Spiced Apple Star Bread is so good you can eat it with a meal or as a dessert. It’s a sweetened buttery, bread that’s tender and warm from the fall spices. This bread looks hard to make, but it’s easier than you think.
This month’s Bread Bakers group is being hosted by Pavani from the blog Cook’s Hideout. Pavani challenged the Bread Bakers to create a bread using fall fruits or vegetables. Sweet or savory bread are all game. My Spiced Apple Star Bread just screams fall!
Quite some time ago I saw Cinnamon Star Bread on the King Arthur website. It was one of those recipes that I just couldn’t get out of my mind. I wanted to make it but it really looked labor intensive. One of the reasons I joined the Bread Bakers group was to learn and challenge myself when it comes to baking bread,
This event was the perfect time to give it a try. I wanted to stuff it with apples and knew that I’d have to dice my apples small and just hoped that the filling wouldn’t just come flying out when I twisted it. Another concern was that the moisture in the apples would make a soggy bread that wouldn’t hold its shape.
The bread gods were definitely with me. There isn’t anything difficult about making this bread and I’ll be making it several times throughout the holidays.
I’m hoping the pictures will encourage you to give it a try and I hope you to let me know if you have any questions.
Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!
Spiced Apple Star Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups Unbleached all-Purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 cup of warm water may not use all
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup dry milk
- 1/4 cup potato flour or instant mashed potato flakes
Filling
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 apple cored, peeled, and finely diced
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- Turbinado or demerara sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer combine all dough ingredients EXCEPT water. Mix on low until blended. Drizzle in warm water with mixer running until dough is soft and smooth. Put the dough in a greased bowl and turn once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow bread to rise for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
- Once the bread has risen, divide into four even-sized pieces and roll into balls. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar and spices. Mix to combine. Melt butter in a separate container.
- Dust a working surface lightly with flour. Roll out each piece of dough into a 10-inch circle.
- Place the first circle on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar mixture and top with diced apples.
- Place the next circle over the first filled circle. Stretch to match up edges. Repeat brushing with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and then apples. Repeat with the 3rd circle and top with the fourth but don't fill or brush the top of the fourth circle.
- Place a 2-1/2" to 3" biscuit or cookie in the center of the circle. Don't cut through the dough center just set it there. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper make 4 cuts through all 4 layers evenly spaced through all four layers. Repeat until you have 16 cuts to the center.
- Pick up two strips and twist them twice away from each other. Continue until all 16 strips have been twisted.
- Pinch the pairs of strips together to create a point.
- Remove the cutter. Cover with a clean towel and let star rise 45 minutes. While star rises, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove towel and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Turbinado or demerara sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving.
- Store covered at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
I want to thank Pavani for hosting this month’s fun challenge. I can’t wait to go through all of the recipes. I hope you will check them out too.
This month’s for BreadBakers’, we are baking bread with fall fruits and vegetables, for example, apples, grapes, pears, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, acorn squash, butternut squash etc. Our host of the month is Pavani at Cook’s Hideout. Check out what the Bread Bakers have come up with Fall Fruits & Vegetables.
- Apple & Olive Oil Boulé from Food Above Gold
- Apple Cider Muffins from A Baker’s House
- Apple, Pear and Persimmon Stuffed Brioche from A Shaggy Dough Story
- Baked Cauliflower Breadsticks from Sneha’s Recipe
- Broccoli Burger Buns from Herbivore Cucina
- Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Chilli and Cheddar Potato Rolls from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Easy Apple Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
- Figs Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
- Harvest Bread with Sweet Potato from Cook’s Hideout
- Kartofel Khleb – Russian Potato Bread from Ruchik Randhap
- Potato Bread Rolls from Gayathri’s Cook Spot
- Pumpkin Challah from Passion Kneaded
- Sauerkraut-Nut Bread from Palatable Pastime
- Savoury Potato Rose Rolls from Sara’s Tasty Buds
- Spiced Apple Star Bread from Hostess At Heart
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to [email protected].
