Homemade Star Bread and a Recipe!

I finally got brave enough to try star bread.  I've seen it on the Great British Baking Show and always thought it looked so fancy but would never be something I could figure out.

Turns out, it's really pretty darn simple.  I was chatting with Tiffany who is the creator behind @BreadBakingBabe on Instagram about her Star Bread recipe and I asked her if it was something I could figure out.  She gave me the confidence to try it and gave me some bonus tips on her recipe and how to swap out the sweet filling for a savory pesto if I wanted.

The recipe can be found here but for some of the highlights and how I switched mine to a savory version, keep on reading!

While it looks really complicated, with a few ingredients and stand mixer, the dough comes to gather quickly.  While you can certainly hand knead, I usually don't have enough patience.  If you want to do a savory version, Tiffany recommended reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe to about 1 tsp total (and obviously don't use any chocolate ;-).  So with that tweak, I went ahead and mixed and proofed the dough.

Once the dough has doubled in size, I punched it down and divided it into four pieces.  The next step in the recipe calls for rolling out each piece and spreading softened butter on each layer and then sprinkling with the cocoa mix.  I went with a jar of pesto plus some asiago cheese and spread that liberally on each layer as I stacked them.  

Once the circles are stacked, I cut the dough pieces almost as if I were cutting a pizza, stopping just short of the middle.  See the recipe for details but it's really easy!  Then twist the pieces in opposite directions once and pinch the ends together to form each of the pointed ends.  It was a little scary at first but I was shocked at how easy it was.  Seriously! My only recommendation is that if your kitchen is a bit cool, the dough might take a little longer to proof so plan accordingly. 

Once twisted and star-shaped, I covered it with a flat proofing cover to allow it to puff up a bit more before baking. I did also sprinkle some salt on top to make it a little more flavorful but I bet you could do any kind of savory seasoning too!

After baking, I did a quick photo op before diving in.  It was amazing! I've decided this will be my go-to recipe if I ever need to bring a side dish for a dinner.  I used to make dinner rolls which are good but the star bread just looks so FANCY that I know it's going to be a hit.

Be sure to check out Tiffany's recipe as it's super easy to follow, even if you're brand new to baking.  If you're looking for an alternative to plastic wrap for proofing your bread doughs, I think you'll love our flat proofing covers (perfect for recipes like this) or our standard bowl covers for proofing soughs in bowls or bannetons.

If you try the recipe, let me know how it goes!  

Ali

@WildClementineCo