Spring’s sweetest treat? These pistachio buns!

Few treats have sparked as much delight this spring as filled buns. The season’s most irresistible bun is bursting with zesty lemon quark and crunchy pistachios. Save the recipe and bake this spring favorite in your own kitchen!

Text and photos: Suvi Kesäläinen

THIS SPRING, buns have been having quite a moment. Traditions have met trends in the most imaginative ways, with people lining up for seasonal pastries – and rightly so! After all, what could be lovelier than a sunny coffee break with good coffee and a delicious bun? With bakeries serving up one creative flavor combo after another, it’s no wonder choosing just one has become the hardest part.

Cream cheese pastries are a beloved treat in the Nordics, especially around Easter, when soft cardamom buns are often filled with zesty lemon-flavored quark. Quark is a fresh dairy product made from soured milk and sometimes translated as curd cheese. It's similar to French fromage blanc or Arabic labneh and widely used in Germany and Slavic and Baltic countries, where quark lends a fresh tang to both sweet and savory dishes.

This recipe brings a playful twist to the classic: a pillowy bun dough, a quick-to-mix lemony quark filling, and a vibrant swirl of pistachio paste on top. No need to pre-bake the topping – just spoon it on straight from the oven and enjoy a bite of spring in every bun!

This bun dough skips the eggs and butter. The goal is to create the softest, fluffiest texture possible, one that stays tender even after cooling. Oat milk brings a gentle depth of flavor, while a neutral oil like canola keeps things smooth and balanced.

As for cardamom? The more, the merrier! For a bold, aromatic kick, you can grind whole pods in a mortar and pestle, though pre-ground cardamom will do the trick just fine, too. And if you’re a fan of slow mornings, here’s a tip: knead the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight.

Spring buns with lemon & pistachio

Ingredients (15-20 pcs):

500 ml oat milk
2 sachets of dry yeast
170 g sugar
1–3 tsp cardamom (to taste)
1 tsp vanilla sugar
150 ml canola oil
1 tsp salt
780–900 g all-purpose flour
Egg or oat milk for brushing

Quard filling:
250 g quark
45 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon

Pistachio paste* and chopped pistachios

Instructions:

Warm the oat milk to 42°C (about 108°F). Sprinkle in the dry yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the sugar, cardamom, vanilla sugar, canola oil, salt, and about half of the flour while stirring. Mix until smooth. Start kneading the dough by hand or using a stand mixer, gradually adding the remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough feels elastic and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 15–20 portions, depending on whether you prefer smaller or larger buns. Shape the pieces into round buns using as little flour as possible. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, prepare the quark filling in a bowl. Once the buns have risen, use a drinking glass to press a hollow in the center of each bun. Fill the holes with the quark mixture but don't overfill. Brush the edges of the buns with egg or oat milk.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (355°F) for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly. Finish with a drizzle of pistachio paste (in stripes or a small swirl) and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve with coffee or tea.

*You can find pistachio paste in premium grocery stores. If it’s not available, you can make your own by blending pistachios in a high-powered food processor. Just make sure your machine has enough power to turn the nuts into a smooth, buttery paste.

See also:

• All tableware >

Published on 14 Apr, 2025