This beautiful cinnamon star bread recipe is shockingly easy to create. It’s perfect for so many occasions—from holiday breakfast to a regular old Saturday brunch. The beauty of this easier-than-it-looks recipe is that you can play with the flavors to match your mood, sweet or savory! You’ll find the recipe and some variations below.
This recipe is an adaptation of one from my in my book Holiday and Celebration Breads in Five Minutes a Day using this White Bread Master Recipe. You can watch me make this in the Breakfast Basics episode (Season 2, episode 2) of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network!
This episode is now streaming on Magnolia Network on discovery+ and will be released on cable later this year.
Ingredients
Enriched Dough
- 7 1/2 cups (1,065 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (10 grams) yeast
- 1 tbsp (17 grams) kosher salt
- 3 cups (680 grams) lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup oil
Star Bread filling and finish*
- 2 lbs enriched dough
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- Soft butter for brushing
Instructions
Enriched Dough
- Mix the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, salt, water, and oil in a 6-quart lidded container or a 5-quart stand mixer. Allow the dough to double in size, about 2 hours.
Shape Star Bread
- Divide 2 pounds of the enriched dough into four 1/2-pound pieces. Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator for another use. Roll the pieces into balls, and let rest for 15 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. In another bowl, prepare the egg wash by beating the egg with a tablespoon of water.
- With a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into 12-inch circles. Place one of the circles on a piece of parchment paper. Brush with some of the egg wash using a pastry brush, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Place another circle on top of the first circle, and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with another 1/3 of cinnamon-sugar filling. Repeat with one more circle, then place the final circle on top.
- Place a small bowl or biscuit cutter, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, in the center of the circle, and then use a bench scraper to cut the circle into 16 equal strips, cutting through all the layers.
- Once you’ve cut all of the strips, remove the biscuit cutter and add a final layer of egg wash to the top to create a nice golden-brown crust.
- Take two pieces of dough and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends of the pairs of strips firmly together. Repeat around the whole circle to create the star (you should end up with 8 points).
- Transfer the star on the parchment to a baking sheet. Cover the star gently with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour, until a bit puffy. During this time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and brush with soft butter using a pastry brush. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!
Notes
*Link to my Cranberry Raspberry or Pesto Filling Recipes!
Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Sweet and Decadent Baking for Every Occasion” by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg © St. Martin’s Press 2018. Provided courtesy of Zoë François. All rights reserved.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I have made this Cinnamon Star Bread 3 times and it comes out excellent every time. Zoe your recipes are easy to follow and those that I have tried come out good every time.
Hi, I’m new to baking and tried the recipe instructions. However, dough was too sticky. What did I do wrong?
Hi Marsha! How did you measure the flour? Measuring cups or kitchen scale? You may also just need to use more flour when handling it.
Dear Zoe;
I want to make the star bread, but I’ve never made bread. So when you say to mix the flour, yeast, sugar and water etc, do you mean with a dough hook, or a paddle? I presume you mean at a low speed, but if you mean just stir it with a spoon, that’s fine too. Either way would work – I have a 5-qt KitchenAid mixer. Thank you for offering this recipe today! I’ve been looking for easy, non-sourdough bread recipes.
Great question! Zoë uses a Danish Dough Whisk, but a spoon or spatula also works. No need for a stand mixer for this recipe, though you could use one if you need. Just keep the speed low and don’t overdo it! Just combine until you don’t see any more dry flour. Though it is a large recipe and may not completely fit in a stand mixer. Let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
Loved it, family devoured it. making something that makes my family smile is wonderful.