What is Star Bread?
Star bread is a dense, sweet bread typically made with whole milk, all purpose flour, and salt. It is often dusted with coarse white sugar and often contains a filling, like strawberry jam. The recipe originates in the Philippines. LET’S BE FRIENDS ON PINTEREST! WE’RE ALWAYS PINNING TASTY RECIPES It is similar to panettone or panetón, which is a brioche type of bread filled with candied fruit. It is popular in Latin American countries. Star bread is easy to cut and share. Its star shape makes it a great addition to just about any holiday gathering. If you want a more savory bread, try our Olive Garden copycat breadsticks. Or for another great treat, try out churros bites !
Ingredients for star bread
When you make this star bread recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients on hand:
Warm whole milkUnsalted butter - You want to avoid salted butter for this because it can add too much salt to the dough.Instant yeast - You can use the yeast you have on hand.Granulated sugar - Regular white sugar is all you need for this.All-purpose flour - You could use bread flour, but it will add a bit of a different texture to the bread. You’ll need to reserve somme for rolling.Strawberry Jam - You can use other fillings if you prefer, but we find strawberry jam gives it a good flavor and nice color.
How to make the Best Star Bread
Star bread takes a lot of steps, but it is worth it for this tasty dessert bread. Here’s what to do.
Step 1 - Make the Dough
First, combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar and then stir. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. It should become foamy if the yeast is alive and active. If not, you will need to get a fresh batch of yeast.Next, pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer or into a large bowl if you plan on kneading by hand.Add the softened butter, salt, and flour to the bowl and then mx with the dough hook attachment on low-speed until the dough is smooth and elastic or for about 6 to 8 minutes.
The dough should be soft, slightly sticky when touched with a clean finger. It should pull away from the sides of the mixer.Next, grease the Instant Pot’s inner pot and transfer the dough to the Instant Pot.Cover it with a glass lid or the Instant pot lid and then turn the Instant Pot on by pressing the ‘Yogurt’ button. Set the timer to 1 hour.After 1 hour, the dough will double in size.Finally, gently punch the dough down.
*If you want to make this ahead of time, refrigerate the dough after mixing and let it slow proof in the refrigerator overnight – roll it up and bake the next morning.
Step 2 - Roll out the Star Bread
First, divide evenly into four portions.With a rolling pin, roll out your first piece of dough to a circle about 10-inches in diameter, keeping the rest covered to prevent it from drying. Silicone rolling mats work so well for this process – they have circles with measurements to guide you as you roll out. They also help keep your dough from sticking to your work surface, allowing you to use less flour when rolling out the dough.Next, take 1/4 cup of strawberry jam and spread it all around the circle leaving just an inch of gap at the end.Roll the next portion into a 10-inch diameter circle and place it on top of the strawberry jam layer. Repeat the steps until you reach the bare top, and you will have 4 layers of circles with 3 layers of filling.
Transferring the rolled dough to a piece of parchment can be tricky. Flour the dough and fold it in half. Flour it again and fold it in half again – you’ll end up with a triangular shaped dough that has been folded into quarters. Now you can easily pick it up and transfer it to a piece of parchment. Unfold it and, if it has shrunk a bit, you can slide your parchment over the top of your rolling mat and roll the dough back out to about 10 inches.
Step 3 - Shape the Star Bread
First, place a 3-inch cookie cutter or small mason jar in the center of the circle. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters. Cut each of those in half and cut each of those in half again – creating 16 total equal strips of dough, connected at the center.Next, remove the cookie cutter or jar from the center of the dough. Take two pieces of dough, side by side, and twist them 3 times in opposite directions from each other. Pinch the ends together, sealing the dough, and then repeat all the way around until you have an 8-pointed star.Slide the parchment with the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet and then cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy or about 30 minutes.
Step 4 -Bake the star bread
Preheat the oven to 375°F while the dough is rising.After the second proofing, if you find that the bread has lost some shape then again seal the edges first then brush the bread with some milk and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.Brush some melted butter once baked and then dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy the yummiest Star Bread ever!
Pro tips and tricks
When you make this star bread recipe, you’ll want to follow these simple tips and tricks:
Use the Instant Pot yogurt mode to help proof the dough instead of letting it proof on the counter.Make sure the milk is not too hot as it will kill the yeast. You can use a thermometer to check the temp of the milk. The ideal temp for active dry yeast is about 100 to 110 degrees F. For instant yeast or RapidRise yeast, it can be between 120°–130°F.If you do not have a mixer, you can use your hand to knead the dough, however, it will add around 20 minutes to the recipe time
Other bread recipes
If you love bread and want more ideas, you should definitely check out some of these other popular bread recipes:
CiabattaBolillo breadTelera rollGarlic knotsHomemade Italian bread French baguetteOlive Garden BreadsticksLadi Pav / Dinner RollsWhole wheat bread4 minutes Air fryer Garlic bread
Let us know what you think
If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
Roll out the Star Bread
First, divide evenly into four portions.With a rolling pin, roll out your first piece of dough to a circle about 10-inches in diameter, keeping the rest covered to prevent it from drying. Silicone rolling mats work so well for this process – they have circles with measurements to guide you as you roll out. They also help keep your dough from sticking to your work surface, allowing you to use less flour when rolling out the dough.Next, take 1/4 cup of strawberry jam and spread it all around the circle leaving just an inch of gap at the end.Roll the next portion into a 10-inch diameter circle and place it on top of the strawberry jam layer. Repeat the steps until you reach the bare top, and you will have 4 layers of circles with 3 layers of filling. Transferring the rolled dough to a piece of parchment can be tricky. Flour the dough and fold it in half. Flour it again and fold it in half again – you’ll end up with a triangular shaped dough that has been folded into quarters. Now you can easily pick it up and transfer it to a piece of parchment. Unfold it and, if it has shrunk a bit, you can slide your parchment over the top of your rolling mat and roll the dough back out to about 10 inches.
Shape the Star Bread
First, place a 3-inch cookie cutter or small mason jar in the center of the circle. Using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters. Cut each of those in half and cut each of those in half again – creating 16 total equal strips of dough, connected at the center.Next, remove the cookie cutter or jar from the center of the dough. Take two pieces of dough, side by side, and twist them 3 times in opposite directions from each other. Pinch the ends together, sealing the dough, and then repeat all the way around until you have an 8-pointed star.Slide the parchment with the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet and then cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy or about 30 minutes.
Bake the star bread
Preheat the oven to 375°F while the dough is rising.After the second proofing, if you find that the bread has lost some shape then again seal the edges first then brush the bread with some milk and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.Brush some melted butter once baked and then dust with icing sugar
I am a mother of 2 energetic boys, referred to as R2 (15-year-old) and R3 (10-year-old) on the blog. In case you are wondering who is R1, well that is my husband.
