Bread makes me so happy. Whether a traditional Irish batch loaf, a crusty French baguette or a piece of naan to sop up a curry, I'm not picky about the type of bread I eat, but I want to know that it was well made. There are a few producers making excellent bread within my locality, but a lot of the time, if I'm craving good bread I just make it myself.
It is usually a two-day process. I like to make the dough and let it cold ferment overnight in the fridge. I do this with yeast breads and sourdoughs – the end flavour will be that much better by letting your dough have a nice, cold rest before baking.
Getting it right
The dough for these buns is similar to your basic cinnamon roll recipe. 
They are made with an enriched dough, which means it's made with butter, eggs, sugar and milk (in this case). The dough is similar to a French brioche and is best made using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, because it's fairly sticky.
One other thing I insist on when making bread is using the correct flour for the job. For most breads, you need strong flour. I used to think I could use plain flour and get a similar result, but there's no comparison. I use Marriage's Finest Bread Flour, which I order online from Kells Wholemeal.
They are the perfect breakfast if you're planning a staycation
Becoming proficient in bread can take a long time, but the journey is a fun one. I love the baking of the bread as much as I enjoy eating the end result. In the case of these gorgeously sweet and nutty buns, they are the perfect breakfast if you're planning a staycation but secretly pining for the shores of the Mediterranean. The sweet dough, doused with strong honey gives a flavour reminiscent of baklava; something you'd be enjoying if holidaying in Greece!
Honey and pistachio sticky buns
Serves 12
For the dough:
1 packet (10g) dry active yeast
1 tbsp + 60g granulated sugar
3 tbsp warm water
2 large eggs
375ml warmed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
650g good-quality strong flour
2 tsp salt
60g butter, room temperature
For the sticky buns:
Flour, for dusting
Baking spray, for greasing the tins
100g softened butter
200g demerera sugar
250g chopped pistachios, divided
200ml good quality honey
1 Make the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, 1 tbsp granulated sugar and 3 tbsp warm water. Leave and let the yeast activate; about five minutes. Then, add the remaining sugar and eggs. Using the paddle attachment, mix to combine. Add the milk, vanilla cinnamon, flour and salt. Mix with the paddle for 30 seconds, to combine everything. 2 Remove the paddle attachment and fasten the dough hook. Turn the stand mixer on low and, while mixing, add the softened butter to the dough 1 tbsp at a time, until it's all incorporated. 3 Continue to mix the dough with the dough hook for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the mixing bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise at room temperature for 1.5 hours, until it's doubled in size. 4 Punch the dough down and transfer to a plastic bag (I use a large freezer bag for this). Loosely tie the bag so the dough can't ooze out as it rises. Place the bag in the fridge and leave to chill overnight.5 The next morning, bring the dough out to room temperature. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the dough with the softened butter and evenly sprinkle with the demerera sugar, then sprinkle half the pistachios. Roll up the dough lengthwise.6 Preheat the oven to 190°C and spray a 12-portion muffin tin with baking spray. Set aside. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the roll in half. Then slice each half in half again. Then, slice each quarter into three portions. This will give you 12 portions in total. Place each slice into the greased muffin tin and let rise for an addition 30-45 minutes, until well proved. 7 Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are a deep brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops of each bun with a generous amount of honey. Then, sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios over the top. 8 Serve while warm or within two hours of baking.
Bread makes me so happy. Whether a traditional Irish batch loaf, a crusty French baguette or a piece of naan to sop up a curry, I'm not picky about the type of bread I eat, but I want to know that it was well made. There are a few producers making excellent bread within my locality, but a lot of the time, if I'm craving good bread I just make it myself.
It is usually a two-day process. I like to make the dough and let it cold ferment overnight in the fridge. I do this with yeast breads and sourdoughs – the end flavour will be that much better by letting your dough have a nice, cold rest before baking.
Getting it right
The dough for these buns is similar to your basic cinnamon roll recipe.
They are made with an enriched dough, which means it's made with butter, eggs, sugar and milk (in this case). The dough is similar to a French brioche and is best made using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, because it's fairly sticky.
One other thing I insist on when making bread is using the correct flour for the job. For most breads, you need strong flour. I used to think I could use plain flour and get a similar result, but there's no comparison. I use Marriage's Finest Bread Flour, which I order online from Kells Wholemeal.
They are the perfect breakfast if you're planning a staycation
Becoming proficient in bread can take a long time, but the journey is a fun one. I love the baking of the bread as much as I enjoy eating the end result. In the case of these gorgeously sweet and nutty buns, they are the perfect breakfast if you're planning a staycation but secretly pining for the shores of the Mediterranean. The sweet dough, doused with strong honey gives a flavour reminiscent of baklava; something you'd be enjoying if holidaying in Greece!
Honey and pistachio sticky buns
Serves 12
For the dough:
1 packet (10g) dry active yeast
1 tbsp + 60g granulated sugar
3 tbsp warm water
2 large eggs
375ml warmed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
650g good-quality strong flour
2 tsp salt
60g butter, room temperature
For the sticky buns:
Flour, for dusting
Baking spray, for greasing the tins
100g softened butter
200g demerera sugar
250g chopped pistachios, divided
200ml good quality honey
1 Make the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, 1 tbsp granulated sugar and 3 tbsp warm water. Leave and let the yeast activate; about five minutes. Then, add the remaining sugar and eggs. Using the paddle attachment, mix to combine. Add the milk, vanilla cinnamon, flour and salt. Mix with the paddle for 30 seconds, to combine everything. 2 Remove the paddle attachment and fasten the dough hook. Turn the stand mixer on low and, while mixing, add the softened butter to the dough 1 tbsp at a time, until it's all incorporated. 3 Continue to mix the dough with the dough hook for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the mixing bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise at room temperature for 1.5 hours, until it's doubled in size. 4 Punch the dough down and transfer to a plastic bag (I use a large freezer bag for this). Loosely tie the bag so the dough can't ooze out as it rises. Place the bag in the fridge and leave to chill overnight.5 The next morning, bring the dough out to room temperature. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the dough with the softened butter and evenly sprinkle with the demerera sugar, then sprinkle half the pistachios. Roll up the dough lengthwise.6 Preheat the oven to 190°C and spray a 12-portion muffin tin with baking spray. Set aside. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the roll in half. Then slice each half in half again. Then, slice each quarter into three portions. This will give you 12 portions in total. Place each slice into the greased muffin tin and let rise for an addition 30-45 minutes, until well proved. 7 Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are a deep brown. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops of each bun with a generous amount of honey. Then, sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios over the top. 8 Serve while warm or within two hours of baking. 
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