Super light and fluffy small batch pistachio cinnamon rolls that are filled with pistachios, cinnamon & brown sugar and are topped with a pistachio cream cheese icing.
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small batch pistachio cinnamon rolls
Hello hello! Today we’re taking cinnamon rolls to the next level by loading them up with pistachios. These start out with a super fluffy milk bread dough that’s ridiculously soft, and they’re loaded with your classic cinnamon roll fillings; butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, as well as a ton of chopped pistachios for extra crunch and flavor. And to top it all off we have a pistachio cream cheese frosting which adds in even more delish pistachio flavor.
Below are a *TON* of tips, tricks and notes that (I hope) are helpful for succeeding with this recipe. I know yeast dough can seem super intimidating and it’s a lot of information, but once you’ve got the basics down it becomes intuitive, easy and fun to make. So let’s get into it! ☺︎
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before you’ll need them.
the dough will take a while to knead
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for small batch pistachio cinnamon rolls
Milk bread dough:
- Bread flour: I recommend bread flour for the best structure. or structure and chewiness. You could also use a high-quality flour that has a high protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche, which will alter the dough!
- Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
- Dark brown sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising.
- Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is a little variable.
- Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
pistachio filling:
- Unsalted butter: for flavor.
- Dark brown sugar: I recommend dark brown just for the extra flavor it adds, but light brown works perfectly as well!
- Pistachios: I used shelled roasted and salted pistachios, but you could also use unsalted pistachios here – it just depends on the flavor you want.
- Cinnamon: to call it a cinnamon roll of course!
Pistachio cream cheese icing:
- Cream cheese: the base of the icing.
- Unsalted butter: helps add some structure to the icing.
- Powdered sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the icing.
- Pistachio cream: for flavor, here is the one I use and love.
how to make small batch pistachio cinnamon rolls
Below are some steps of the cinnamon roll making process. You can find the full recipe at the end of this page!
- Knead the dough, then let it rise until it doubles in size.
- Punch the dough down, then roll it out into a large rectangle and spread the filling over it.
- Slice the dough into 6 strips, then roll each strip up into a roll and let the dough rise again.
- Bake, serve with the pistachio cream cheese icing, and enjoy!
small batch pistachio cinnamon rolls
recipe q&a
what is tangzhong / milk bread?
Tangzhong is a cooking method that involves cooking a portion of the flour in a recipe with 4-5x the amount of liquid. Cooking the flour pre-gelatinizes the starch in the flour, allowing it to hold on to more liquid. This leads to a bread that can hold way more liquid than it normally would be able to, which makes the bread softer, and fluffier, and keeps it from staling as fast. It’s basically a secret ingredient for better bread, using ingredients you already need for the bread! If you ever see the word “milk bread”, that means that that bread uses tangzhong!
how to store cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls are definitely going to taste the best the day that they are baked, and I highly *highly* recommend serving them on the same day. If you’re not consuming them all in one day, store any extra cream cheese icing in the fridge and keep the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. When you want to have a cinnamon roll, heat it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before icing it, then enjoy!
can I double this recipe?
Definitely! I even more strongly recommend using a kitchen scale if you are scaling up the recipe, for the best results.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Definitely – just follow the same recipe and note that your rolls will double in size faster both times – so just keep a close eye on it!
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready, take the dough out of the fridge and proceed with the recipe.
if the dough just isn’t coming together
I can’t recommend the use of a kitchen scale enough, especially for this super-hydrated dough. If you’ve been kneading and kneading and the dough still won’t come together, add 1 tbsp. of flour at a time and knead for 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Please note that the dough at times has taken me up to 20 minutes to knead and pass the windowpane test!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Small Batch Pistachio Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 20 g bread flour (2 tbsp. + 2 tsp.)
- 80 g whole milk (2 ⅔ oz.)
Brioche
- 200 g bread flour (1 ⅔ c.)
- 1 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 70 g whole milk (2 ⅓ oz.)
Filling
- 100 g shelled pistachios (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 100 g dark brown sugar (½ c.)
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pistachio Cream Cheese Icing
- 110 g cream cheese (½ c.) room temperature
- 14 g unsalted butter (1 tbsp.) room temperature
- 15 g powdered sugar (2 tbsp.)
- 30 g pistachio cream (2 tbsp.)
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Add the flour and milk to a microwave safe bowl and whisk them together. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. The mixture should now be a thick slurry, but if it’s not, microwave it in 10 second intervals until it has thickened.
Brioche
- Add all of the ingredients, including the tangzhong, into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Knead the mixture on medium-high speed for ~15-20 minutes. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticking to the sides or bottom of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.*
- Once the dough is done kneading, shape the dough into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm area to rise until doubled in size (~1 hr.)**
Filling
- Chop up the pistachios into fine pieces, or pulse them in a food processor a few times until you have small pieces.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pistachios.
- Once the dough has finished rising, lightly punch it down to remove any excess air in it. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface, then roll it out to a 12″ x 16″ (30 x 40 cm) rectangle. If the dough keeps springing back a lot while rolling it out, let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Carefully spread the pistachio filling over the entirety of the dough. Cut the dough into 6 long strips, then roll them up tightly.
- Transfer the rolls to a lightly buttered and/or lined eighth sheet pan*** Lightly cover the pan with a towel, and let the rolls rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C.
- (Optional, for browning) Make an egg wash by whisking together an egg with 1 tbsp. milk, then brush it over the rolls.
- Bake for ~20 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls has reached 190°F / 88°C.
Pistachio Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until the. mixture is smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and pistachio cream and beat again until no lumps remain.
- Spread the frosting over the warm rolls, top with extra crushed pistachios, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.