Strawberry-Pistachio Rolls

posted on June 21, 2011

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I’ll start by saying sorry for the pictures as they were taken with my iPhone. But, the exciting part of that is that I FINALLY HAVE AN iPHONE! Yayyy! I made these rolls in Florida where I didn’t have my amazing photographer there to help me out.

I love experimenting with different sweet rolls (like these Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls), so when I saw these on Kaitlin’s blog, Whisk Kid, I knew I had to give them a try. If you’re wondering, they are just as good as they look. The sweet strawberry and pistachio fillings play off each other, creating an amazing harmony of salty/sweet-fresh/rich flavors that make it quite easy to down an entire roll (which are about the size of your entire hand) all by yourself (not to mention the fact that the red and green look beautiful together).

While these are still amazing cooled, I find them to be at their peak enjoyment state when they are nice and warm out of the oven. I mean a) who doesn’t love warm bread in any situation? and b) the fillings are all gooey and oozing about in the most delicious way.

I think it would be a wonderful idea to add a whole vanilla bean in there somewhere, perhaps in the strawberry filling, just to really put these babies over the top. Someone try it and report back?

pre-bake obviously:

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Strawberry-Pistachio Rolls

Ingredients:

for the strawberry filling:

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch

for the pistachio filling:

128g (1 cup) pistachios, roasted and salted
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/2-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
28g (2 tbsp) butter, unsalted, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature

for the dough:

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
66g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 milk, warmed
78g (1/3 cup) butter, unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten
1 tsp salt
more or less 500g (4 cups) flour
extra sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

for the strawberry filling:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the berries have slightly broken down and the mixture is thickened.
Cool and set aside.

for the pistachio filling:

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is a thick paste.
Set aside.

for the dough:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast is activated (the top should be foamy).
Add in the milk, butter, egg, and salt, and mix to combine. Add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Switch to the bread hook attachment and mix, on high, for 15 minutes.
Dump the dough into a buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour, until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10 x 24 inch rectangle. Spread with the two fillings (recipes below), leaving a 1 inch border on each side. Tightly roll the rectangle up, and slice into 10+ rolls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a pie dish (or individual ramekins, etc.) and place the rolls in, leaving a bit of space between each (DO NOT stuff your pan as the rolls will rise again and overflow the pan.... I'm speaking from experience here people).
Allow to rise again for about an hour. Sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden-brown and baked through. (You can drizzle the tops with a simple glaze made from confectioners' sugar and milk if you desire, which you should, because it looks nice :).)