This cardamom-scented Star Bread recipe is so much fun to make! Deliciously fragrant, tender sweet bread, is studded with almonds and dried cranberries, perfect for holiday brunch or afternoon tea.

 This cardamom-scented Star Bread recipe is so much fun to make! Deliciously fragrant, tender sweet bread, is studded with almonds and dried cranberries, perfect for holiday brunch or afternoon tea.
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. ~T. S. Eliot~

Here’s a cozy and delicious holiday recipe for Star Bread!  What I love about this recipe is not only how beautiful and festive it looks, but how do-able this is. Fun even! How lovely would this be at your Winter Solstice gathering or on Christmas morning? The basic yeasted dough recipe is simple and what you add to it is totally up to you!

Here, I’ve added dried cranberries, almonds and cardamom, but feel free to add what you like!  Crushed walnuts or hazelnuts with currants or tart cherries. Or pecans and raisins –  use what you have. It’s surprisingly easy! Allow 2 hours for rising, 40 minutes for hands-on time, and 15 minutes for baking.

What you’ll need:

  • Warm milk (or plant-based milk)
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Egg
  • Butter or vegan butter
  • Yeast: rapid-rise yeast or instant yeast ( if using active dry yeast, see notes)
  • Sugar & salt
  • Spices: cardamom, cinnamon

Optional Fillings: dried cranberries, raisins, dried currants,  sliced almonds, or other nuts.

How to make Star Bread

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 1: Make the dough in a stand mixer, let it rise until doubled, then divide into four balls.

Step 2: Roll each ball into a 10-inch wide circle – so you’ll have 4 circles.

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 3: Place the first layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush it with egg wash, and sprinkle it with spiced sugar, optional cranberries, and sliced almonds. Almond paste or a little jam would be a good filling here, too. Place the next circle over top and repeat the filling -until the final fourth layer.

Step 4: Once all four disks are seasoned and stacked, place a 2 ½- 3 inch round cookie cutter or bowl or cup in the center to use as a guide. Don’t press down!

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 5: Cut 16 strips, leaving the center intact. Cut in quarters first, then eights, then sixteenths. Like a sunburst!

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 6: Take two strips (next to each other), one in each hand, and twist them 2 times away from each other, then pinch together the edges to form one point of an 8-point star.

how to make star bread.

Continue twisting and pinching together the strips to form 8 points in this star. It need not be perfect.

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 7: Cover and let this rise again while the oven preheats.

Cranberry Almond Star Bread - a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays!

Step 8: Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown! Brush with butter if you like and sprinkle with powdered sugar! When it comes out, it will dazzle.

star bread out of the oven.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or brush with butter., or both!

how to make star bread.

Serve as a morning bread or with afternoon tea, decorating with fresh cranberries if you like.

 This cardamom-scented Star Bread recipe is so much fun to make! Deliciously fragrant, tender sweet bread, is studded with almonds and dried cranberries, perfect for holiday brunch or afternoon tea.

Serving suggestions and Storage

Serve with morning coffee, afternoon tea or as a sweet treat on the holiday table.

Star Bread will keep for up to four days covered on the kitchen counter, refrigerate for up to ten days (sealed) or freeze for up to 6 months.

More recipes you may like:

On the homefront: It’s the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year. It wasn’t until I moved to the Pacific Northwest that this began to have meaning. Here, and as I get older, it becomes more significant, not only in the physical world but in my inner world. For most of my life, I’ve resisted darkness, desperately seeking light, in all its forms. Physical and non-physical.

This year in particular has been a lesson in sitting with the darkness that inevitably comes to all of us in time.  Like night and day, winter and summer, it is half of the whole, the half I’ve tended to avoid.  But it keeps surfacing, perhaps waiting for me to have enough courage to face it. For many years, I’ve simply not allowed it. Distracting and busying myself. Being productive. Denying it.

But there is a different way I’m told from the wise ones who have gone before us – acceptance. Witnessing and accepting all parts of myself, the good, the bad and the ugly -my fears, guilt, and shame- the most hidden of all.

My prayer to the universe today . . .  give me the courage to sit with the darkness and simply allow it.

