Christmas Star Bread (2024)

This nutella-filled Christmas Star Bread (or snowflake bread) is an impressive but easy sweet bread that can be filled with all sorts of flavors from cinnamon sugar to cookie butter or raspberry jam. It's perfect for holidays, brunches, and gatherings. Let everyone pull off their own pieces and enjoy with a glass of milk or a breakfast casserole!

Decorative breads are so fun to make and enjoy around the holidays! And they are actually a lot easier than you might think! Really, if you can make cinnamon rolls, you can make this Star Bread. It's even easier than making challah or babka, and it never fails to impressive at a Christmas brunch!

I can totally see making this and serving it as part of a family lesson about the Star of Bethlehem that appeared on the night of Jesus' birth.

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." - Matthew 2:1-2

But it also looks a lot like a snowflake, especially once you dust it with powdered sugar around the edges. Either way, it's perfectly festive and such a fun themed treat to make during the holiday season.

This star bread is a fun alternative to Cinnamon Rolls on Christmas morning or for a sweet dessert to serve on New Year's Eve! We like to enjoy it for breakfast with my Green Chili Egg Casserole!

It can be filled lots of different ways, although my family particularly loves it when I make it with layers of Nutella. The swirls are made by layering circles of enriched dough with nutella in between, then cutting strips and twisting them away from each other a couple of times before pinching the ends together.

I will share some of my other favorite filling ideas below though! And you can make it even sweeter by drizzling it with a simple, sweet glaze or serving it on the side for dipping.

Star Bread Ingredients

A few simple ingredients are all it takes to whip up this showstopper breakfast centerpiece!

• Yeast: I always use active dry yeast because I can buy it in bulk and store it in the fridge to always have on hand. But instant yeast can also be used and you don't even need to proof it first.
• All-purpose flour: You could also use bread flour for this recipe, although all-purpose flour works just fine.
• Sugar: A little sugar helps feed the yeast as well as sweetening the bread dough.
• Milk: This ingredient makes for a more tender, flavorful bread. Whole milk, is best if you have it.
• Water: Some warm water is added with the warmed milk to help proof the yeast.
• Butter: I use salted butter in almost all of my baking and this recipe is no exception. It enriches the dough, almost like a brioche dough, giving a wonderful buttery flavor.
• Egg: The egg is for binding and it also contributes some flavor and fat through the egg yolk, which is typical of enriched sweet breads.
• Salt: A little salt helps bring out the other flavors in the bread and keep it from tasting bland.
• Nutella: For spreading between the layers of bread dough.

How to Make Star Bread

1. Proof the yeast: Combine the warm milk, water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy.

2. Mix: Add the proofed yeast, butter, egg, salt, and 1 cup of the flour to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix using the paddle attachment until combined. Add another cup of flour and mix in until smooth.
3. Knead & let rise: Switch to the dough hook and knead in the remaining flour, about ½ cup at a time, until a smooth, soft dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes on medium speed, then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 ½ hours until doubled in size.

4. Divide: Punch down the dough and divide into 4 even pieces. Roll into balls.
5. Roll out: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough into a 10-inch circle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper.

6. Layer: Spread ¼ cup of the nutella on the dough, then repeat with the next ball of dough, carefully placing it on top of the first layer of dough and nutella. Spread it with another ¼ cup of the nutella. Repeat with the third ball of dough and remaining nutella. Roll out the final ball of dough and lay it on top.

7. Slice: Use a 3-inch cup, jar, or small bowl as a guide in the center of the stacked dough. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice lines through all four layers of dough in towards the guide, leaving a 3-inch circle of dough in the center. It's easiest to cut 4 lines on each side first, then another 4 lines between the first four, dividing the dough into 8 segments, then between each of those so you end up with 16 sections.
8. Twist: Working with 2 sections at a time, twist the dough away from each other TWICE, then pinch the ends together really, really well. If you don't really pinch them together well, the bread will start to untwist and spoil the effect as it bakes. Repeat to create an 8-pointed star or snowflake shape.

9. Rest: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F while the bread rests for 20 minutes. Don't let it rise too much longer than that or it will lose it's shape when baked.
10. Bake: Brush the dough with an egg wash made by whisking the egg with a tablespoon of water or milk. Bake for 25-28 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

More Star Bread Filling Ideas

Although we love this bread with nutella, this are some other delicious ideas for filling your Christmas star bread!

• Cinnamon sugar filling:Spread each layer of dough with about 2 tablespoon of softened salted butter, then sprinkle with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and ⅓ cup of granulated or brown sugar.
• Jam:I love this bread with raspberry jam spread between the layers and a glaze on top! Raspberry is my favorite, but really any jam will work. I recommend about 2-3 tablespoons of jam for each layer of dough.
• Cookie Butter:Cookie butter is AMAZING and a wonderful twist on this star bread, although it's light brown color doesn't showcase the twists as well as some other fillings. I recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of cookie butter to the basic glaze recipe to amp up the cookie butter flavor.

Make-ahead and Storing Instructions

• Make-ahead: You can make the dough the night before and place it in the fridge instead of letting it rise for 60-90 minutes. In the morning, take the dough out and let it rise on the counter until doubled in size and proceed as directed. The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed in the fridge overnight.
• Storing: Keep any uneaten bread wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. It starts to get sticky on top from the powdered sugar by day 2, but it still tastes good for a few days. You could also freeze leftovers and reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.

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