Even though pecan nuts are not the most popular nuts, they still don’t deserve to be forgotten. Being visually and taste wise somehow similar to walnuts, people tend to use more often the second ones. Pecan nuts are definitely not the most economic snack in the world. But for this recipe no other type of nuts are better than pecans. That’s why let me introduce you to vegan pecan braided buns that can become your new favorite sweet treat or breakfast snack.
I don’t know if where you live sweet buns are a common thing or not. But in my home country Latvia they are. Even though Latvians usually prefer savory breakfast, we eat a lot of sweet buns as a snack. If you ever go to Latvia, you should definitely visit some bakery to understand how common this culture of eating sweet buns is for us. Actually, this recipe for vegan pecan braided buns is simply a vegan version of well-known Latvian pecan buns that originally are not vegan.
Nutritional value of pecan nuts
Pecan nuts, despite being quite fat (just like any other nuts), contain many valuable nutrients. They contain a bunch of different kind of minerals, like copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, calcium and selenium. But apart from that they contain huge amount of manganese. Manganese is important for us, because it contributes to our bone, brain and overall health. Apart from minerals, pecan nuts contain also some valuable vitamins. For example, they contain big amount of vitamin B1 and a decent amount of other vitamins, like B5, B6 and others. But pecan nuts are not the only ones that are good for our body. So, in case you’re searching for other recipes that include nuts, try my vegan cranberry and walnut muffins or my easy vegan rye cookie sticks, that contain hazelnuts!
How to prepare vegan pecan braided buns
To make these vegan pecan braided buns you’ll need vegan puff pastry, dairy free spread or margarine, a bit of cinnamon, some oil for brushing the buns (but you can also use melted dairy free spread or margarine), maple syrup and, of course, pecan nuts. The most time-consuming part is the creation of the buns. But once you have learned how to prepare the first one, the others will seem very quick and easy to make. Basically, you start by making the filling. Put all the ingredients, except the puff pastry, in a food processor and blend them together. After that you need to make several cuts in the puff pastry pieces. Then put a bit of the filling in the middle of each piece and create a braid by crossing the puff pastry strips over the filling. Check out the pictures below to understand the process better.
Once all vegan pecan braided buns are prepared, brush them with oil or melted dairy free spread/margarine and bake in the oven until ready. Once out of the oven, over each bun pour a bit of maple syrup and sprinkle some roasted pecan nut pieces. And that’s it! Your sweet pecan buns are ready to be enjoyed both warm and cold.
Specky in general doesn’t understand this human need for sweet treats. Of course, he likes carrots because they are sweet. But at the same time, he doesn’t become desperate if during his day he hasn’t eaten anything sweet. That is why, while I was baking these vegan pecan braided buns, Specky decided to do something, according to him, more useful, which is – playing hide and seek with his daddy!
Discover new flavors by preparing these pecan braided buns that are:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- sweet
- nutty
- deliciously aromatic
- sticky
- flavorful
- nourishing
- comforting
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
| Prep Time | 25 min |
| Cook Time | 15 min |
| Servings |
buns
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- 16 pieces of vegan puff pastry (size of each piece: ~9x13 cm/3.5x5”)
- 150 g of pecan nuts (+ extra 25 g for topping)
- 50 g of dairy free spread or margarine (room temperature)
- 5 tablespoons of maple syrup + extra 1 teaspoon for each bun (the extra maple syrup is for topping)
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of oil or melted dairy free spread/margarine (for brushing the buns)
Ingredients
|
|
- heat the oven to 200°C/390°F;
- in a food processor place pecan nuts (excluding the nuts that are meant for topping), dairy free spread/margarine, maple syrup (excluding the maple syrup that is meant for topping) and cinnamon. Mix everything together until a thick mixture, in which you can still see small pecan nut pieces, is obtained;
- take one piece of the puff pastry and make several cuts from two opposite sides by creating ~1 cm/0.40” wide strips that are all still attached to the puff pastry’s central part (for visual demonstration, check the pictures). Do the same with all other puff pastry pieces;
- take one prepared puff pastry piece, put in the center of it 1 teaspoon with a pile of the prepared filling and spread the filling over the non-cut part by leaving around 1cm/0.40” free from both ends (for visual demonstration, check the pictures);
- fold all the upper line of the puff pastry over the filling and then start to cross the strips over the rest of the filling by alternating the sides, from which the strips are taken. Continue until the last line is reached. Fold all the last line over the filling and the last remaining strips fold under the bun. Do the same with all other puff pastry pieces (for visual demonstration, check the pictures);
- line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the braided buns on it by leaving some space in between them – the buns will expand a bit. Then brush each braided bun with oil or melted dairy free spread/margarine and place the baking tray in the preheated oven;
- bake the braided buns for 15 minutes or until golden brown;
- while the buns are baking, break with your hands the pecan nuts (the ones meant for topping) in tiny pieces (or use food processor to do that) and place them in a frying pan. Roast the pecan nut pieces for some minutes, but be careful not to burn them;
- when the braided buns are ready, take them out from the oven and set aside to cool down a bit;
- when the braided buns are still warm but not hot, pour over each bun around 1 teaspoon of maple syrup and sprinkle over some roasted pecan nut pieces.
