This New Year’s Star Bread is a delicious bread with a hint of cinnamon flavor. It looks the part too with its twisted points to make a star shape. I can’t think of a better recipe to make for New Year’s Eve this year.
To make this, start by making the dough. Once the dough rises, portion it and roll it into circles. Layer the circles up a baking pan, sprinkling with cinnamon sugar before shaping it into a star shape. Leave to rise again and once puffy, brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
To make New Year’s Star Bread, you will need the following ingredients:
Dissolve 2½ teaspoons of yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in ½ a cup of warm water.
In a separate bowl, combine ½ a cup of warm whole milk with 1 large egg, ¼ cup of softened butter, ¼ cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the yeast mixture and 3 cups of flour. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover the bowl and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
Combine ⅔ cup of sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon in a small bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to remove the air. Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll 1 portion into a 12-inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the surface of the circle with a thin coat of beaten egg and evenly sprinkle with ⅓ of the cinnamon-sugar, leaving ¼ inch of plain dough around the perimeter. Roll out a second circle the same size as the first, and place it on top of the original circle.
Repeat the layering process, brushing with egg and sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, until you have used all the dough pieces. Leave the top circle bare.
Place a 2½ - 3-inch round bowl or cutter in the center of the dough circle. Do not press down, simply use this as a guide. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 16 equal strips, through all the layers from the cutter to the edge of the dough.
Using both hands, pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice so that the top side is facing up again. Repeat using the remaining strips of dough so that you end up with eight pairs. Squeeze the pairs of strips together to create a star-like shape. Remove the cutter from the center.
Cover the bread loosely and leave to rise for about 40 minutes until puffy.
Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
Brush the bread with the remaining beaten egg and bake the wreath for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
Remove the cooked bread loaf from the oven. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
This New Year’s Star Bread is the perfect recipe to ring in the New Year! If you try this delicious bread, make sure you tag @cookmerecipes in your Instagram photos.
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