No judgment.

Sending you love and courage to embrace all.

s.

 

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 This cardamom-scented Star Bread recipe is so much fun to make! Deliciously fragrant, tender sweet bread, is studded with almonds and dried cranberries, perfect for holiday brunch or afternoon tea.

Star Bread Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
  • Prep Time: 160 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 55 mins
  • Yield: 8-10 1x
  • Category: dessert, bread, morning bread
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: nordic
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

How to make Star Bread – a simple, easy step by step guide to making the most delicious cozy winter treat, perfect for the holidays! (Recipe Updated 12/16/2018). Adapted from King Arthur Flour.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough:

  • 3/4 cup warm milk (100-110 degrees F)
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup soft unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons rapid rise or instant yeast ( if using active dry yeast, see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

FILLING :

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamon (or nutmeg)
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries (optional, sub other dried fruit)
  • 3/4 cup sliced almond ( optional sub other chopped nuts) )
  • Other optional fillings: almond paste, jams
  • Garnish: powdered sugar, melted butter

Instructions

  1. To make the dough with the instant yeast: Place all of the dough ingredients together in a stand mixer and using paddle attachment, beat on low for 3 minutes. You can also mix by hand, in a bowl to make a soft, smooth dough.
  2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot, for 60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.  If using active dry yeast, rising time will take twice as long.
  3. In the meantime, beat the egg and set aside. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and cardamon and place in a small bowl.
  4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, cover the balls, and allow them to rest for 15 minutes. On a floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 10″ circle. Place the circle on a parchment -lined sheet pan, brush a thin coat of beaten egg on the surface, then evenly sprinkle with a third of the spiced-sugar, ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼  cup almonds, leaving 1/4 inch of bare dough around the edges.
  5. Roll out a second circle the same size as the first, and place it on top of the filling-covered circle. Repeat the layering process:  egg, spiced sugar, cranberries, almonds, then  roll out the 3rd dough circle, add the remaining filling. Roll out the final ( 4th )dough circle, placing it on top, leaving the top totally bare.
  6. Place a 2  1/2″ to 3″ round cutter ( or cup) in the center of the dough circle to use as a guide. With a  sharp knife, cut the circle into 16 equal strips, from the edge of the cutter or cup- to the edge, through all the layers. Look at the photos. 🙂
  7. Using two hands, pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice so that the top side is facing up again. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough so that you end up with eight pairs of strips. ( see photos)
  8. Pinch the pairs of strips together to create a star-like shape with eight points. Remove the cup/cutter.
  9. Cover the star with a thin towel and let it rise until it puffs, about 45 minutes.
  10. While the star is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  11. Brush the star with a thin coat of the beaten egg. Bake it for 14 to 16 minutes, until it’s beautifully golden. Test doneness with a thermometer – it should reach 200°F in the center.
  12. Allow it to cool 10-15 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar or brush with melted butter.

Notes

If making dough with active dry yeast – scald the milk and let it cool down to 100-110F. Place the warm milk, sugar and yeast into a stand mixer ( or bowl) and mix until combined. Cover with a kitchen towel, let stand until yeast is active and frothy, about 5-10 minutes. Add remaining dough ingredients and beat on low speed until combined and it forms a soft dough. Continue with the recipe above.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 247
  • Sugar: 15.3 g
  • Sodium: 329.3 mg
  • Fat: 7.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 41.2 g
  • Fiber: 1.9 g
  • Protein: 5.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 39 mg

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Comments

  1. This turned out beautifully and was really fun to make. I did have to add quite a bit of flour (maybe a total of 2 1/2 cups instead of 2)
    It could be my oven, but it was done way before it reached 200F inside. Anyway, spectacular!

    1. Oh interesting on the temp, glad you made it work Aline. Flours are that way, some more absorbent than others.

  2. Question – should I scald the milk first? I’m using traditional dry active yeast and this is usually necessary, right?






    1. Yes, I would! Then let it cool down to 100-110 degrees before adding the yeast and sugar.

  3. Tried this today. It’s wonderful. My husband and son loved it. Definitely easier to do than I thought it would be. Thanks, Sylvia!






