
When looking to wow your guests or family, there’s nothing quite beats the splendor of star bread. This festive treat is made from layers of rich, buttery dough that can be filled with a variety of filling, including cinnamon, chocolate, and fruit preserves, before being rolled into a magnificent star shape. You may think it’s hard to make, but it’s all about getting the right texture of the dough. With a little patience and some of the tips and tricks I’ve outlined below, you can make this delicious centerpiece right in your own kitchen.
Star Bread Dough Ingredients & why:
To make the dough, you only need 7 ingredients. But in this recipe, we use 8 ingredients due to the addition of 1/2 tablespoon sour cream, which gives the crumb a slightly more tangy flavor. Feel free to skip it and use the same amount of butter instead. Here’s the list of the remaining ingredients we need:

- Flour: I recommend using all-purpose flour to get the right dough structure. Although you can use bread flour, the results will be less soft and more crisp.
- Milk: Add richness to the dough, which makes the crumb moist.
- Yeast: Make the dough rise. You can use both instant and active yeast, see the recipe note for how to use active yeast.
- Sugar: In addition to its sweetness, the sugar strengthens the dough, which is a plus if you’re shaping the bread by hand.
- Butter: Butter gives the dough a rich flavor and smoothness.
- Salt: Balances the flavors.
- Egg: Helps to give the dough richness and texture.
Overview: How to Make Star Bread Recipe
- Prepare the ingredients by weighing all the above dough ingredients, cutting the butter and heating the milk.

- Prepare the dough: Start by mixing all the ingredients together with stand mixer or by hand using spatula and mixing bowl. Do this step as described in the recipe card below.

- Knead the dough on medium speed or by hand until the dough is smooth and consistent. Look at the picture above as a reference for the right consistency of the dough. The dough should not stick to your fingers when touched.

- 1st rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for about 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Prepare the filling: Star bread can filled with sweet or savory fillings such as ground cinnamon, chocolate or pesto, etc. I use Nutella and hazelnuts to fill the star bread shown in the photos. See below for others options and check the recipe card notes where I’ve included the ingredients needed to make pesto bread and cinnamon star bread, along with the instructions on how to make them.
- Fill it: Punch down the risen dough. Divide into 5 pieces. Roll each into a 10-inch circle. Fill with your favorite star bread filling. Make this step as instructed in step 7 below.

- Shape the star bread: Place a 3 inch round object in the center of the dough circle as a guide. Cut the outer edges into 16 equal strip without cutting the center of star. (To make it easier, cut the circle into 4 large strips, then cut each of them into 4 smaller strips.) Take two strips and twist them away from each other and press the ends together until you star bread will have 8 points.
- 2nd rise: Cover the shaped bread for 20 minutes until puffy.

- Bake: Lightly brush the star bread with egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Star Bread Fillings
You can add just about anything you want to your Star Bread, just don’t go overboard with it. But what makes the best, irresistible sweet bread that everyone will love? Of course, the classic fillings. Here’s a list of my best star bread fillings for optimum flavor:
- Nutella
- Chocolate and nut
- Cinnamon sugar
- Raspberry and jam
- Peanut butter
- Spinach and feta
- Cranberry sauce
- Honey and nuts
- Cranberry sauce
- Other Savory star bread fillings: tomato sauce, pizza fillings, pesto, herbs or cheese, etc.

FAQs
Can Star Bread be made ahead of time?
absolutely! After completing the third step. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 24 hours. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then continue with the other steps. If you want to freeze the bread, cover the formed bread with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 7 days to ensure the yeast does not spoil. When you are ready to bake, remove the bread from the freezer, place it on a lined baking sheet and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours or until you notice it has puffed up and is ready to bake.
How to Store Star Bread?
To ensure your star bread stays fresh and delicious, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in an airtight container, if you plan to consume it within two days, or refrigerate it for up to a week. When you’re ready to enjoy it, place it in the oven at 320°F (160°C) for about 10 minutes until heated through and slightly crispy on the outside.


Star Bread
Ingredients
dough
- 4 cups, minus 2 tablespoons (500 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200ml) milk
- 3 tsp (10 grams) instant or active yeast
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (55 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp and ½ tbsp (20 grams) sour cream
- ½ tbsp (8 grams) salt
Filling (see the note for other filling options)
- 8 tbsp (160 grams) nutella, at room temperature
- 1 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts
Topping
- 1 tbsp (8 grams) confectioners sugar
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Weigh all your ingredients. Cut the butter into cubes. Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove until warm to the touch, about 105°F (41°C).
- Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the warm milk, flour, yeast, one egg, sugar, salt and sour cream. Begin mixing the ingredients with the dough hook at low speed. Add the butter cubes one at a time and mix the dough for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms and the butter is well combined. *If you don't have a stand mixer, mix the ingredients in a large bowl using a wooden or silicone spatula.*
- Knead the dough: Set the speed of the stand mixer to medium, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes soft and smooth, and sticks to the dough hook. The dough should not stick to your fingers when touched. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. *If you are working by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough with your hands until you reach the desired texture.*
- 1st Rise: Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prepare the filling: At the end of the rising time, chop the hazelnuts until very fine using a nut chopper or blender. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. For other filling options, see the recipe note below.
- Punch down the dough to release gas, Divide the dough into 5 equal pieces. You need to be precise, so using the kitchen scale is helpful at this stage. Weight the amount of the total dough and divide it into 5. In my case, the total weight of the dough is 32.5 ounces (925 grams), so each piece should weigh 6.5 ounces (185 grams). Shape each piece into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. (This will make it easier to roll it out.)
- Fill the bread: Roll each ball into a 10-inch (25 cm) circle. (You can use your hands to form the circle, if you can't use a rolling pin.) Place the first circle on the lined baking sheet. Using an icing spatula, brush the top of the circle with 2 tablespoons of Nutella and then sprinkle with hazelnuts. Lay out the next circle layer, stretch it slightly if it's shrunk to make it evenly sized and fill in the top. Continue with the remaining circles. Does not fill in the top of the last circle. Pinch the edges of the circles to seal them together.
- Shape the star bread: Place a 3-inch (8 cm) round cup in the center of the stacked dough and press down lightly. Take a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the outer edges into 16 equal strips, but don't cut in the center. Using the fingers of both hands, take two strips and twist them away from each other 3 times and press the two ends together. Repeat until all strips are twisted and formed into an 8-pointed star.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the Star Bread with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for 20 minutes until puffed.
- Preheat your oven to 320°F (320°C).
- Egg wash: Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of star bread with beaten egg.
- Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil if you notice that your bread is going brown quickly after 10 minutes from the start of baking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. Dust the top with confectioners sugar and enjoy it warm.
Notes
Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand mixer or silicone spatula and mixing bowl for combining the dough | Measuring Cups and spoons or Kitchen Scale | Rolling pin | Nut chopper or 3 in 1 blender | Pizza cutter | Icing spatula | Pastry brush. Filling:
- Cinnamon sugar star bread: You will need 4 tablespoons of very soft unsalted butter and 4 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over each of the 4 circles, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each.
- Pesto star bread: To make pesto star bread, you will need 6 tablespoons of prepared basil pesto, 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, and 4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto. Spread the first circle with 3 tablespoons basil pesto then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parmesan. Place the 2st circle on top, spread with 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parmesan. Repeat with the remaining circles.
- Nutella star bread: You will need the same amount of Nutella in this recipe without the hazelnut sprinkles.