I love this bread for an easy but fancy-looking breakfast on Christmas morning.
This recipe does take a while to prep, so you will need to make it ahead of time and then simply reheat it on Christmas morning. It tastes delicious and looks festive.
Watch Me Make It
The Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
Milk, 1 cup
Butter, 1 1/2 TBSP
Yeast, 2 1/4 tsp
Vanilla, 1 tsp
2 Egg yolks (save the whites if you want to egg wash the bread before baking)
Flour (unbleached, all purpose), 3 1/2 cup
Sugar, 1/4 cup
Salt, pinch
Filling:
Butter (very soft), 6 TBSP
Brown Sugar, 1/3 cup
Cinnamon, 1 TBSP
Directions
Warm the butter and milk until warm to the touch. Whisk in the yeast and allow to proof for about 10 minutes.
Add vanilla and yolks to the milk and butter. Stir to combine.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center.
Add the wet ingredients into the well, beat on low until the ingredients combine into a dough. Add an additional splash of milk if needed.
Allow the mixer to run 5-10 minutes to "knead" the dough.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (2-3 hours).
Gently punch the dough down again, recover, and allow it to rise for another hour or so.
Create filling by combining brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll them out one at a time on a floured surface until about 12 inches in diameter.
Place the first layer on a parchment-lined cookie tray, spread 2 TBSP of the softened butter, and sprinkle with a third of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Repeat with 2 more layers.
Add the final layer of dough to the top.
To shape, place a glass in the center to keep an intact circle in the center. Using a knife or a dough cutter, cut the circle into fourths. Then cut the fourths into eighths. Then cut the eighths into sixteenths.
Take 2 sections in your hands, twist them 2 times away from each other. Pinch the ends. Move on the the next two sections and the next. Repeat until the star is complete.
Cover the star with a damp tea towel and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven).
Serve warm.
Serving Suggestions
The bread is delicious right out of the oven. However, if you want it first thing in the morning, bake it the day before. Wrap it in parchment paper and aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven at 300F for about 15 minutes.
Place it on a platter plain or...
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Drizzle with icing.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Drizzle with chocolate sauce.
Variations
The butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon filling is delicious, but there are many other options. Be creative! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
Nutella and chopped almonds or hazelnuts
A drizzle of honey plus chopped walnuts and cinnamon.
Cranberry Chutney
Jam of any flavor
Lemon Curd
Go savory with pesto, sundried tomatoes, and shredded mozzarella
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