Marzipan and Pistachio Cardamom Buns

Marzipan and pistachio cardamom buns are delicious sweet rolls filled with rolls of marzipan and chopped pistachio. They make a delicious breakfast for a special occasion!

Enriched dough

The whole process of making bread really intrigues me.

From the kneading (which I tend to do by hand as it is more fun than using the dough hook in the stand mixer!) to the proving stage when it magically doubles in size, it seems more like magic than cooking.

The versatility of your basic bread dough is also amazing.

These gorgeous, pastry-like buns are made from the same basic enriched dough recipe as I used for my recent fruit bread crown, with different additions and method of course.

Who would think that bread would be so versatile?

Cardamom

I used freshly-ground cardamom to flavour these marzipan and pistachio cardamom buns.

Cardamom is often used in Scandinavian baking, and I wanted to try it out as I have otherwise only had cardamom pods in Indian dishes.

My pestle and mortar were put to good use to split the cardamom pods then grind the seeds inside to a powder.

Although it smells very strong, as I only used about half a teaspoon of ground cardamom, the finished buns have just a hint of flavour to them after baking.

This recipe is my twist on the classic Swedish cardamom bun, with the marzipan and pistachio filling.

Marzipan filling

At Christmas I bought too much marzipan for my Christmas cake, and I’ve been trying to work out what to use it up in ever since.

I decided to roll out the marzipan and roll it into the buns and see what would happen.

A word of advice, roll it out as thinly as possible, on a non-stick baking tray or similar if you have one.

Mine was perhaps a little too thick, but delicious all the same!

In addition to the marzipan I used some chopped pistachios in the buns.

Because of the rich marzipan layer, I felt the buns didn’t need any additional frosting on them.

A thick glacé icing would go well on them if you fancy topping them though.

Ideal for breakfast

We loved these buns for a delicious breakfast treat. Make your own pastries, who needs a coffee shop!

Ingredients

Here is what you will need for this recipe; get the quantities in the recipe card further down:

• strong white bread flour
• salt
• easy bake yeast
• caster sugar
• unsalted butter at room temperature
• egg
• semi-skimmed milk
• cardamom pods
• golden marzipan
• shelled pistachios

Step by step

1. Place the flour in a bowl, and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides.
2. Split the cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar, then grind the seeds to a fine powder. Add this (for me this yielded half a teaspoon of ground cardamom) to the bowl.
3. Add the sugar, then rub in the butter.
4. Mix in the egg and then add the water and milk.
5. Mix to form a sticky dough.
6. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for ten minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
7. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
8. Punch back the dough to remove the air. Press it out into a large rectangle on a silicone baking mat.
9. Roll out the marzipan as thin as possible. It will stick to the surface and to the rolling pin.
10. Place the marzipan on top of the dough.
11. Brush the top of the marzipan with the melted butter, or spray on the Lurpak cooking mist.
12. Sprinkle the caster sugar over the top, then the chopped pistachios.
13. Roll the dough up on one of the long sides, as if you were making a Swiss roll.
14. Slice the large roll into approx 9 slices.
15. Spray a silicone baking dish with cooking mist, and arrange the slices in the dish. If you have any extra you can cook them on a tray or in a separate dish.
16. Cover the dish with clingfilm and allow the dough to rise again for around 30-45 minutes. They should double in size again.
17. Remove the clingfilm and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until baked all the way through. It may take longer than you think to cook through in the centre.

Enjoy warm as a delcious breakfast or afternoon treat. These buns are delicious warmed through again on the second day.

More sweet rolls

For more sweet roll or bun ideas, have a look at these delicious recipes:

• Cranberry and cinnamon buns from Sisley from Sew White
• Korvapuusti or Finnish cinnamon buns from Rachel from Vagabond Baker
• Cardamom buns from Bintu from Recipes From a Pantry