What I love most about this homemade Christmas Star Bread is its delightful looking that can impress pretty much EVERYONE. Making delicious Apple Cinnamon Bread at Home is not that hard as you might think. I love it, my family loves it! How about you? You can make this Star Bread for the holidays or other special occasions
I also give you 21 filling variations that you and your beloved family can play around with. Give it a try and you see it is a real surprise!
How to Make Christmas Star Bread in 5 Simple Steps?
STEP 1. Make a bread dough and let it rise for 60-90 minutes (1st rise).
Combine warm milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, egg, yeast, and flour in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until well combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place to the 1st rise for 60 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
Sometimes you need 2 or 3 hours for your dough to get doubled in size, it really depends on the temperature where you leave your dough or the amount of yeast that you use. (Watch me do this in the video below.)
STEP 2. Knead and let it rise for 30 minutes (2nd rise).
After the 1st rise, we take the dough out and hand knead for 10 to 15 minutes or use the mixer to knead until the dough is elastic and smooth. Then, give the dough a 2nd rise for 30 minutes.
*** If you are so busy and want to make the dough ahead of time, sure you can do it. Just check out some useful make dough ahead tips below.
STEP 3. Roll out the star bread.
Knead the dough for 2 to 5 minutes and then cut it into 4 equal portions. Shape into balls. Roll each out into a rough 9 to 10-inch circle.
Stack them on top of each other and spread apple filling, soft butter, and brown sugar between each layer. You should end up with 4 layers of dough and 3 layers of filling.
STEP 4. Shape the star bread.
Mark a 3-inch circle in the middle with a round cookie cutter or a cup. Cut the dough into 16 sections leaving the 3-inch circle in the middle untouched.
Twist two sections away from each other and press the end together to form the star’s point. You can twist 2 or 3 times for each star’s point. There will be 8-star points in your loaf.
***Make sure you watch my video tutorial to see how easy to make the twists.
STEP 5. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then bake.
Cover the shaped bread and let it rest for 10 or 20 minutes before brushing with egg wash and baking. Egg wash makes a beautifully shiny and golden star bread!
Watch How To Make It
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More Healthy Recipes for your healthy family
- Healthy Mummy Brownies with Avocado
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MAKE STAR BREAD DOUGH AHEAD TIPS
How to Make Bread Dough Ahead of Time?
METHOD #1. Refrigerate dough for up to 24-48 hours.
Make bread dough through step 1 above. After it has risen in double size, punch the dough down to release the air bubbles. Cover the dough tightly, then place it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
When your family is ready to eat, remove the dough from the refrigerator and continue straight away with step 3 above.
METHOD #2. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
Make bread dough through step 1 above. After it has risen in double size, punch the dough down to release the air bubbles. Cover the dough tightly, then store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When your family wants to eat the bread the next day, thaw the bread overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, you just remove the dough from the refrigerator and continue with step 3 above.
Can I make bread dough to rise overnight?
Yes, you can let your bread dough rise overnight in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
You can bake it straight from the fridge. Make sure to get your oven hot ā ideally heat it for around 30 minutes before putting the dough in.
You can also place the dough at the counter to come back up to room temperature before baking. Keep in mind, though, you donāt want to give it longer than 30 minutes if taken out because the yeast activity continues to rise and over-ferment your dough.
Can I make bread dough to rise overnight at room temperature?
Dough that’s left to rise at room temperature typically gets double in size between 1 and 3 hours, depending on the amount of yeast in your recipe and how warm the place you’ve left the dough is.
If left overnight at room temperature, the dough would over-ferment. It means that there was excessive gas production during the proofing, which the dough won’t be able to hold. Consequently, making the dough deflate and creating a very strong āfermentationā smell in your bread loaf that you might not like to eat, especially your kiddos.
For best results, if you want to make the dough overnight, make sure that you keep the dough in the refrigerator after the 1st rise (through step 1 above).
21 STAR BREAD FILLINGS YOU WILL LOVE!
My video tutorial today is an Apple Cinnamon Star Bread because my little toddler is a big fan of apples. However, there are many options for Star Bread Fillings that you can change every time to surprise your family and friends. Check it out here and choose the best fillings by your own tastes!
Ā – 12 SWEET FILLING OPTIONS –
1. Apple Cinnamon Caramel (I made it in this recipe, you can find how to make Apple Cinnamon Caramel in the recipe card below)
2. Your favorite Fruit Jam (either homemade or purchased)
3. Fresh Fruit, Dried Fruit, or Frozen Fruit (use any type of dried or frozen fruit or fruit combination for this. Even add nuts all mixed with melted butter)
4. Nutella and Chopped Almond (feel free to use any types of nut you like, but I recommend Nutella and Almond is a good mix if you want to try)
5. Chocolate Sauce (add either dark, milk or white chocolate, chocolate chips or grated dark, milk or white chocolate. All will work well with this recipe)
6. Butter and Cinnamon Sugar (if you like Cinnamon Buns or Cinnamon Rolls, you might like this filling)
7. Butter Cinnamon Sugar and Walnuts (or any of your favorite nuts)
8.Ā Pumpkin ButterĀ
In a saucepan, combine 2 cups of pumpkin puree, Ā¼ cup of maple syrup (or more, to taste), Ā¼ tsp of ground cinnamon, ā tsp of ground ginger, ā tsp of cloves, and water (if your pumpkin butter is too thick)
9. Cinnamon Sugar + Lemon zest + Blueberries (fresh or dried)
10. Apple Banana Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the diced bananas, diced apples, and water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the apples are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and honey and stir well. If you want, you can blend the mixture until smooth or just use it straight away in your bread dough
11. Pineapple Sauce
Blend the pineapple until smooth. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and blended pineapple, and then bring to a boil. Stir frequently over low heat until thickened. You can add a little ground cinnamon and ground clove for more flavor.
