Pistachio Rolls

5 from 2 votes

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 decadent enough for dessert, but simple enough for breakfast.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Rising time8

Total Time9 15

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: large rolls

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Cynthia Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Brioche dough

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup milk room temperature
1 large egg room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

Pistachio filling

¾ cup roasted pistachios
6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt use ⅛ teaspoon if pistachios are salted
1 large egg room temperature

Cream cheese icing

2 ounces cream cheese ¼ of a block
2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

Using active dry yeast: If you have active dry yeast, and you aren’t sure it’s still good, you should proof it. Place into your milk, heated to about 110°F, along with 1 tablespoon of your sugar. It should foam up within 5 minutes. If it is a brand new jar with a long time to expiration, just add it directly to the dry ingredients as written in the recipe. There is plenty of time for it to activate.

Proofing: If your kitchen is cold, turn your oven on for 1 minute and keep door closed. when your dough is ready to rise, place in the warm oven. Same day instructions: You can make your pistachio rolls all in one day by shaping them, covering with plastic wrap again, and allowing them to rise another 1 to 2 hours, or until very puffy and if poked it puffs back slowly. Continue with baking as directed in the recipe

Storage: Your pistachio sweet 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.

Reheating: The glaze will melt, but you can reheat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes or in a microwave for about 20 seconds.  

Nutrition