HOW TO MAKE STAR BREAD

Star bread is the perfect choice,if you want to bake something extra-special for the holidays. A real show-stopper, as delicious as it is gorgeous.

Surprisingly simple to make, this cinnamon sugar star bread is a soft and fluffy, beautiful twisted bread for your holiday table.

If you have gone through our,

Easy No Knead Dinner Roll Recipe or

Easy Croissants Recipe or

Tasty No Knead Artisan Bread or

Super Fluffy Dimple Dinner Roll Recipe or

Super Soft Burger Bun Recipe,

you know how easy it is to make, any sort of bread in FIVE SIMPLE STEPS.

Today lets see how to make star bread in five simple steps.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 150 ml whole milk
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 2 and 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Filling :Spread 1 Tablespoon of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles(optional). Mix 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.
• Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

Method

1.Prepare the dough.

Lets combine all the ingredients together.Whisk together the Warm milk and egg and then add sugar,salt,yeast ,very soft butter or melted butter and flour.

Just combine everything together and then we need to knead the dough.

While making any sort of bread it is not necessary to go very strict on the measurements,we can add little more(2 or 3 tablespoons) flour if the dough is too sticky or we can add little more milk or water if you feel the dough is too tough.But we should know the consistency of the final dough.Our final dough should be soft and supple and elastic enough to withstand all the stretching and puffing later.

You can use a stand mixer to do this or you can knead the dough by hand.

2.First Proofing.

Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. For this warm spot, I suggest using the oven.

• Either you can place the dough inside the oven with oven light on or
• You can Preheat the oven to 150°F, then turn the oven off after preheating. Place the covered bowl inside and shut the oven door. This can provide a good warm environment.

3.Divide and Shape the dough.

• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.Roll each out into a rough 10-inch circle. Stack them on top of each other with your filling between each. There will be 4 layers of dough and 3 layers of filling.
• Shaping :As you saw in the video, this isn’t tricky! Cut any scraps around the edges so you have an even circle. Place a 2 1/2 inch round object or bowl in the center to make an indent. This is the center of the star. Using a pizza cutter a sharp knife, cut 16 even strips.while cutting,we need make sure the dough is cut into all the layers ;otherwise  you will find it difficult to shape while twisting the strips. Grab two strips and twist them twice ;away from each other, then press the two ends together. Your star bread will have 8 points.

4.Second Proofing.

Cover the shaped bread with a plastic film  and let it rest for 40 minutes.When the shaped star bread dough has puffed up, brushing it with egg wash . Egg wash promises a beautifully shiny and golden star bread!

5.Bake the bread.

Bake @ 350F for about 22-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top or points browning too quickly, loosely tent the star bread with aluminum foil.

Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Brush with some melted butter while the bread is still warm and dust confectioners’ sugar on top and enjoy warm. 

Now enjoy and Bask in the glow of your family’s admiration 🙂  Who knew you were such an artist?

How to deal any left Over Bread?

Cover and store leftover star bread at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Just before serving:Place it on a baking tray,brush the top with water or spray some water on top  and then reheat in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes, until it’s warmed through.The bread will be soft and taste fresh.

Make ahead instructions:

Refrigerate dough for up to 1-2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Prepare bread dough as on  step 1 . After it has risen, punch the dough down to release the air bubbles. Cover the dough tightly, then place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw the bread dough overnight in the refrigerator. (If frozen.) Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter, for 30 minutes. Punch the dough down again to release any air bubbles. Then, continue with step 3.

Make & freeze

This bread can be baked and frozen up to 1 month before you’re planning to serve it. Once it’s cool, wrap it airtight and store in freezer. To prepare it for serving, thaw it overnight, still wrapped, at room temperature. Place it on a baking tray,brush the top with water or spray some water on top  and then reheat in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes, until it’s warmed through.

It  is not recommended to freeze the  unbaked bread; much of the cinnamon filling drains out and puddles around the loaf. Better to bake the loaf completely, then rewarm just before serving.

15 Delicious Star Bread Filling Ideas !

By far the most creative and crowd-pleasing holiday recipe on my list is star bread.The important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want your bread to be too messy, so don’t choose a filling that’s too fluid, as it’ll ooze everywhere as you twist the dough; or too chunky, which will make the dough too difficult to twist.

1. Cinnamon sugar:
   • Cinnamon Star bread that we made today can also be made by spreading softened bittern each layer.Spread 1 Tablespoon of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles. Mix 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.
2. Nutella:
   • Spread 1 heaping Tablespoon of Nutella onto each of the 3 circles. If you find it difficult to spread Nutella onto soft dough, just warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds until it’s a spreadable consistency.
3. Your favorite fruit jam:
   • Spread 1 Tablespoon of jam onto each of the 3 circles.
4. Za’atar:
   • Spread 1 tablespoon Zatar+1 teaspoon Olive oil onto each of the circles.You can reduce the sugar in dough to 1 tablespoon instead of 3.Za‘atar as a prepared condiment is generally made with ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt
5. Tropical delight:
   • Mix Together 1 cup grated coconut +1/2 cup of powdered sugar+1/2 Tsp cardamom powder+1/4 cup of chopped cherries and cashew nuts(together).Spread 1/3rd part of this mixture on each layer of dough.
6. Butter + Brown sugar + Crystallized ginger:
   • Spread 1 Tablespoon of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles. Mix 5 Tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle
7. Apple butter or pumpkin butter or Peanut butter:
   • Spread 1 heaping Tablespoon onto each of the 3 circles.
8. Chai spice:
   • Spread 1 Tablespoon of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles. Mix 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar with 1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ground ginger,  ground cardamom, and ground allspice. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.
9. Pesto:
   • Spread a thin layer of pesto between each circle of dough (leaving an inch on the outside edge of the dough bare). It’s ideal to use thicker pesto, rather than thinner. If you want even more flavor, sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese or chopped toasted pine nuts over the pesto.
10. Pizza Star Bread:
    • Brush each layer of dough lightly with butter (leaving an inch on the outside edge of the dough bare). Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over the butter, then top with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, chili flakes, and shredded cheese(I like a blend of mozzarella and Asiago).You can reduce the amount of sugar in the dough to 1 tablespoon instead of 3.
11. Simple herbed Butter:
    • Brush melted butter over your dough and top with a simple blend of your favorite herbs, dried or fresh. I love using thyme and rosemary with some flaky sea salt.You can reduce the amount of sugar in the dough to 1 tablespoon instead of 3.
12. Garlic Butter:
    • Brush butter over the dough and top with minced garlic and chopped fresh parsley. Add some Parmesan cheese if you want a more decadent bread!You can reduce the amount of sugar in the dough to 1 tablespoon instead of 3.
13. Herb and cheese bread :
    • Spread creamy ricotta, Parmesan cheese and caramelized garlic.
14. Cinnamon sugar + orange zest + fresh or dried cranberries:
    • Spread 1 Tablespoon of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles. Mix 3 Tablespoons packed brown or granulated sugar with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons orange zest, and 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh or dried cranberries. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.
15. Mini Chocolate chips:
    • Spread 1 and 1/2 Tablespoon of chocolate chips on each layer of dough.