Star Bread Food

STAR BREAD

Steps:

• Add milk to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add cubed unsalted butter to the hot milk, stirring until the butter melts completely. Pour the hot milk mixture into a stand mixer bowl and set it aside to cool to below 110°F.
• When the milk mixture is cool enough, stir in the instant yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate.
• In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt, stir to distribute evenly. Transfer the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl with the warm liquid mixture, and knead with the dough hook on speed 2 for about 7 - 10 minutes. The dough should start pulling away from the side of the bowl.
• Oil a glass bowl and your hands. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl and shape it into a ball in your hands and place it in the oiled bowl. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours until at least double in size.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal portions. Shape into balls.
• Roll one dough ball out into a circle about 9"-10" in diameter. Place it on a piece of parchment paper and spread 2 tablespoons of apple butter over it. Roll another dough ball out to the same size as the first one and place it on top, spread another 2 tablespoons of apple butter over it. Repeat for the 3rd and 4th dough ball. You should end up with 4 layers of dough and 3 layers of apple butter.
• Mark a 3" circle in the middle with the back of a round cookie cutter or a cup. Cut the dough into 16 sections leaving the 3" circle in the middle untouched.
• Twist two sections away from each other and press the end together to form the star point. You should end up with 8-star points. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Beat 1 large egg with a tablespoon of milk to make the egg wash. Lightly brush egg wash over the top of the bread and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove the bread from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
• Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

STAR FRUIT BREAD.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and oil or spray one large (9 X5X3-inch) loaf pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the puree, sugar, milk, and egg.
• In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Do not over-stir.
• Pour into the prepared loaf pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
• Note: If using a black non-stick baking tin reduce the heat to 325.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

GARLIC-AND-HERB STAR BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the warm water and sugar together until dissolved, then stir in the yeast; set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and fine salt in a large bowl.
• Add the butter to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely moistened and the dough looks like a shaggy ball, switching to your hands and gently kneading to bring the dough together, if necessary. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When the dough is almost ready, make the filling: Combine the cheese, chiles, parsley, thyme and lemon zest in a small bowl. Mash and stir together with a small rubber spatula until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead until smooth, three or four times. Pat until about 1 inch thick, then fold into thirds like a letter and pat until 1 inch thick again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat folding and patting two more times. Divide into 2 equal pieces.
• Lightly butter an upside-down rimmed baking sheet (or a rimless baking sheet). Roll out 1 piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a floured surface and transfer to the pan. Spread with the filling, stopping about 3/4 inch from the edge. Roll out the second piece of dough into an 11-inch round and place on top of the first. Pinch and press the edges of the dough together to seal.
• Center the rim of a drinking glass (about 3 inches in diameter) in the middle of the dough; gently press to mark the center. At the 12 o'clock mark, cut through the dough with a very sharp knife from the glass to the edge, leaving the center circle uncut. Repeat at the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock points on the circle to make 4 quarters. Halve each quarter to make 8 equal wedges; halve those to make 16 wedges.
• Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends together to make a pointed tip. Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Remove the glass and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the filling is firm and the dough has puffed and risen slightly, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Uncover the dough and re-pinch any ends that came apart. Brush all over with the beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until golden brown all over, especially around the center circle, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide onto a rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

STAR FRUIT (CARAMBOLA) BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter and then cream in eggs.
• Blend in white wine and star fruit.
• Stir in flour mixture, blending thoroughly and then stir in coconut.
• Spoon into a well greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch bread pan or just use silpat.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

PESTO STAR BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine milk, egg, butter, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 portions. Roll each into a 12-in. circle. Place 1 circle on a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Spread with half the basil pesto to within 1/2 in. of edges; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Place second circle of dough on top; spread with sun-dried tomato pesto and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with third circle of dough, remaining basil pesto and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan; top with final portion of dough., Place a 2-1/2-in. round cutter on top of the dough in center of circle (do not press down). With a sharp knife, make 16 evenly spaced cuts from round cutter to edge of dough, forming a starburst. Remove cutter; grasp 2 adjacent strips and rotate twice outward. Pinch ends together. Repeat with remaining strips., Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with melted butter, avoiding areas where pesto is visible. Cool completely on a wire rack. If desired, sprinkle with additional cheese and basil before serving; serve with pesto or marinara.