These Pistachio Breakfast Buns are buttery, sweet, and wildly delicious! Danish dough is swirled with a mouthwatering pistachio filling.
Pistachio has to be one of my favorite flavors of all time. Anytime I see it in a pastry, a beverage, a baked good, or really on any menu in any form, I’ll be ordering it. Also, I love using pistachios in recipes at home, and I’m so thrilled to share this pistachio breakfast bun recipe with you! This has been one I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time, and it turned out even better than I could’ve hoped for.
A laminated Danish dough is filled with a buttery, pistachio and cardamom filling, sliced and swirled into individual muffin tins, and baked to perfection. They have a crispy and sugary exterior, a pillowy soft, interior, and the flavor combination of pistachio and cardamom is simply unmatched. Read on to learn more about this incredibly mouthwatering breakfast bun recipe!
What Are Breakfast Buns?
Cookbook author and baked goods expert, Sarah Kieffer, knows a thing or 100 about baked goods. Her website, The Vanilla Bean Blog, is one I turn to when I need a tried and true cookie, bar, or pastry recipe. And it just so happens that we live in the same city!
I don’t claim to have any expertise when it comes to pastry, so when I was ideating this recipe, I researched breakfast bun recipes, and Sarah’s was on that came up time and time again (and seemed the most simple to follow!). I used her Morning Bun recipe, which is a Danish dough that features buttery and flaky layers. Danish dough is a laminated dough, meaning it’s separated by layers of butter. However, where it differs from a traditional laminated dough is that it’s leavened with yeast, giving it a chewier texture akin to bread.
Ingredients For Breakfast Buns
These Pistachio Breakfast Buns feature two components: the dough and the pistachio filling. Here is what you’ll need for both!
For the Danish Dough:
- Whole milk
- BUTTER!
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant yeast
- Sugar
- Salt
For the pistachio filling:
- Unsalted butter
- Pistachio butter (this is the one I order, but you can find it in specialty grocery stores and even Marshalls or Home Goods!)
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Crushed pistachios
- Cardamom
- Salt
Other Pistachio Recipes To Try
- Pistachio Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Cardamom And Pistachio Cheesecake Squares
- White Chocolate Pistachio Crispy Treats
- Viral Dubai Chocolate Brownies
- Pistachio Cream Cold Brew
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Pistachio Breakfast Buns
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3/4 cup whole milk warm 100-110F
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
For the pistachio filling:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup pistachio butter, see notes for product link
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed pistachios
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Grease a large bowl.
- In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, yolks, and vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt on low. Add the room temperature butter and mix on low until it is incorporated into the flour and no pieces are visible. Add the cold butter and mix on low, until it is broken down and smashed a bit, but still in 1/2-inch pieces. Add the milk mixture and mix on low until combined. The dough will be very sticky and there will be visible lumps of butter. Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days.
- The next morning, transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface. Knead 10-12 times, until the dough forms a ball. Cover the top lightly with flour and cover with a tea towel, let rest until it comes to room temperature. Pat the dough into a 6-inch square and roll into a 16 by 20-inch rectangle. If the dough sticks at all, sprinkle more flour underneath it. Brush any excess flour off the dough, and, using a bench scraper, fold the short ends of the dough over the middle to made three layers, similar to a business letter. This is the first turn.
- Flip the dough over (seam side down) and roll into an 8 x 16-inch rectangle. Fold the short ends over the middle, business letter style. Repeat the steps again, for a total of four turns.
- On the last turn, gently use the rolling pin to compress the layers together slightly. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before using or keep refrigerated for 2 days.
- Butter a muffin tin (noting that this recipe calls for 10 buns). Line the bottom of each compartment with parchment paper, and then generously coat with granulated sugar, tapping out any excess. Alternatively you can use ramekin molds.
- In a small bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, pistachios, salt, and cardamom.
- Roll the dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, followed by the pistachio butter. Sprinkle the pistachio-sugar mixture evenly over the top, pressing it lightly into the pistachio butter so it adheres. Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam gently to seal it and position the dough seam side down. Use a scissors or a sharp knife to cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. Transfer the pieces to the prepared pans and place them cut side up. Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle lower position. Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Remove the plastic, place on a baking sheet, and bake 22 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the morning buns cool for a few minutes. Carefully remove buns from muffin tin, using a knife to gently dislodge as needed. Invert the muffin tin on to the cooling rack, and allow bins to cool further.
- Serve warm!