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Sparkling Cinnamon Star Bread Recipe with Golden Figs & Ginger
Cinnamon star bread sparkles with Golden Figs and ginger, making holiday mornings extra festive. Learn the tips that make this star bread recipe easy.
Servings: 10
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.