How To Make Star Christmas Bread
This Christmas bread is intricately designed and delightful to eat. It pulls apart easily to reveal a cinnamon sugar filling that’s sticky and buttery.
Serves:
Ingredients
For Bread:
- 200mlmilk,plus 50 ml extra, if needed
- 1ozbutter
- ¼ozinstant yeast
- 1tsppure vanilla extract
- 16ozbread flour,plain or all-purpose flour are fine to use
- 2½ozwhite granulated sugar
- ⅛tspsalt
- 2large egg yolks,refrigerate the whites for brushing
For Filling:
- 6tbspunsalted butter,softened
- ⅓cuplight brown sugar,lightly packed
- 1tbspground cinnamon
Instructions
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Heat 200ml of milk and butter together in a microwave or saucepan until temperature reaches 110 degrees F (warm to the touch). Add the yeast and let stand for 10 minutes, until frothy on top.
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While yeast is activating, combine flour, sugar and salt in a separate bowl.
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Create a well in the centre of the flour. Add the yeast mixture, egg yolks and vanilla into the well. Mix into the flour until combined.
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Knead by hand for 10 to 12 minutes until dough is soft and elastic. If the dough is too dry: warm up the extra milk, create a well in the dough and add in half of the milk. Knead and if it still feels too dry, add in the remaining amount of milk.
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Lightly oil a large bowl with a pastry brush or with fingertips. Place dough into bowl, turning once to coat in the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hours, or until doubled in size.
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Punch dough down, cover and let rest for an additional 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
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While dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Get butter ready, make sure it is softened and spreadable. Then, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
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When dough is ready, divide the dough into 4 pieces. Lightly flour a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to roll one ball out into a 12-inch or 30-centimeter disc.
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Place a plate on top and cut away any excess dough around the plate with a sharp knife. Remove the plate. Place dough disc onto prepared baking sheet.
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Spread dough with ⅓ of the softened butter and ⅓ of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. This is the bottom layer (the base).
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Roll out the second ball of dough, like above, and place on top of the bottom layer. Spread with ⅓ of the butter and brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.Repeat with the rest of the dough, layering each with butter/sugar/cinnamon.
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Place a small cup in the middle of the layered dough and very lightly mark a ring in the centre to use as a guide.
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Cut the dough first with four lines: 3 o’clock, 6o’clock, 9o’clock and 12 o’clock. Cut each quarter into 2 pieces, then cut each of those into 2 pieces so you end up with 16 strands connected to the middle circle.
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Take 2 strands that are side-by-side and twist them away from each other two times. Connect the two strands at the end, pinching the ends together to form a point. Do this with all of the strands and create a star flower!
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Cover star bread loosely with a damp cloth or towel and let rest one more time for 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat egg whites leftover from the yolk and brush whites evenly over the surface of the bread.
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Bake bread for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and golden.
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Decorate with powdered sugar (confectioners sugar or icing sugar), and a little ground cinnamon.Serve warm!
Nutrition
- Calories: 399.91kcal
- Fat: 14.50g
- Saturated Fat: 8.33g
- Trans Fat: 0.47g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3.81g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.07g
- Carbohydrates: 58.52g
- Fiber: 2.12g
- Sugar: 16.30g
- Protein: 8.80g
- Cholesterol: 79.21mg
- Sodium: 54.53mg
- Calcium: 61.75mg
- Potassium: 120.43mg
- Iron: 2.78mg
- Vitamin A: 125.28µg
- Vitamin C: 0.04mg
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