Pistachio Cardamom Rolls with Honey Glaze (Made with Pizza Dough)
Intro
This morning’s experiment turned into one of my favorite things to come out of my kitchen. I took my everyday pizza dough, laminated it with grated frozen butter, rolled it with a cardamom orange brown sugar spread and a layer of pistachios, then brushed the warm rolls with a honey syrup steeped with cardamom pods, cinnamon, and vanilla bean. The result tasted like a flaky baklava pistachio cardamom roll.
If you already keep a batch of my pizza dough in the fridge, you’re just a few hours away from these. No separate sweet dough needed.
Why This Works
Pizza dough is sturdy, forgiving, and keeps for a week in the fridge. Folding grated frozen butter into it creates flaky layers, so the rolls bake up tender inside with a little crisp at the edges. The honey syrup soaks in while they’re still warm and gives them that baklava feel.
Pistachio Cardamom Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough and lamination
- 1 batch pizza dough use 1 of the 4 portions, or about 1/4 of the batch
- 1/2 cup frozen butter grated
Filling
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp orange zest plus more for topping
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios, raw unsalted
Honey syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 vanilla bean
Topping
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
- A little extra orange zest
Instructions
Prepare Dough
- Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Scatter the grated frozen butter over the top.
- Fold the dough into thirds horizontally, then into thirds vertically. Roll it out again into a large rectangle.
Fill, Roll, and Cut
- Stir together the softened butter, brown sugar, cardamom, orange zest, and salt. Spread it over the dough, then sprinkle with the 1/2 cup pistachios.
- Roll up the dough into a log and cut it into 8 rolls.
- Place the rolls in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Let them rise for 30 minutes.
Bake and Serve
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until golden.
- While the rolls bake, simmer the honey, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean gently in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let it cool and steep.
- Brush the honey syrup over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with the 1/3 cup pistachios and a little more orange zest.
Tips
- Keep the butter frozen until the moment you grate it. That’s what gives you flaky layers.
- Chop the pistachios finely so the rolls cut cleanly and the filling stays put.
- Steep the syrup while the rolls bake. A longer steep gives a stronger cardamom flavor.
- Leftover syrup is delicious on yogurt, oatmeal, or a cup of tea or coffee.
Make Ahead and Storage
Pizza dough keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so you can make the rolls whenever the mood strikes. Store baked rolls covered at room temperature for a day, and warm them briefly before serving.
Are these the best morning buns you’ve ever had? Or were they just pretty ok?
If you try these, tell me in the comments how they turned out. And if you’re new to the dough, start with a pizza night first. It’s the same dough, and it makes a great first batch.