How to Make 16-Point Star Bread

December 22, 2020. Cold clear winter day. 16-Point Star Bread.

Updated on January 5, 2021.

Jump to Recipe

This is my absolute favorite holiday recipe for year-end baking! I’ve been making these for years now – the original dough recipe is from King Arthur Flour and tweaked to suit my taste. I love to make, eat, and give them as gifts for family and friends. They look fancy (fan-cee!) and are always a hit with adults and kids too.

• 

• 

• 

• 

This bread looks spectacular but isn’t that difficult to make. I have made ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls and fun cinnamon knots and this one is surprisingly a fairly forgiving recipe on the shaping side. Plus, it’s easy to switch up the filling if you are not a fan of cinnamon or sweet filling. You can use your favorite spread like Nutella, good quality jam or conserves. Or if you prefer, make this a savory bread by omitting the vanilla extract used in the dough and substitute with pesto, cream cheese or any of your favorite savory paste or sauce. The trick is making sure that the filling isn’t too wet or chunky, which would hinder the forming of the beautiful shape.

Overall, there’s 3 parts to making this bread – first, preparing the dough and filling, then combining and shaping them into a star, and finally finishing and baking. It is important to allow the dough to rest and rise as written in the recipe. I’ll show you step by step on how to cut and shape the dough -you will have a handy visual guide from start to finish.

I still have the copy of my much used recipe printout – it’s spattered, tattered and barely legible in parts. I’ve scrawled so many notations on the front and back of the paper I think it’s time to type it up and share. Hopefully, you’ll love this as much as I do.

Let’s get baking!

Ingredients for 16-point Star Bread

You will need these items to make ONE large star dough. The filling you pick can be sweet or savory. The sweet filling is made with cinnamon sugar, and the savory one is filled with basil pesto cheese.

I’ve listed the ingredients in roughly the order they are used.

Dough
2 tsp. (7g) active dry yeast
¾ to 1 cup (177g to 237g) lukewarm water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough
2 Tbsp. (25g) granulated sugar
2 cups (250g) All-Purpose Flour
½ cup (50g) instant dried potato flakes
¼ cup (28g) nonfat dry milk
4 Tbsp. (57g) unsalted butter
1 tsp. (5g) vanilla extract (omit if making savory filling)
1 tsp. (6g) salt

• 

For Cinnamon Sugar Filling
½ cup (100g) turbinado sugar
1 Tbsp. ground Cinnamon

For Pesto Cheese Filling
6 Tbsp. Basil Pesto, homemade or store bought
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

For Egg Wash
1 large egg plus 1 Tbs. milk or cream beaten

I find that a stand mixer is the most efficient way to make the dough. You can also use the dough function on your bread maker or knead by hand. To make and shape the bread, you’ll need parchment paper, a rolling pin, a sharp knife/bench scraper or a pizza cutter.

Making the Dough for 16-Point Star Bread

Let’s start by gathering all the ingredients and prep to make the dough.

Bloom the yeast by adding the 2 teaspoon (7g) of yeast to ¾ cup (177g) of lukewarm water with 2 tablespoon (25g) of sugar. Stir and set aside for 5 minute.

Then, sift the flour and dry milk into the stand mixer bowl. Add in the dried potato flakes. Whisk to combine. When the yeast is ready, pour into the dry ingredients. Start the mixer on low and slowly add in the rest of the ingredients. Knead well on low till a soft and smooth dough is formed, about 7 to 10 minutes.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

When ready, shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough and let it proof for at least an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Preparing the Filling

For sweet cinnamon filling, simply mix the turbinado sugar thoroughly with the ground cinnamon. Set aside.

• 

• 

For savory pesto filling, simply measure about 6 tablespoon of your favorite pesto, and grate about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

• 

• 

Assembling the 16-Point Star Bread

Punch down and divide the dough into four equal pieces. Then, roll each piece into a ball and let it rest for another 15 minute. When the dough is resting, prepare the work surface and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour the work surface and a rolling pin. Cut out another piece of parchment approx. 15″ by 17″ (38 cm x 43 cm) and place over the work surface.

Put the parchment down, roll out the dough balls into approx. 10″ (25cm). I find that I can use the outline on my pastry board or silicone mat to help guide the size of how much to roll out.

Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Place the rolled out dough on the prepared baking sheet. Take the prepared parchment sheet and place onto the work space. Brush the egg wash on the surface. Next, evenly spread about 1/3 of the filling, leaving about ¼” (0.6 cm) border around the edge of the dough.

Note: it’s important to leave the edges unfilled so the dough can seal properly during shaping. If not, the filling will leak out during baking.

Next, roll out a second circle, and place it on top of the filling-covered circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect… just overlap the best you can. Then, repeat the process of brushing on the egg wash and spreading the filling until the 4 dough balls are used up and there is filling in each layer except the top.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Savory Pesto Cheese Filling

For the savory filling, spread the pesto first – 2 Tablespoon per round, then scatter about a third of the grated cheese evenly before placing the next piece of circle dough on top. Repeat as described above.

• 

• 

• 

Quick Check:

The completed Star Bread assembly structure is as follows.

Bottom base layer: dough + egg wash + filling,

Second layer: dough + egg wash + filling,

Third layer: dough + egg wash + filling,

Top layer: dough.

Shaping the 16-Point Star Bread

When the 4 layers are in place, put a round glass rim side down in the middle of the dough stack. Press gently to leave a round imprint, and using a pizza cutter, bench scraper, or sharp knife*, cut the circle into 32 equal strips. Make sure to cut through all the layers, from the edge to the center of the round imprint in the dough circle.

*I have used all 3 tools and prefer the pizza cutter for this step. It provides the best control and leaves clean cuts.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Then, using your hands, carefully pick up two side-by-side strips and twist them away from each other 3 times. Gently pinch the ends to seal the 2 strips and form a little point. Repeat with the remaining cut strips of dough until you have 16 points all together. See the video clip below to see how I shape the star points.

Also adding the images of how to shape the star below.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Next, cover the shaped dough with plastic cling wrap and let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour or until it becomes puffy. I usually place my dough in a warm spot in my kitchen to encourage the dough to rise, typically on top of my oven, or inside my unlit oven with the light on.

Baking and Finishing 16-Point Star Bread

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). After the last proof, brush the entire dough with the egg wash.

Purely optional, for the sweet filling you can top the bread with some decorative sprinkles at this point. Or for a savory bread, you can top with chopped fresh herbs or dried herbs of your choice.

• 

Pop the tray into the oven and bake 15 minutes, until it’s nicely golden on top. You can leave it in the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes if you like it darker. When ready, remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

• 

• 

Optionally, for the cinnamon filling bread, dust your gorgeous star bread with confectioners’ icing sugar and serve warm or at room temperature. For the savory pesto bread, top with fresh chopped herbs of your choice.

Your 16-points star bread is ready. Bon Appetit! Lets eat!

Postscript

I have been asked why 16 points vs the usual 8? Well, when I started making this, it was 8 point. And I find when pulling apart the bread, eating 1/8th of the bread was a bit too large. So, I decided to make one extra cut for each section when shaping the dough. For me, the 1/16th slice is the right size to go with my cup of coffee, plus if I wanted to eat another slice (or 2) I can easily pinch off another one and not feel too guilty for eating another slender slice. lol!

Also, I find the thinner points to be aesthetically and visually more pleasing to my eyes. You know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all. I like how this look when baked. Plus, I have friends mentioned that it looks like a pretty flower, which I agree.

Here are a few more pictures of my previous efforts.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I was curious what other holiday breads are usually eaten around the world during this year end/ new year time. Found this short article on NPR on 5 global Christmas bread => https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/21/460188083/beyond-panettone-5-global-christmas-breads-to-nibble-on

According to the article the Italian “Gubana is related to the strudel, babka, cozonac, and other Eastern European pastries that are “stuffed” with filling and coiled in a pan to create an appealing spiral pattern when sliced.” I’m intrigued by the Gubana description, which is going on my to-bake list!

More Flavorful Ideas:

Love to try out more cinnamon bakes? Check out my sticky braided cinnamon knots here => How to Make Sticky Braided Cinnamon Knots!

Try this fabulous and tasty Persian inspired buttery rice that is loaded with flavor and yummy toppings => How to Make Festive Buttery Bejeweled Rice

A fun and fabulous take on making little apple tarts => How to Make Petite Apple Flower Tarts

Fancy something savory? Check out these delicious cream cheese crescent rolls =>How to make Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls: Spicy and Plain!