    1. Hi Nanci! Interesting, I have not tried this type of dough in a food processor, so I am not sure. Let me know if you try it. You can always mix by hand?

  4. I want to make this but my mind just will not grasp how to cut these circles??? wish there were step by step pictures.

    1. Hi Frances, there are step by step photos in the post body, maybe you jumped to the recipe card and missed them?

  5. made it with no almond or jam, but a couple Tablespoons more of sugar and a very thin layer of marzipan, and it was def good already! Just one question: is this supposed to have a very slight yeasty taste or did I make a mistake somewhere?

    1. The marzapan sounds lovely Lana- my mom used to add almond paste. I’m not sure about the yeasty taste- what type did you use?

      1. Thank you so much. I did use dry instant yeast and the dough seemed to have risen properly by the time I put these in the oven. I personally love the slightly yeasty taste, but shall I try it next (with chocolate) for a kids’ party, could I substitute baking powder in place of the yeast? Or should I let it rise even longer maybe?

        Your recipes are always such a hit at home! I am so grateful for your blog!






        1. Thanks Lana- I haven’t tried it with baking powder, so not sure? Feel free to experiement!

  6. Beautiful bread! My husband and I really like it.
    I might increase the cardamon amount and maybe try a raspberry jam filling next time. It’s a wonderful bread to bring as a hostess gift. I also increased the flour by 1/4 cup. I used bread flour because I had so much on hand.






  7. I just pulled this out of the oven and it looks like it came out of a professional bakery. It is soft, fluffy and oh so delicious. I did have to use 2 1/2 cups of flour, however.






    1. An update! Sylvia, I have made this bread with every type of filling imaginable at this point but I wanted to let you and your readers know that BY FAR the most popular is a poppyseed filling (made from scratch). It is insanely good. Thank you.

        1. 1 cup poppy seeds, ground and then soaked in boiling water for half an hour;
          handful of toasted almonds ground
          1/2 cup sugar
          1/2 teaspoon vanilla
          zest of 1/2 a lemon & 1/2 an orange

      1. I was just wondering about poppy seed. I have some and will have to find out what to add to it. My mother used to make poppy seed rolls and they were delicious.

  8. A beautiful and and delicious star bread! And, so much MORE beautiful, are your thoughts and meditations that you share with such courage. Thank you.

  9. Could I assemble the whole thing and put in fridge overnight and bake the next morning? Thinking of Christmas morning. Looks beautiful!

    1. Hi Amanda, great question- and honestly, I’m not sure! If I were to do this I think I would make the dough, let it rise, punch it down and refrigerate in a bowl, wrapped carefully overnight. The day of baking, let it come to room temp, assemble and let rise again, before baking. This is JUST a guess- I have not tried this. Perhaps someone else out there knows a better way?

  10. The flavor was fantastic, but I needed to add an additional cup of flour for the dough to be workable. I’m a novice baker so it was likely a user error. Once the dough came together the recipe was straightforward and produced an impressive result. The smell of cardamom made my apartment smell dreamy. I think I will try a cinnamon sugar version next, or maybe one with tahini and semi-sweet chocolate. The possibilities are endless. Thank you for a lovely recipe!

  11. I added about 2 1/4 c of flour to the dough.

    I have granite countertops so I used a lot of flour to roll my circles. I used a pizza cutter to perfect my circle and cut the lines.

    It was delicious. I used fig butter and am excited to try other fillings. (Chocolate, hazelnut spread, etc.)

    Thank you so much!






  12. Since I’ve only been going to the grocery store every 3 weeks, I’m using mostly buttermilk in my baking because it stays fresh longer. Do you think this recipe would work with buttermilk instead of milk? I’m curious to try this out. It looks stunning!

  13. Just made this for a gathering and it turned out perfect. Used currants instead of cranberries. thanks for easy directions!






  14. Your writing is very inspiring and beautiful! Your food looks delicious and stunning photos! Happy Holidays!

  15. Such a beautiful post Sylvia. A great word for the middle of winter and also the start of a new year. Can’t wait to try the star bread from my star sister❤️

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