The holiday season is here! To celebrate, everyone should make this marvelous fig and ginger cinnamon star bread recipe. To be honest, this star bread should and could shine ALL YEAR ROUND. It’s a glorious, enriched bread, packed with chopped Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid Golden Figs, crystallized ginger and cinnamon that can be made anytime. But the fresh baked scent of figs, cinnamon, and ginger really makes your kitchen smell like the holidays. It’s the ideal treat to serve for breakfast or brunch, or as an afternoon snack along with tea or coffee.
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Save the date and join us Friday, December 3rd at 4p PT on Instagram Live to see how to shape a Sparkling Golden Fig and Ginger Star Bread with @eatthelove in collaboration with @redstaryeast to make your holidays merry.
How do you make fig cinnamon star bread?
Though this beautiful bread looks difficult to make, it’s actually significantly easier than it looks. It does involve using yeast and rolling out thin disks of dough to layer and cutting and twisting the dough to form the star shape. But truly anyone can make it.
The fig and ginger star bread starts with making an enriched bread dough made with milk, a little sugar, Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an egg, flour, butter and salt. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic and let it rise until doubled.
While the dough is rising, prep the star bread recipe filling by chopping the Golden Figs and combining it with chopped crystallized ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar. Melt some butter in a separate bowl.
Once the dough has risen, divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll each section into a ball. This seems a little fussy, but the round ball makes it easier to roll out the dough into a round disk.
Take one ball and roll it out into a 10-inch circle. I roll the dough out directly on a silicon baking mat, but you can also roll it out on a piece of parchment if you don’t have a silicon baking mat. Just keep in mind the parchment paper might move around a little bit if you use it. Don’t worry if the circle isn’t EXACTLY round. Just do the best you can. Lift up the baking mat or parchment paper and move it to a rimmed baking sheet.
Now brush the top of the dough with some melted butter and sprinkle 1/3 of the filling over the top of the dough. Make sure to evenly distribute the figs and ginger chunks all over the top of the dough.
Next roll out another ball of dough into a 10-inch circle. Lift up the dough and move it to the top of the initial fig and ginger topped dough. As you peel dough and move it to the baking sheet it might shrink and shift in size. No worries! Just gently lift up the edges of the dough and carefully stretch it out to make it fit over the top of the first dough.
Repeat the process, brushing that dough with butter, covering it with 1/3 of the filling, and then rolling out another dough ball to top it. Repeat with the remaining butter, filling and the final dough ball, which will be the top of the bread and won’t have any filling or butter on it.
Once the bread is assembled, place a small round cookie cutter or glass that is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter in the center of the dough. This is for guidance only.
Cut the dough using a bench scraper or butter knife into equal quarters. Then cut those quarters in half, to make 8 equal parts. Then finally, cut those 8 parts in half, making 16 equal strips.
Take two of the strips and twist them away from each other twice, then seal the ends together to make a pointed arm. Repeat with the rest of the dough strips, making 8 arms of the star. Cover with plastic wrap and preheat an oven to 350°F for 20 minutes.
Once you’re ready to bake, brush the bread with an egg wash, sprinkle with turbinado or sparkling sugar, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on top.
How do you store fig cinnamon star bread?
You can store this star bread at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap, in an airtight container or under a cake dome for up to 3 days. Reheat and refresh the bread in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or so.
Prep ahead of time
It’s not recommended to prep and shape the whole star bread ahead of time, as the dough will mostly likely over-rise and lose its star shape. But you can make the dough ahead of time, let it rise until doubled and then punch it down to remove the air. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to warm up slightly, then divide, shape, and form the star bread as directed.
Variations on this star bread recipe
Feel free to play around with the spice in this recipe. The 1 teaspoon of cinnamon lets the brighter Golden Fig and crystallized ginger flavor shine through. But, feel free to substitute cardamom for the same amount of cinnamon, or try a mix or blend of other spices like nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, even more ground ginger for more gingery goodness.
Sparkling Cinnamon Star Bread Recipe with Golden Figs & Ginger
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope Platinum Yeast from Red Star (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (350g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted (57g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ginger Fig Filling
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Golden Dried Figs , stems removed + figs finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
To Finish
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or sparkling sugar
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Heat the milk until warm to the touch, about 100°F. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the sugar and yeast into the milk and stir with a fork to dissolve. Set aside for 5 minutes to proof or until you see foam on the top of the surface of the milk.
- Add flour, butter, egg and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed to combine the ingredients together until a rough dough starts to form and most of the dry ingredients are absorbed. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be soft and tacky but not sticky. If it is too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Oil a bowl and then pull the dough into a smooth ball. Place in the bowl with the rough side down and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm environment and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until doubled in size. About 10 minutes before the dough is ready, prepare the filling.
Make the Fig Ginger Filling
- Combine the chopped figs, chopped crystallized ginger, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.
Form the Cinnamon Star Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- On a clean surface, divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll each part into a ball. Take one ball and place it on a silicone mat or parchment paper on your counter. Roll the dough out into a thin 10-inch circle on the silicone mat or paper. It will only be about 1/4-inch thick. Pick up the paper and move it to a baking sheet.
- Brush the circle generously with the melted butter. Make sure to leave about 1/2-inch of dough bare around the edge of the circle. Sprinkle 1/3 of the filling over the top of the buttered dough, making sure to evenly distribute the filling chunks all over the top.
- Roll out another piece of dough on a clean surface to a 10-inch circle. Peel the dough up from the surface and drape it over the top of the original dough with the filling on it. If the dough shrinks as you move it, just gently stretch the dough to match the 10-inch circle underneath. Press down around the edges to anchor the dough. Then brush melted butter over it, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the filling again.
- Repeat with the 3rd piece of dough, rolling it out, draping it over the stacked dough, and brushing the remaining butter, sprinkling the rest of the filling over it. Roll out the final dough and drape it over the filling.
- Now place a 2 ½ to 3-inch cookie cutter or drinking glass in the middle of the circle. Using a butter knife or bench scraper, cut the circle into quarters. Then cut those quarters in half, making 8 arms. Then cut those 8 arms in half making 16 strips.
- Take 2 strips next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Then seal them together at the tip. This is one arm of the star. Repeat with the remaining strips all the way around the bread, making 8 star arms total.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the Bread
- Once the dough has rested, beat together the egg yolk and the water. Brush the egg wash over the top of the star bread dough.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough with turbinado sugar or sparkling sugar. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the star bread is golden brown on top. If you have an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 200°F when done.
- Cool the bread on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer the bread to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature.
