How to make Cinnamon Star Bread

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It’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Munich! The Christmas markets have opened, filling the city streets with cute little wooden huts and the air with the beguiling aromas of Glühwein and roasted almonds.

With Christmas around the corner, I’ve got baking on my mind, though this wonderfully festive Cinnamon Star Bread recipe is so tasty and so beautiful that you won’t want to save it just for the Christmas season!

Table of Contents

Cinnamon Star Bread on a wooden board with Christmas decorations.

What is Cinnamon Star Bread?

It’s like your favourite Cinnamon rolls, but bigger and more beautiful! Layers of sweet, enriched yeast dough are spread with cinnamon and sugar, then stacked, cut and twisted into a gorgeous star-shaped design.

Is star bread difficult to make?

Not at all! This is a super forgiving recipe, and the clever twisting of the dough makes it look much more complicated than it actually is.

A glass on top of Cinnamon Star Bread dough.

Ingredients

To make my Cinnamon Star Bread recipe you’ll need the following main ingredients:

Flour: Plain or all-purpose flour are both suitable for this recipe.
Milk: I always use whole milk for baking, as it ensures a golden brown crust and soft, pillowy bread.
Yeast: In Europe, we commonly use fresh yeast for baking. Active dried or instant yeast is suitable too, though you may find the dough needs an extra few minutes to rise.
Butter: I always use unsalted butter when baking, that way I can control the salt content in the final product. If using salted butter, omit the extra salt from the recipe.
Sugar: For a clean design I use white sugar in this recipe, though you could add a little brown sugar to the filling for extra caramel flavour.
Cinnamon: The star of the show! If you like, add a little mixed or pumpkin spice for a wonderfully aromatic bake.

Full ingredient list and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

How to make Star Bread

Making star bread has four main steps:

Make the enriched yeast dough. I start off with a very wet dough to ensure all the ingredients are well combined, then add the remaining flour to finish off. It’s easiest to use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment fitted, but you can mix the dough with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand if necessary.
You can make the dough up to this point and then finish the baking on Christmas morning if you’d like your bread extra fresh!
After the dough has risen for the first time, divide it into four equal pieces. Roll each piece out like a pizza to a 25cm / 10-inch circle. Spread three with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon, leaving the last plain. Stack the dough circles on a baking tray.
Step 3: To shape the dough, Place a small water glass or similar in the middle of the dough circle to use as a guide. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough 16 equal strips, a bit like a flower. Remove the glass, then pick up two adjacent dough strips, twist them away from each other twice, then seal the ends by squeezing them together firmly. Repeat with the remaining dough strips.
Step 4: Allow the dough to rise again for half an hour, then brush with a simple egg wash and bake to golden brown, pillowy-soft perfection!

Variations

Different star bread fillings: This dough makes a delicious savoury star as well. Try it with pesto instead of cinnamon sugar, or pizza sauce and lots of grated cheese – delicious!
Different shapes: This simple dough recipe can be used to make different shapes, you can make a big tray of cinnamon rolls, or use a similar method to make Chocolate and Hazelnut Babka!

Looking for more delicious Christmas recipes? Why not try my Mulled Wine Cheesecake, Berry Pavlova or Christmas Fruit Mince Pies!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

It is summer where I am and I am finding the dough really hard to manage. Any tips?

Working with dough and pastry is always a bit easier in a cool kitchen. If you are in the southern hemisphere and enjoying summer, it’s worth cooling the dough for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before you start to work with it.

This loaf is huge! Can I halve the recipe?

This recipe makes a great big loaf with 8 generous portions. If you like, split the dough in half and make 2 smaller stars, or just one and save the rest of the dough for another batch – it will keep for several days well covered in the fridge – just bring it back to room temperature before baking.