough (called degassing or punching down the dough) and place it on a very lightly floured counter.
- Roll your dough into a 9 inch by 12 inch rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
- Using an offset spatula, or silicone spatula, spread the pistachio filling evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Using a knife or a pizza cutter, slice into 8 strips along the 9 inch side, or as many rolls as you would like to make with your dough.
- Roll each strip up into a sweet roll and place into a cake pan or cast iron pan that has either been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper. Cover again with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
Baking
- In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover and bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and fully baked in the center of the middle roll.
- Tip: To ensure the center is fully baked, remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and gently pull the side of a center roll with a fork. If the dough appears raw and gooey, they need more time in the oven. Continue baking for 5 more minutes and check again.
Icing
- While rolls are baking, make the icing. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in enough milk to reach a soft, spreadable icing consistency. If you would like it thicker, add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time. For a thinner icing that you can drizzle, add more milk.
- Allow rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese icing on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle with more chopped roasted pistachios, if desired.
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Cynthia Christensen says
They're like cinnamon rolls meet baklava!