Christmas Cinnamon Star Bread
This cinnamon star bread is perfect for you to have at your Christmas dinner. The incredible smell of cinnamon and its fluffy texture is all you need.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 g instant dry yeast
- 3 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 180 ml milk plus 15 ml for egg wash
- 60 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 290 g flour all-purpose
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 50 g granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp powdered sugar to serve
Instructions
- In a large bowl add yeast and sugar. Heat milk until warm to touch and add it in the bowl. Whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it proof for 5-10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy (that's how you know your yeast is still active).
- Add butter, 1 egg, flour and salt. Mix the dough for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 tbsp flour if it's too sticky to handle. Form into a ball, place it in a bowl greased with butter and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise for about 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Mix the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to make the filling. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air.
- Divide into 4 equal pieces and place on a floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a 25 cm circle. Place the bottom circle on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with the filling - 1 tbsp very soft butter, then sprinkle ⅓ of the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Layer the remaining circles and filling on top. The last one doesn't have filling on it. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut any scraps around the edges to make an even circle. Place an 8 cm round bowl in the center and make an indent. Then, cut 16 strips from the edge to the edge of the bowl - first, cut quarters, then divide each quarter in 4 strips. Using both hands, grab two strips and twist them away from each other twice, then press the two ends together to make a point.
- Cover the shaped bread with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. To make the egg wash - beat 1 egg with 1 tbsp milk. Brush the star bread with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Dust powdered sugar on top and enjoy warm.