These baklava rolls are the perfect fusion of two classic desserts – cinnamon roll and baklava. Made with my classic, fluffy cinnamon bun recipe, the Baklava Rolls are filled with cinnamon butter and your favorite nuts and topped with a caramel sauce and more nuts.
There are very few desserts that I love as much as cinnamon rolls, and Baklava is one of them. Growing up in the Middle East, Baklava was a staple dessert at my house. Come any occasion; there was a box of shiny, crunchy Baklava at home. We spent our childhood (and adulthood) filling our mouths with delicious baklava rolls; the sticky fingers were totally worth it!
So recently, when I was sprinkling the filling for my cinnamon roll dough, I got the brilliant idea of making a baklava variation. I mean, cinnamon rolls are just fluffy baklava, right? So what if we switch the cinnamon filling with baklava filling? It sounded like a good idea…but it was actually a GREAT one.
If you aren’t aware, baklava filling is made with a mixture of ground nuts, usually walnuts and pistachios, but you can choose any nuts of your liking, with cinnamon and a little bit of salt. This mixture can easily replace the cinnamon roll mixture inside the dough, resulting in the most delicious fusion dessert.
Let’s learn how the dough for these baklava rolls is made.
If you like cinnamon rolls, you will enjoy these recipes!
- Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Cinnamon Roll Cake Recipe
- Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Sandwich Recipe
- Cinnamon Brown Butter Cookie Recipe
The Dough Recipe
Any roll dough is made with a few simple pantry ingredients – milk, sugar, yeast, salt, egg, butter, and flour. For my cinnamon roll recipe, I use a brioche dough which is an enriched dough (heavy in fat), which results in a very soft and fluffy texture.
I have created a very in-depth guide for making the cinnamon roll dough, and I highly recommend reading that before you make the dough.
Caramel Topping
Thee baklava rolls are topped with a sticky caramel sauce and nuts to mirror the sugar syrup aspect of a classic baklava. It gives the same sticky, sweet flavor and make the cinnamon rolls even more delicious.
The caramel sauce is made with only four ingredients and is super simple to make. Here is how to make the caramel topping.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, honey and sea salt into a saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat until the butter melts, then whisk together until the ingredients form a silky caramel sauce.
PS: Sea salt is a must cause it adds pops of saltiness which perfectly balances the sweet caramel sauce.
The Baklava Filling
The Baklava filling is as easy as it gets.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a large rectangle, keeping the thickness about 1/2-2/3rd inch. On the rolled dough, add a layer of the classic cinnamon butter filling made with softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon powder. Then top it with a mix of ground nuts.
You can use any mix of nuts you prefer – I used a combination of pistachios, hazelnuts and walnuts. I like to keep the nuts a little coarse for some texture.
tart to roll the dough horizontally (breadth-wise) from the side facing towards you. Roll it slowly while tucking it in as you go. Make sure to keep the roll as tight as possible. Don’t worry if you did not get it right on the first try; you can open it and roll it again. Once rolled, make sure that the seam (where the two ends of the dough meet is at the bottom. If using baking paper underneath the dough, you can roll it around the dough to tighten it properly.
Do not use a knife to cut the roll; the metal will squish and flatten the rolls. Instead, use a floss string to cut the rolls perfectly. First, mark the dough with roughly equal size, then place the floss string underneath the roll, making sure there is enough overhang on both sides. Bring the overhang up using both hands, then cross it across the dough roll the way you do while trying a string. This will cut the dough perfectly.
How To Bake The Baklava Cinnamon Rolls
Since these are sticky buns with a caramel topping, the baking technique is slightly different than regular cinnamon rolls. Here is the process for baking the Baklava Rolls.
- First, line the baking dish with baking paper at the bottom to make sure that the caramel sauce does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the caramel sauce at the bottom of the pan. If it’s become too thick, you can heat it until it softens before pouring it into the pan. Add a few whole and halved pistachios and hazelnuts on top.
- Place the cinnamon rolls on top of the caramel sauce, keeping each bun close to the other, just leaving a little space for each bun to rise.