Pin it now!
Michele says
Unbelievable! Finally got the courage to try this recipe. My friends thought I was a master baker! It was so beautiful! The step by step instructions were just what this girl needed to make it! THANK YOU! ps… it tasted even better than it looked!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Michele!
Chris says
This dough works well in a bread machine, dough cycle. I have made without apples from KARTHUR site. It is NOT recommended to preassemble and refrigerate as filling will seep out, this would be worse with apples as contact with sugar will draw moisture out of apples. I also used my pie crust bags, plastic circles that are zippered and enclose the dough, nice even round uniform circles.. this is bread not pastry, you won’t overwork it. Check out the blog on King Arthur, separate from the recipe for detailed shaping.. yes, time consuming but a beautiful and delicious bread, not overly sweet..
Julie Menghini says
Thank you for sharing, Chris!
Kristn says
Wondering how much of this can be made ahead of time. I am debating on whether I should make it all the way to baking and then putting it in the fridge so that on Christmas morning, I just have to pull it out and bake it OR should I just bake it all the way and then just reheat it in the morning….have you or anyone else on here made it ahead? What were the results?
Julie Menghini says
I’ve had that question before Kristn and sorry I didn’t see it yesterday. Personally, I freeze baked goods all the time and know you can buy frozen cinnamon rolls dough and then bake them later. I think I’d bake it up and then wrap it in plastic and then foil. It should come out like it was freshly baked. I’ll give this a try sometime and update the post.
Alicia says
To prevent the filling from making a pool of caramelized sugar on the bottom, I divided the dough into 5 and rolled it out in stages, to let the layers relax in turn, achieving 10″ disks for each. I buttered the bottom layer, then placed the first filled layer on top and when finished stacking and pinching the top 4 layers, cut and twisted them as Julie instructs in her recipe, leaving the bottom layer whole. Then I gently tucked in the bottom layer to keep the star shape and sure enough, when the whole beautiful thing was baked, the bottom whole layer caught the run-off from the top four layers. Instead of a sticky mess on the bottom, you get more of what you put in it with the same amount of dough, albeit thin as struedel without the hassle of making a giant paper-thin pastry dough, you do it in stages of manageable size 10″. Thank you so much, Julie! Next, a savory version with herbs and nuts.
Julie Menghini says
Wow Alicia you definitely did an amazing job and I’d definitely think the savory version with herbs and nuts would be delicious. Maybe even a sprinkling of grated cheese in your filling. If you do it let me know how it goes.
Lois says
The recipe could use some clarification. It needs to state that the dough should be divided into 4 parts, each of which will be rolled into a ball. Also, should the amounts for the filling ingredients be tripled? I can’t imagine one apple being enough for three layers.
Julie Menghini says
Hi Lois! Thank you for stopping by. I added the word four further up in the recipe instructions for clarification. Thank you for pointing that out. Also, I did only use one apple diced in small pieces. This is a soft dough and I didn’t want to add a lot of moisture from additional fruit. I would say the filling is more about the cinnamon than the apple but the combination works. I hope you’ll let me know if you make this bread. We love it.
Tiffany says
Bread tastes wonderful! I absolutely love your picture! I would like to perfect mine so that it comes out as beautiful as yours! I feel like I followed the recipe, but it isn’t as beautiful. I tried to post a picture of my bread, but I am not having any luck. 🙁
It seems that your braiding is more pronounced than mine.
Julie Menghini says
Congratulations, Tiffany! There are so many people that won’t attempt this bread! I’m sure your bread was impressive regardless of what you think. Send your picture to [email protected] and maybe I can offer some tips? Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You’ll be a pro in no time!
Micah says
I’m very new to this and need some help. What is the dough consistency supposed to be when mixing it with a kitchen aid mixer and a dough hook? The machine manual says 4 minutes is enough to completely mix it, but my dough was very flimsy and took TWO hours to prove in my oven on the “bread proof” settings (100 degrees)….
