christmas star bread

This Pesto Parmesan Star Bread is so gorgeous, and surprisingly simple to make! The bread bakes up soft and tender, with flaky layers of savory bread and cheesy pesto filling, with optional marinara for dipping. It’s guaranteed to be the “star&#039;&#039; at your next party, perfect for holiday entertaining or any special occasion! 

Pesto Parmesan Star Bread

flour

potato flakes

instant yeast ((1 packet))

whole milk ((about 100-110F))

unsalted butter (, cubed, room temp)

sugar

salt

egg (, beaten)

pesto sauce

fresh parmesan

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, briefly whisk together the flour and potato flakes. Add the instant yeast, warm milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment just until a loose dough forms (or mix with a wooden spoon by hand if making in a mixing bowl). Switch to the hook attachment and mix on medium-low for 2-3 minutes (or knead on floured work surface for 3-5 minutes), the dough should be very soft and just slightly tacky. If it’s sticky, add a tablespoon of flour and mix with dough hook until combined.

Lightly grease a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray or canola oil. Place the dough ball in the bowl, flip over so all sides get oiled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm area of your kitchen to rise until nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes. The dough will be tender, fragrant, and feel puffy when it’s ready.

Lightly spray a 12-inch piece of parchment paper with non-stick spray, set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 equal portions, roll each portion into a smooth round ball.

Roll one dough ball at a time into a 10-inch round circle. Place it on the greased parchment paper. Brush entire surface lightly edge to edge with egg wash. Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto evenly on the dough, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, leaving a 1/4-inch edge bare.

Roll out the next dough ball, place it on top of the first layer and press lightly to seal, and repeat the egg wash, and pesto-parmesan step. Repeat these steps with the third dough ball.

Roll out the fourth dough ball and place it on top of the others. Place a 3-inch drinking glass or biscuit cutter in the center of the dough circle, and press lightly just to make an impression (this is the center of your star and you will not cut through this. You can also leave the glass in place as a guide while you make the cuts.)

Use a very sharp large knife or sharp kitchen shears to make 16 evenly spaced cuts up to the line of the impression made by the glass. (The easiest way to do this is by dividing the circle in half first, then halve the half circles to create wedges, and halve wedges until you’ve made 16 evenly spaced cuts.)

Grasp two adjacent strips of dough and twist away from each other two or three times (do not try to twist more than three times.) Pinch the ends together tightly and tuck under a bit to create the points of the star. You should have 8 points.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes. It will be noticeably puffy, but will not grow in size like the first rise. (Do not do the second rise in a proofing box or low temperature oven, this will cause the sugar to melt out of your bread too much, and it will stick to the parchment paper.)

Preheat oven with rack positioned in the middle of the oven to 400F. Brush dough lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with any remaining parmesan.

Transfer parchment paper and dough to a large baking sheet; bake for about 2o to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, and center is cooked through and no longer doughy. Cool for 10 minutes, serve warm with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

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Soft and tender, with flaky layers of savory bread and cheesy pesto filling, this gorgeous Star Bread with be the “star'' at your next party!

Soft, fluffy, and layered with cinnamon-sugar, this Star Bread recipe comes together quickly and easily with a few simple ingredients.

Star Bread

whole milk (110F (240 milliliters))

0.25-ounce packet instant yeast

unsalted butter (melted)

sugar ((50 grams))

egg (room temperature)

all-purpose flour ((450 grams))

sugar (100 grams)

cinnamon

water

Confectioners’ sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk and yeast. Let stand until very foamy, about 10 minutes.

Once foamy, add the melted butter, sugar, and egg. On top of the wet ingredients, add the flour and salt. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Increase speed to medium-low, and continue kneading until a sticky and elastic dough is formed, about 8 to 10 minutes. (the dough should start pulling away from the sides of the bowl, but may still stick to the bottom.) Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the Dough:

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.

Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Roll one ball into a thin roughly 12-inch circle. (If your dough is shrinking back on itself as you roll, let it rest for a few minutes and try rolling it on an unfloured surface.) Place on a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly brush with melted butter, leaving about ½-inch border, and sprinkle the butter with a third of the cinnamon sugar. Roll another dough ball into the same size circle and place on top of the sugar-coated round. (If the dough is wanting to shrink a little, lightly pinch the edge of the top dough round to the edge of the bottom dough round to help keep the shape.) Brush with butter and sprinkle with another third of cinnamon sugar. Repeat layers again. Roll the last dough ball and place on top. Trim the dough where needed to create a clean edge and a 10- to 11-inch circle.

Place a 3-inch round cookie cutter or small bowl in the center of the dough. Using a pastry cutter or very sharp knife, cut the circle into quarters starting at the edge of the dough and stopping the edge of the bowl. Cut each quarter in half, and then each of those in half again. (You should end up with 16 little triangles connected at the center.)

Grab two dough strips, one in each hand, and twist them 3 times away from each other. Lay them down, pinch the end together. Repeat all around the circle. You should have an 8-pointed star. Remove the cutter. Transfer the star with the parchment paper onto a rimmed baking sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise until noticeably puffed, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F.

For the Filling:

Beat the egg and water together until well combined. If the points of the star have separated while rising, pinch them together again. Brush the egg wash all over the puffed star.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, covering with foil after 15 minutes if it’s browning too quickly. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving warm.

For the Topping:

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Star Bread

Top 2 christmas star bread recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas star bread recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Pesto Parmesan Star Bread

Star Bread

The most viewed christmas star bread recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine