Baklava Babka Buns

The flavors of a baklava rolled up into a fluffy brioche dough, twisted like a babka, and drizzled with honey, these Baklava Babka Buns are the perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Can you make these buns in advance?

If you want to bake them the night before, you definitely can; just make sure not to store in the fridge because it will dry them out. However, if you want to cut down on the time in the morning I recommend making the dough in advance and placing it on a quarter sized baking sheet. Wrap a sheet of plastic over the top and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning shape the buns and then bake them!

What nuts are used in baklava?

Traditionally Baklava uses either pistachios or walnuts or a combination of the two! These baklava buns are filled with an almond frangipane using almond flour, chopped pistachios, and chopped pecans.

How do I know when the dough is finished kneading?

This dough should pass the window pane test which means that when a golf ball sized piece is torn off, you should be able to stretch it gently until light passes through but without it tearing. I usually check it once all of the butter has been fully kneaded into the dough.

You may also like…

• Cardamom Babka
• Morning Glory Cake
• Pistachio Orange Pastries

Tips for making Baklava Buns

• Make sure the egg and butter for the brioche are both at room temperature and make sure the salt doesn’t directly touch the yeast.
• To cut down on time in the morning, I recommend making the dough the night before. Once the dough is fully kneaded and wrapped up on the quarter sized baking sheet, it can be kept in the fridge for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. In the morning take the dough out of the fridge and continue with assembling!
• This dough takes a while to knead and it is quite soft. Don’t be scared to turn up the speed a little once it has come together but know that it will take a bit and it’s ok if it’s still a bit sticky once done kneading.
• When making brioche dough, ensure that you allow your mixer to fully knead the dough, until it forms a smooth ball and the sides of the bowl are cleaned. This will happen twice while kneading the dough, once before the butter is added and once after.
• When rolling out the individual portions of dough, try to make them as rectangular as possible, this will keep the buns uniform and help them keep their shape.
• There is a lot of filling in these, don’t be scared to use it up. They can get a little messy but you don’t want to skimp on the filling. Just keep calm and carry on.
• Don’t over bake these buns. The dough should be a golden brown color but not dark.
• Be sure to douse with honey while still hot so that it can soak into the buns.

Ingredients

• Orange: Orange zest is in the dough and filling.
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough and the filling.
• Yeast: In this recipe, instant yeast is used. However, if you are using active dry, simply whisk it in with the warm milk and let it sit for 10 minutes first and then add in the remaining ingredients.
• Salt: Fine sea salt is used to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
• Milk: The dough use milk as the liquid in the dough; however, it will also work with non-dairy milks such as almond milk.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There is one whole egg in the dough as well as one egg in the almond frangipane filling.
• Butter: The butter adds moisture to the dough and the filling! I recommend Kerrygold unsalted butter for this.
• Almond Flour: Finely ground almond flour is used for the almond frangipane filling which keeps these buns moist.
• Vanilla extract: A bit of vanilla is used in the dough and the filling to enhance all of the flavors.
• Pistachios & Walnuts: Both nuts are chopped and pressed into the frangipane filling. You can use any combination of nuts that you prefer. I would also recommend hazelnuts, almonds, or pecans.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon is key to the overall flavor of these buns and balances out the sweetness.
• Organic Hive Honey: Honey is like nature’s glaze, Organic Hive Honey is fruity and floral and is perfect poured on top of the buns.
• Flaky Sea Salt: A bit of salt on top of these buns balances out the rich nuts and the sweet honey.

How to make Baklava Buns

Orange Brioche

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the sugar and half of the orange zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until combined and fragrant.
• Add in the flour and yeast, and whisk to combine.
• Sprinkle in the salt. Then add in the egg and warm milk.
• Use a dough hook to knead everything together on medium low speed for 15 minutes until the dough has smooth edges and the bowl is clean.
• Add half of the butter in and knead again until incorporated (about 5 minutes). Add in the second half of the butter and knead once more until smooth. The dough should pass the window pane test *see notes section for more info.
• If you plan to bake them on the same day, keep the dough in the bowl and cover it. Place it somewhere warm to rise until puffy and doubled in size – about 45 minutes.
• If you plan to split the bake into two days, line a quarter sized baking sheet with a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a rough rectangle that is about an inch thick. Top the dough with another sheet of plastic wrap.
• Place the dough on the sheet pan into the fridge overnight.

Fillings

• Toast the nuts you plan to use for the filling in a large pan over medium low heat until just fragrant. Remove from the heat and chop into 1/4″ chunks.
• In one small bowl stir toss the chopped nuts and cinnamon together.
• In a medium bowl, add in the sugar, orange zest, butter, egg, salt, vanilla, and almond flour.
• Beat or stir together until combined.
• Set aside until ready to assemble.

Assemble

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
• Once the dough is puffy or has chilled overnight, remove it and split into 6 even portions.
• Working with one portion at a time, use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 8″ x 4″. Try to keep the dough as rectangular as possible while rolling it out.
• Spread about 3 tablespoons (1/6th) of the almond filling over the dough, leaving a half inch edge bare on one of the long sides. There is a lot of filling in these, don’t be scared to use it up. They can get a little messy but you don’t want to skimp on the filling. Just keep calm and carry on.
• Sprinkle the almond filling with 1/6th of the nut mixture. Gently press the nuts into the almond filling.
• Roll the dough up, starting with the long side with no bare edge. Roll it up tightly but make sure not to squeeze out the filling.
• Once fully rolled, seal the edge of the dough to the roll by pinching the dough to the roll. Give the roll a few squeezes while also ever so slightly stretching it out.
• Use a long sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Open the two halves so that the cut sides are face up. Cross the two halves over one another creating an X.
• Then, twist the two halves together keeping the cut sides face up. Pinch the ends of each half together to keep it from untwisting. Then twist the other half together and repeat pinching the ends.
• Starting with one end, spin the twist into a bun. Tuck the first end under the bun from the start and then tuck the second end under the bun.
• Place the buns onto the parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 5 portions of dough.
• Cover the pan with plastic and set aside for at 30-45 minutes to proof until puffy.

Bake

• Place the into the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
• The buns should be golden brown once done baking. Take the pan out of the oven and spoon the Organic Hive honey on top. Be sure to really coat the buns with honey. I like to do two passes with the honey so that once the first layer has soaked in, you an add more.
• Sprinkle the top with more chopped pistachios and flaky sea salt.
• Let them cool for ten minutes and then enjoy!

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