The Food Gene
Pistachio Cardamom Buns
Soft, twisted buns with a green pistachio filling and warm cardamom.
- Prep
- 45 mins
- Cook
- 18 mins
- Rest or rise
- 2 hrs
- Makes
- 12 buns
- Level
- Confident
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 7 g fast-action yeast
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 ml warm milk, (warm to the touch, not hot)
- 1 egg
- 60 g soft butter
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
Filling
- 100 g pistachios, finely ground
- 80 g soft butter
- 80 g light brown sugar
Method
- Make the dough. Mix the dough ingredients and knead for 10 minutes by hand (or 6 minutes in a mixer) until smooth and stretchy. (10:00)
- First rise. Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, until doubled. (1:00:00)
- Make the filling. Mix the pistachios, butter and brown sugar into a soft paste.
- Fill and chill. Roll the dough out to a rectangle about 40 × 30 cm. Spread with the filling and fold in thirds. Chill for 15 minutes — the strips twist more neatly when cold. (15:00)
- Shape. Cut into 12 strips. Stretch each strip, twist it and tie it into a knot.
- Second rise. Put on lined trays, cover and leave for 45 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) while they rise. (45:00)
- Bake. Bake for 18 minutes until deep golden. (18:00)
Chef’s tip
If the dough springs back when you roll it, rest it for 5 minutes and try again.
Storage
Best on the day. Freeze baked buns and warm them for 8 minutes in a low oven.
Swap it
Use ground almonds instead of pistachios.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per bun |
|---|---|
| Energy | 341 kcal 1,427 kJ |
| Fat | 14.8 g |
| of which saturates | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.4 g |
| of which sugars | 13.8 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g |
| Protein | 8.5 g |
| Salt | 0.72 g |