I misunderstood and ended up with half as many strips of the star as needed so mine looked kind of like a diamond… what’s the secret to making the twists look pretty? Is there a secret to making the dough less wet so it twists better?
Would it be worth my time to try this on a pizza stone rather than a baking sheet?
Do I cook for 12 minutes, do the egg wash, and then cook for 12 more minutes?
Is an egg wash the whites or the yolks?
With breads, do you cook on the bottom most part of the oven?
Julie Menghini says
Hi Micah! Thank you for stopping by. If the dough is too soft you may have added a little too much water. If that happens, add just enough flour to make it workable. Just drizzle a little bit at a time. What I did with the twists was you gently turn each on the same amount of times and then pinched them together to a point. I’m sure your diamond looked beautiful too. I put on the egg wash before it goes into the oven. The whole thing only takes 12 to 15 minutes to bake. Please let me know if you have any more questions. Baking as you know is an experience and sometimes experimenting is just as fun. Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by.
Micah says
Thank you so much!!!!! I’m going to try making it again!! My guess is that if I can get it down, I can make it with all kinds of flavors with jams and stuff and spice it up! I’m hoping to make this bread my family’s Christmas morning tradition!!!!!
Julie Menghini says
I agree, Micah! I was just wondering why I hadn’t done more with this technique myself!
Micah says
Hi!! I wanted to thank you for the tips! Have continued to learn about bread making with your tips and some additional sources and am overcoming my fear of it! Made it again this Christmas and it turned out much better!! I think I’mfinally understanding yeast!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you for letting me know Micah! I just love that you stopped by and let me know and left me 5 stars. That’s awesome. If you ever have any tips that would help others jumping into the bread world or want me to make something and write it up just let me know.
Julie Menghini says
Also Micah, I use the whole egg for the egg wash. It helps to add a small splash of water to think it just slightly. It brushes on so much easier, and I bake it in the center of my oven. Turn it half way through if your oven tends to bake unevenly.
Marie says
Julie, this is just beautiful. I’ll definitely be trying these out over Easter 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Marie! I had so much fun making it and was so happy with the way it turned out. Let me know how yours turn out!
Cook & Enjoy says
WOW What an awesome and lovely bake. bread. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much! I just love baking bread and was so happy with how this one came out. It was a lot of fun to make too.
Cook & Enjoy says
I iwll have to bookmart his one to try at some point.
We have a monthly Share and Inspire Others! Recipe Exchange on our blog. and I am wondering if you would be interest to participate. I am leaving the link here for you to check it out: https://cookandenjoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/january-2017-share-and-inspire-others/
We do a different theme every month. Please join our blog and email me your entry. I would love to have you on board as well. Thanks in adv ance
mira says
Looks gorgeous! Will definitely try it!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Mira! It was a lot of fun to make.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Gosh this looks like pure comfort.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Joelyn! It was so good.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
This is absolutely gorgeous!!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Megan!
Lauren says
Would it be possible to make the night before and bake it off in the morning? I assume when the baking time is so short that there is no room to par-bake it? Just really checking to see how forgiving it is?
Thanks!
Julie Menghini says
I’ve never done it with this recipe Lauren but you can with a lot of breads. I would put it in the fridge after the first rise. And then the next day put it in your pan and let it do the second rise and then bake it. I do this with my brioche. You can try it with this one. https://hostessatheart.com/brioche-bun-recipe/
Megan says
This is just gorgeous! But I am still intimidated! Ever think of posting a video of creating the star?
Julie Menghini says
Hi Megan! I’m in the stages of creating a tutorial on baking bread for people that are just not sure that they can do it. It will be released free to everyone on my mailing list. I’m hoping to make it a progressive course and this star would be a great one to feature on video. I’m still working on creating video and will keep you posted in when I get there. Thank you for stopping by and I love getting ideas of what people would like to see.
