Soft. Spiced. Glazed. Impossible to Eat Just One. Pillowy bread dough twisted around a deep green pistachio and cardamom filling, glazed with rosewater, finished with crushed pistachios — the knot that smells like a Middle Eastern bakery and tastes exactly like that promise.

 

🧾 INGREDIENTS

🍞 Enriched Dough

400g / 3¼ cups plain flour

7g / 2¼ tsp instant yeast

60g / ¼ cup caster sugar

1 tsp fine sea salt

240ml / 1 cup whole milk, warm

60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

🌿 Pistachio Cardamom Filling

150g / 1 cup unsalted pistachios, finely ground

80g / ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened

80g / ⅓ cup caster sugar

1½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp rosewater

Pinch of fine sea salt

🌸 Rosewater Glaze

120g / 1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp whole milk

1 tsp rosewater

Pinch of fine sea salt

✨ Finish

80g / ½ cup pistachios, roughly crushed

Dried rose petals

Extra rosewater glaze drizzle

✨ The filling smells of toasted pistachios, warm

cardamom, and something faintly floral from the

rosewater — spread thick across the dough, it becomes a

spiral of green through every fold of the knot. The glaze

arrives last, barely-there and fragrant, and the crushed

pistachios finish everything with a crunch.

🔢 INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl

— make a well in the center.

Pour the warm milk, softened butter, eggs, and vanilla

into the well and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for

8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and

springs back when pressed.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and

prove for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Meanwhile make the filling — combine the ground

pistachios, softened butter, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon,

rosewater, and salt in a bowl.

Mix until the filling is a smooth, spreadable paste — vivid

green, fragrant, and thick enough to hold its shape when

spread.

Punch down the proved dough and turn out onto a lightly

floured surface.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle approximately

40x30cm / 16x12 inches — keep the thickness even

throughout.

Spread the pistachio cardamom filling evenly across the

entire dough surface — take it all the way to the edges.

Fold the dough in half lengthways — press gently to seal

the filling inside.

Cut the folded dough into 12 equal strips approximately

3cm / 1¼ inches wide.

Hold each strip at both ends and twist firmly in opposite

directions — 3 to 4 full rotations along the full length.

Loop the twisted strip into a knot shape — tuck both

ends underneath and press firmly to hold.

Place the shaped knots on two parchment-lined baking

trays with space between each one.

Cover loosely and prove for a further 30 minutes until

visibly puffed and pillowy.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F during the second

prove.

🔥 Bake for 16–18 minutes until deeply golden at the

highest twist points and cooked through — the dough

should spring back when pressed lightly.

Cool for 5 minutes then drizzle the rosewater glaze

generously across the warm knots, scatter crushed

pistachios immediately while the glaze is still sticky, and

finish with dried rose petals before serving warm.

🕒 Prep time: 30 minutes + 1.5 hours prove

🔥 Cook time: 18 minutes

🍽️ Servings: 12 knots

⚡ Difficulty: Medium