Sourdough Star Bread
This bread is always so fun and impressive, and will be the star of the show (haha!) at any brunch, lunch, dinner, breakfast, or potluck you have it at!The dough is easy to make (no mixer required!) and easy to work with, and bakes into an ultra-soft bread. I love this cinnamon-chocolate-brown sugar filling, but you can use whatever filling you like (see notes for details about fillings).
Servings: 6
Calories: 312kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 150 grams water
- 100 grams active sourdough starter
- 1 large egg
- 24 grams sugar
- 325 grams all purpose flour
- 8 grams salt
For the Filling
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- For dusting: powdered sugar (optional)
Directions
Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, water, starter, egg, and sugar. Add the flour and salt and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes.With a moistened hand, do a round of stretch and folds to form the dough into a nice round. Cover and let rise for 6-8 hours, until doubled in size.
Make the Dough Stack
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 roughly equal parts. Form each into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grab a baking sheet and a piece of parchment paper and set aside. Prepare the filling by combining the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.Take one ball of dough and roll it into a roughly 7-inch round on a lightly floured work surface. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. You can also pick it up and stretch it to get it into the shape you want. When you're happy with the size and shape, place it on your work surface, wet your fingertips with water, and run them along the top of the dough. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the filling mixture, leaving a ½-inch boarder along the perimeter of the circle. Set aside.Begin rolling another ball of dough into a 7-inch round. You want it to be the same size as the first one. Place it on top of the first round, sandwiching the filling between the two layers. You can stretch it as needed to met the edges of the first layer. Wet your fingertips again and moisten the top of the newest layer, then sprinkle with ½ of the remaining filling. Remember to leave a boarder uncovered so the next layer of dough can stick.Repeat this with the remaining two pieces of dough, using the last of the filling between them. When you're done, you'll have a high stack of dough, with no filling showing between layers.Take the stack and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flour the top and roll into a roughly 10-inch circle. You can flip the dough over, and turn it as needed to get a nice circle. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper.
Shape the Star + Bake
- Place a small round glass or bowl into the center of the assembled dough and press lightly to indent. Using a bench scraper, make four slices evenly around the circle from the perimeter of the circle inward, stopping when you get to your mark. You should have even "15-minute" marks around your circle. Make four more cuts, spaced evenly between the first round of cuts. Cut each piece of dough in half again, being sure to stop at the indented circle. You will now have 16 tails on your dough circle.Grab two adjacent pieces of dough and twist them away from each other. Make three rotations, then pinch the ends together to seal. I like to tuck the top of the point under the bottom to seal it well. Do this all the way around the circle. If you want to emphasize the center star, you can take a pair of kitchen shears and snip the base of each point roughly ½-inch inward. Carefully transfer the parchment paper onto the baking sheet. (If you want to bake later, you can cover very well with plastic wrap and place in the fridge at this point.)Bake for 25-30 minutes, until baked through and browned to your liking. If the points of the star are browning too quickly, tent them with foil. Cool for 10 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy warm.
Video
Notes
The filling - You can use whatever filling you want here! Sweet (almond, chocolate, cinnamon/brown sugar, jam, butterscotch, etc.) and savory (pesto, marinara, cheese) all work. If you're using a wet filling, there's no need to brush the dough with water.
Leakage - Some amount of the filling will leak out while baking and/or during an overnight rise if you do one. This is not a bad thing! As written, this recipe will produce some - but not much leakage. If you want more (so it's more like a sticky bun on the bottom!), increase the brown sugar in the filling to ⅓ cup.
An overnight option - You can assemble this in the evening, cover it very well with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge overnight. Bake it straight from the fridge in the morning - no need to let it come to room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 312kcal (16%) | Carbohydrates: 59g (20%) | Protein: 7g (14%) | Fat: 5g (8%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg (13%) | Sodium: 533mg (23%) | Potassium: 97mg (3%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 13g (14%) | Vitamin A: 165IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 30mg (3%) | Iron: 3mg (17%)
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