Bread Dough
2 tsp (7 g) instant yeast (one envelope) (Red Star is my preference)
3 T (35 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (183 g) whole milk
1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
2-1/3 cups (291 g) all-purpose flour plus more as needed
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Heat the milk to about 110°F either on the stove briefly or in the microwave (about 45 seconds). Pour warm milk on top of yeast/sugar. Stir gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for five minutes. The mixture should be frothy (allow more time if needed).

Add the butter, egg, flour, and salt to the yeast/sugar mixture. Beat on low speed with paddle attachment for three minutes. If you do not have a mixer, you can mix this step by hand. 

Dough will be soft. Using lightly floured hands, form it into a ball. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 1-3 more T of flour, but not too much: you want a very soft dough.

Place the dough in a greased bowl (nonstick spray is fine) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. For a warm spot, I suggest using the oven. Preheat to 150°F, then turn the oven off after preheating. Place the covered bowl inside and shut the oven door. You can also set bowl in a small heated space.

Prepare Baking Sheet: 
Line a large baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside while you prepare your filling.

Go to Fillings: (below)

Assemble the bread: 
Once the bread dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide into four equal pieces and, with a floured rolling pin, roll each out into a thin 10-inch circle. It’s helpful to use a template like the rim of a pie plate or the 10” bottom of a spring form pan. Eyeballing it works too, just use your hands to make sure all layers are the same size and evenly stacked. Place the first circle on your prepared baking sheet. If it loses its circle shape, use your hands to form the edges back into a round shape.

Top with your choice of filling and spread it to within 1/4” of the edge of the circle. Place your next circle layer on top of the first and repeat with filling like you did on the first layer. Repeat with a third layer, add the last of your filling. With your last layer, do NOT top with any filling. Use a sharp knife to even off the edges. You should now have an even 10” circle.

Press a 2-inch round object gently in the center of the dough stack to make a light indent. (Don’t press all the way through). This is the center of the star. Now it’s time to cut the strips.

Using a sharp knife, start at the edge of the center circle and make four cuts toward the edge (think North, South, East, West). From there, start in the middle of each section and cut toward the edge again (you’ll now have eight evenly space strips. Repeat one more time, cutting each of the eight sections in half (you’ll now have sixteen strips).

Using both hands, grab two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice, then press the two ends together to make a point. Repeat until all the strips are twisted. Your star bread will have 8 points.

Cover the shaped bread with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set rack in the center of the oven.

Bake the bread: 
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the star bread with egg wash (1 egg + 1 T milk, mixed). This ensures a beautifully shiny golden-brown bread. Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the star bread with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes.

Sift the top with powdered sugar within a few minutes of taking out of the oven. Enjoy warm.

You can cover and store leftover star bread at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

If Making Ahead:
Prepare bread dough until it has finished its rise, then punch the dough down to release the air bubbles. Cover the dough tightly, then place it in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to bake the bread, thaw the bread overnight in the refrigerator (if frozen). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Punch the dough down again to release any air bubbles. Then, continue with bread assembly.

Note: I do not recommend shaping the star bread and refrigerating overnight. Letting the shaped bread sit in the refrigerator overnight risks over-rising and losing its shape.

FILLING IDEAS

Cinnamon Sugar: 
Spread 1 T of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles (3 T total). Mix 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar with 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. This is the total amount, and you will divide it between each circle. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle. (Make sure you use all the butter).

Nutella: 
Spread 1 heaping T of Nutella onto each of the 3 circles. Nutella is difficult to spread onto soft dough, so warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds until it’s a spreadable consistency.

Your favorite jam: 
Spread 1 T of jam onto each of the 3 circles.

Butter, Brown Sugar, + Ginger: 
Spread 1 T of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the three circles. Mix three T packed light or dark brown sugar with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 T finely chopped crystallized ginger. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.

Apple Butter or Pumpkin Butter: 
Spread 1 heaping T onto each of the 3 circles.

Chai Spice: 
Spread 1 T of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the 3 circles. Mix 3 T granulated sugar with 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, and ground allspice. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.

Butter + Cinnamon Sugar + Walnut + Dates: 
Spread 1 T of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the three circles. Mix 3 T packed brown or granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 2 T each finely chopped walnut and pitted dates. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.

Cinnamon sugar + Orange Zest +  Dried Cranberries: 
Spread 1 T of very soft unsalted butter onto each of the three circles. Mix 3 T packed brown or granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 T orange zest, and 3 T finely chopped fresh or dried cranberries. Sprinkle evenly over butter on each circle.

Savory: Reduce sugar in the dough to 1 T.  Spread 1 heaping T of tomato sauce or homemade pesto onto each of the there circles. Top each with a light layer of shredded cheese, herbs, and/or chopped pepperoni.

IInspired by techniques and recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction and King Arthur Flour