- Cover with cling film and let the cinnamon rolls rise until they double in size, about 30 minutes to one hour.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 20-30 mins on 160 degrees, longer than you would bake regular cinnamon rolls as the caramel sauce will make the baking process slower.
- Once they are baked, remove from oven and let them cool for 20-30 minutes. Once cooled, carefully flip the rolls and peel off the baking paper from the top and enjoy.
- You can also serve them warm with some vanilla ice cream.
Are you as excited as I am to try this recipe? Let’s get started!
Baklava Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 92 grams granulated white sugar
- 78 grams unsalted butter softened
- 7 grams salt
- 1 large egg
- 454 grams all-purpose flour
- 6 grams instant yeast
- 255 ml full-fat milk lukewarm
Caramel Sauce
- 75 grams
- 55 grams unsalted butter
- 30 grams honey
- 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
- 10 grams whole pistachios
- 10 grams halved walnuts
Filling
- 75 grams butter room temperature
- 67 grams packed brown sugar
- 10 grams cinnamon
- 15 grams ground hazelnut can replace with pistachios or walnuts
- 15 grams ground pistachios
- 15 grams ground walnuts
Instructions
- Cream the butter, sugar, and salt using a whisk attachment until fully combined, for 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the flour, lukewarm milk (35-40 degrees Celsius), and instant yeast and mix using a spoon or spatula until the dough starts to come together.
- If you are using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment. If not, use your hands to start kneading the dough. The dough will be sticky and wet at first but should become smooth, soft, and not sticky by the end. The kneading process can take up to 20 minutes if done by hand. If the dough is still very sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add 15 to 20 grams of flour to the dough, a little at a time.
- Test if the dough is done by doing the windowpane test – cut a small piece of the dough and stretch it using your fingers. The dough should be able to stretch to paper thinness and be translucent without breaking. If the dough breaks during the test, knead it for a few more minutes.
- Lightly oil a bowl, place the finished dough inside and turn it around so that all sides of the dough are lightly coated with oil. Cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours until it doubles in size.
- Make the caramel sauce: In a saucepan, place the unsalted butter, brown sugar, honey, and sea salt. Cook on medium heat until everything melts, then whisk until the ingredients are fully incorporated and form a silky smooth caramel sauce.
- Place a baking paper at the bottom of the baking pan to stop the sauce from sticking. Pour the caramel sauce on top of the baking paper and add a few whole and half pistachios and walnuts.
- Make the filling: Place the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together using a spoon or spatula until they form a thick paste. Mix the ground nuts and set them aside.
- Punch the dough, then place a baking sheet on the surface and transfer the dough to it. Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll the dough into a rectangle (around 14×18 inches). Don’t roll the dough too thin; keep the thickness to around 1/2-2/3rd inch. If the dough is too thin, the rolls will be tough and chewy rather than soft and fluffy.
- Spread a layer of the cinnamon butter on the dough, then sprinkle the ground nut mixture on top.
- Roll the dough horizontally (breadth-wise) slowly, making sure you are tightly tucking it in, and roll it all the way through until it forms a cigar shape. If it does not work in the first go, unravel it and do it again.
- Place the roll seam side down and slice it with a string of floss. Mark the dough with roughly equal sizes across the roll, then place the floss string underneath the roll, making sure there is enough overhang on both sides. Bring the overhang up using both hands, then cross it across the dough roll the way you do while trying a string. (For make-ahead instructions, check the notes at the end to follow after this step)
- Place the cut rolls on top of the caramel sauce in the baking pan, stuffing them close to each other and leaving just enough space for each roll to rise.. Cover the rolls lightly with cling film, and let them proof and rise for another 1.5 to 2 hours until they are doubled in size.
- Once the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 160℃ and bake for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked from the centers. Let them cool down for 20-30 minutes, then flip them on a plate and peel the baking paper off. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Warm milk and butter: Make sure that the milk and butter are warm and not very hot. If they are hot, the yeast will not activate.
- Proving the dough: The dough is best proved in a warm environment. I recommend preheating the microwave and placing the dough in it for the duration.
If you love baklava and cinnamon rolls, this recipe is a must-try! If you give it a try, let me know how you liked it in the comments, and share it with me on Instagram!
Until next time!