12. Egg Custard Filling (you can do with traditional egg custard, chocolate, or matcha custard)
— 9 SAVORY FILLING OPTIONS —
13. Chopped Fried Bacon, Onion, and Cheese
14. Mushroom Onion and Cheese Combo
15. Corn Ham and Mozzarella Cheese
16. Hawaiian Style (chopped cooked bacon, diced pineapple, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce)
17. Pizza Style (Tomato paste, sundried tomatoes, and finely grated cheese)
18. Chopped Sausage and Tomato Sauce mix with Herb and parmesan cheese
19. Garlic Butter (chopped garlic and oregano herb mixed in melted butter and a pinch of sea salt, will be the best filling)
20. Pesto Sauce and grated Parmesan Cheese
21. Cheese Combo (mixture of cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Add caramelized garlic or onions if you desired)
STORING BAKED STAR BREAD TIPS
- To Store: Cover and store leftover star bread at room temperature for 1-2 days and in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To revive the bread, you could brush the top with water or spray some water on top, then reheat in a 180 Ā°C (350Ā°F) oven for about 5 minutes, until it is warmed through. The bread will be soft and taste fresh.
- To Freeze: The baked bread can be frozen for up to 1 month. To prepare it for serving, thaw it overnight in the fridge, still wrapped up. Then bring to room temperature, unwrapped, for 30 minutes. Before serving, brush the top of the bread with water or spray some water on top, then reheat in a 180 Ā°C (350Ā°F) oven for about 5 minutes, until it is warmed through.
Christmas Star Bread with Apple Cinnamon Filling
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 180 gr warm milk (30Ā°C)
- 50 gr unsalted butter , melted
- 1 medium-sized egg
- 5 gr instant dry yeast
- 300 gr bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 30 gr granulated sugar
- Ā½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
FOR THE APPLE FILLING:
- 500 gr diced apple
- 75 gr brown sugarĀ (add more, to taste)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Some soft unsalted butter and brown sugar (for the spread in each layer bread dough)
FOR EGG WASH:
- 1 tbsp unsweetened milk
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
APPLE CINNAMON BUTTER FILLING
- Dice the apples into small chunks
- Add all apple chunks, brown sugar, and cinnamon powder to the small pot
- Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat, add 1 tbsp of squeezing fresh lemon or lime.
- Cooling and ready to spread on the dough
MAKING THE DOUGH
- Make a bread dough and let it rise for 60-90 minutes. Combine warm milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, egg, yeast, and flour in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until well combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place to the 1st rise for 60 minutes or until the dough has almost doubled in size. Sometimes you need 2 or 3 hours for your dough to get doubled in size, it really depends on the temperature where you leave your dough. (Watch me do this my video tutorial below.)
- Knead and let it rise for 30 minutes. After the 1st rise, we take the dough out and knead for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. Then, give the dough a 2nd rise for 30 minutes.*** If you are so busy and want to make the dough ahead of time, sure you can do it. Just check out some useful making dough ahead tips above.
- Roll out the star bread. Knead the dough for 2 to 5 minutes and then cut it into 4 equal portions. Shape into balls. Roll each out into a rough 9 to 10-inch circle. Stack them on top of each other and spread apple filling between each layer. You should end up with 4 layers of dough and 3 layers of filling.*** I also give youĀ 21 filling variationsĀ recipes that you and your beloved family can play around with.
- Shape the star bread. Mark a 3-inch circle in the middle with a round cookie cutter or a cup. Cut the dough into 16 sections leaving the 3-inch circle in the middle untouched. Twist two sections away from each other and press the end together to form the star's point. You can twist 2 or 3 times for each star's point. There will be 8-star points in your loaf.*** Make sure you watch my video tutorial below to see how easy to make the twists.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes, then bake. Cover the shaped bread and let it rest for 10 or 20 minutes before brushing with egg wash (1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk). Then bake in the preheated oven to 350 Fahrenheit (or 180 Celsius) for 25-30 minutes or until the bread is cooked well and golden brown on top.
Watch How to do it
Zoe’s Notes
- Make the dough ahead of time. You can read all the useful tips and the way to do it above
- Filling tips: 21 filling variations recipes are ready for your choice here. However, keep in mind that the filling that you choose to make this star bread must be at room temperature and not too much liquid in it.
- Storage: Keep well around 1-2 days at room temperature,Ā up to 3-4 days in the fridge, and 1 month frozen. How to revive the bread and make it fresh again to eat? You can read more here.
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