Cranberry Star Bread

This cranberry star bread is a twisted pull-apart bread filled with homemade cranberry sauce! It's a fun, show stopping dessert for the winter holidays!

Course Bread, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 2

Total Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 440kcal

Author Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

Ingredients

Cranberry Sauce

2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water

Dough

4 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 large eggs room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sparkling water substitute whole milk

Star Bread

1 cup cranberry sauce cooled
1 large egg beaten for egg wash
powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cranberry Sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Gently cook for about 15 minutes or until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.
Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before using.

Dough

Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and sparkling water) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass that cleanly pulls away from the sides of the bowl (5-10 minutes).
The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of sparkling water. If the dough is too wet, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. It will roughly double in size.

Assembly

Divide the dough into 4 equal size pieces and then shape into round balls.
Take one ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll out into a circle that's roughly ¼ inch thick and 10 inches in diameter. Set aside and repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Transfer one of the dough circles (still on the parchment paper) to a large baking sheet. Spread about ⅓ cup of the cranberry sauce on top, leaving a ½ inch perimeter around the edges. Then carefully place another dough circle on top and stretch the dough to match up the edges. Then repeat until you've topped with the final layer of dough.
Using a cookie cutter (or anything round), gently make a 2-3 inch impression directly in the center of the dough. Then using a bench knife, cut the dough into 16 equal sections, leaving the center circle in tact. I like to start with 4 cuts (north, south, east, and west). Then divide those sections in half to make 8, then again to make 16.
Pick up 2 sections and twist them away from each other 3 times, then pinch the bottom edges together. Repeat with the remaining sections until you have 8 star points.
Cover loosely and let rise for 45-60 minutes or until the dough is puffy.

Bake

While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the star bread lightly with egg wash. Then bake at 375°F for 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and an instant thermometer inserted near the middle reads 190°F. If the top is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake time.
Allow to cool completely to room temperature. Then lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition