Hello friends!

Baking with yeast has become one of my favorite things to do. In the beginning, it was a challenge. My family can share many tales of horror in my quest to bake with yeast. Many hockey pucks I’ve baked. Tons of wasted ingredients; butter, sugar, and flour mixed with yeast, that I killed. I was determined, and persevered!

If you are worried about baking with yeast, you can proof your yeast before adding it to this recipe. To proof your yeast, add it to the liquid (110-115 degrees yeast added directly in liquids) in the recipe with a pinch of sugar. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes and look for the bubbles forming in the mixture. If you do not see any activity then toss the mixture and start over. If trying this method in the recipe, melt the butter separately, and then add it to the flour mixture along with the proofed yeast. I often use this method when in doubt of the freshness of my yeast.

Knowing this, I knew I could face my fear of working with yeast, and I’m so glad it did!

For my Orange Cardamon Pistachio Buns, I used my traditional cinnamon bun recipe, but with a twist with flavors, making it just lovely.

Bright orange zest and a hint of cardamon flavor to the dough. Spread inside, is a mixture of butter, orange zest, cardamom and pistachios for a light crunch. Cut into strips and shaped into S shapes, arranged in a circle in a pan for baking. In just a few simple steps you can have gorgeous, delicious and fluffy sweet rolls freshly baked at home. Oh goodness!

Don’t let the yeasty dough intimidate you, these are easy to make and even for beginners!

Let’s bake!

Dough:

3 cups flour

1 pkg. active dry yeast

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk

5 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cardamon

zest of an orange

2 eggs

Filling:

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

zest of an orange

1/3 cup pistachios, finely chopped

Icing:

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

Egg Wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk, for egg wash

Tie on the apron and turn on the oven, Let’s Bake!

Instructions:

Butter the base and sides of a 9-inch cake pan, set aside.

To make the filling, put the butter, cardamom, sugar, and zest in a bowl and cream with a wooden spoon until soft, or use an electric beater on slow.

In a large mixer bowl to a stand mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, cardamom, zest, and the yeast. In a microwave-safe bowl, add milk, butter, sugar, and salt and heat in 15-second increments until it’s very warm just until warm (120-130 degrees) and the butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. Once the milk is hot enough, add to the flour mixture, then eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour as you can.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead adding any additional flour to make a moderately soft dough. Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).

Roll out the dough to a 20-by16-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle the pistachios and zest evenly over the dough. Fold dough into thirds, (making three 7-inch sections) pressing edges to seal. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Coil strips into S shapes and arrange in a circle in a pan. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm spot until puffy, about 30 to 45 minutes.

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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops with beaten egg wash. Bake until brown, 35-45 minutes. If necessary to prevent overbrowing, cover rolls loosely with foil in the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

When buns are lukewarm, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cardamom, and orange juice and drizzle over the tops before serving.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bake some LOVE!

Eileen~