Today I’d like to share my recipe for Apricot & Pistachio Buns. I’m so excited to be participating in my very first #Breadbakers event. #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. I adore fruit in any way, shape or form so I was very happy with this month’s theme of “Stone Fruit”.

Sweet, tart apricots and salty, savory pistachios complement each other very nicely. For these Apricot & Pistachio Buns I highlight those flavors with a little cinnamon, ginger and one of my favorite spices, cardamom.

In the photos you can see the unusual technique I use for rolling the dough and forming the buns. I spent some time thinking about how to incorporate the nuts and fruit into the dough because I wanted to keep the apricots and pistachios somewhat separate. I thought the flavors would get muddled if I just mixed it all together. At first I considered mixing the apricots into the dough and then using the pistachios as a filling. But I was worried that the flavor of the apricots would get lost in the rich dough. Since the theme for today’s #Breadbakers event is “stone fruit” I wanted to be sure the apricots were front and center in the finished product.

Roll the dough to a 16″x20″ rectangle. Brush with butter and sprinkle the upper half with the pistachio filling.

Fold the bottom half of the rectangle over the pistachio filling. Brush with more butter.

Sprinkle the chopped apricots over the dough. Tightly roll from the side closest to you. Pinch the seam shut.

Cut the dough into 12 even portions.

So I decided to use both the fruit and nuts as filling, but layered them so that each flavor could stand out. It also happens that using this technique makes for a very striking pattern when a bun is cut to reveal the layers. Using apricot preserves in the glaze adds another layer of apricot flavor and the preserves give the glaze a beautiful color.

I baked the Apricot & Pistachio Buns in jumbo muffin tins, but you can line them up on a buttered or parchment lined sheet pan. If you use regular sized muffin tins you probably want to cut the buns a little smaller, maybe getting 14-16 buns instead of 12.

Special equipment used: Kitchen Aid Mixer, Food Processor, Jumbo Muffin Pan, Cooling Rack, French Rolling Pin, Pastry Brush,

Apricot & Pistachio Buns

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 4 hours

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

Buns

• 1 cup (8 oz, 236ml) warm milk (110°F)
• 1/4 cup (2oz 55g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (2oz 55g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 3.5 cups (15 oz, 450g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (7oz 190g) dried apricots
• 1/4 cup (2 oz, 55g) melted butter for brushing

Pistachio Filling

• 1 cup (5 oz, 150g) shelled pistachios
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• Sugar

Glaze

• 1/2 cup Apricot Preserves, heated for 30 seconds in the microwave
• 2 cups (9 oz, 255g) Powdered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water, approximately

Instructions

Buns

1. In a mixer bowl (see note) combine the warm milk, sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg and yeast
2. Add 1/2 the flour, the salt and the spices
3. Turn the speed to medium and run for 2 minutes.
4. Change to the dough hook. With mixer on low add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time.
5. The dough should be soft and elastic, will clear the sides of the bowl and gather on the hook. You may not need all the flour.
6. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead into a smooth ball.
7. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to grease the surface.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp to rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
9. Pour boiling water over the apricots, soak for 1/2 hour, drain and chop into small bits

Make Pistachio Filling

1. Process pistachios with, sugar and spices in a food processor or blender until coarsely ground
2. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping the buns.

Shape the Buns

1. Brush Jumbo Muffin pans with melted butter.
2. Turn the dough onto a floured surface
3. Roll to a 16"x20"rectangle, brush the surface of the dough with melted butter
4. Sprinkle the upper 1/2 of the rectangle with pistachio filling,
5. Fold the lower half of the dough over the upper 1/2 (see photos)
6. Brush the dough with melted butter then sprinkle with chopped apricots
7. Starting from the end closest to you, tightly roll the dough into a log, pinch the seam to seal
8. Cut with a serrated knife into 12 buns
9. Place a bun in each cup of the buttered muffin tin
10. Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter
11. If baking the same day allow the buns to rise for about an hour until doubled in volume.
12. If baking the next day, cover the buns with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
13. In the morning remove the buns from the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume (about 1 hour).

Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F convection and 375°F regular.
2. Bake until golden brown. About 15 minutes.
3. Remove the buns from the pans and place on a cooling rack to glaze.

Glaze

1. While the buns are baking, combine the powdered sugar and warm apricot preserves in a small bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of water to achieve a texture like pancake batter.
2. While the buns are still warm drizzle with the glaze and sprinkle with reserved pistachios

Notes

I use a stand mixer to make the dough but it can be made by hand. Start with a wooden spoon to mix the dough. As you add the flour and the dough gets too thick to mix with the spoon, dump the dough onto a floured surface and use your hands to finish mixing the dough.

You might also like:

Sourdough Donuts

4 Grain English Muffins

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Rhubarb Fritters

Sunflower Crunch Muffins

Chocolate Cherry Brioche

Thanks to Mireille at The Schizo Chef for hosting this event. #BreadBakers – Stone Fruit

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