Kevin | Keviniscooking says
Wow! This is a beauty! Thanks for the step by step photo inspiration!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Kevin! I was a bit intimidated before starting this project so wanted to make sure others could see that it really isn’t hard to do. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Michaela Kenkel says
I don’t know if I have ever seen anything quite so beautiful!
Julie Menghini says
Wow Michaela, Thank you!
[email protected]'s Dinnertime Dish says
This bread sounds so delicious and looks so impressive! I enjoy making bread, so I’m going to have to give this one a try!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Lisa! It was fun to make and delicious to eat. I hope you’ll let me know what you think or if you have any questions.
Adri says
What a terrific post! Your bread looks beautiful, and your directions are excellent. Congratulations on a job well done!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much, Adri! I’m happy that you found the instructions easy to follow. I put off making this one way to long because I thought it would be hard. It wasn’t at all and I’ll be making it again.
Sandra Shaffer says
What a show stopper! All those flavors and how beautiful this bread looks. Almost too pretty to dig into, but after the first piece I’m sure this will be devoured 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Sandra! It was so much fun to make and definitely delicious to eat!
Justine says
This is unbelievably beautiful!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Justine! I had fun making it and was very happy that it was a success!
Platter Talk says
What a perfect fall and holiday treat; these apple goodies are absolutely beautiful and no doubt just as tasty and flavorful as your gorgeous photographs depict. Stellar job with this recipe!
Heather Gallagher says
your photography is stunning and so is the Star Bread! Oh my goodness – I’m going to need to make this!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Heather! I hope you will make it and let me know how it turns out.
Angela says
Julie, this is STUNNING!!! I am so impressed with this delicious recipe!!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Angela! To be honest it came out even better than I thought it would.
Debbie says
ALMOST. Almost to pretty to eat. ALMOST!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Debbie!
Debi at Life Currents says
This would be so impressive to serve at a brunch – maybe Christmas day brunch! Oh, I love it. Thanks!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Debi. I was thinking of the same thing and changing up the filling.
Michelle says
That bread is absolutely stunning!! I am in awe!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Michelle! It was a fun one to make.
Alix @A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
This looks really yummy! We are very into making bread at the moment – cheese naan, pitas, Turkish pides and wholewheat bagels! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! We can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Alix! It was so fun to make. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Jennifer A Stewart says
Beautiful, Gorgeous, and I don’t know whether to hang it on the wall and stare at it all day or shove the whole thing in my mouth.
Julie Menghini says
LOL! Definitely, eat it! It’s delicious. Thank you, Jennifer!
Caroline says
My goodness, that bread looks absolutely stunning. So pretty you almost don’t want to cut it, but only almost as it sounds delicious as well!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Caroline! This bread was almost like dessert and I can’t wait to make it again. Have a wonderful weekend Caroline!
Monika Dabrowski says
This bread is culinary art! It looks simply stunning! Bread with yeast is so moreish, absolutely love it, I’d eat it hot straight from the oven. And the spiced apple sounds so delicious in this bread recipe:)
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much, Monika! I was really pleased with how this one came out, and I’ll be making it again. I really appreciate you stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie | Fiesta Friday says
Gasp! How could you even begin to cut into that piece of art! I would just look and look some more… Julie, this bread is too awesome
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Angie! I actually couldn’t wait to cut into it and it was so good. John and I finished off that whole thing by ourselves! Thank you so much for making it one of your Fiesta Friday features this week. That is always such an honor!
Matt @ RoighEats says
Wow, so I’ve found my new impress the in-laws dish! Love cinnamon apples biscuits and apples, plus lets face it – it looks cool!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Matt! It was a lot of fun to make and delicious to eat. I’d love it if you send a pic or a comment if you get it made. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Matt! It was a lot of fun to make and delicious to eat. I’d love it if you send a pic or a comment if you get it made. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend
Lily says
This caught my attention right away. It looks so intricate, but now that I’ve seen your photos and read your instructions, it doesn’t seem difficult at all. Pinned for later!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Lily! I know it looks daunting Lily but it’s not and I hope you will give it a try. It’s really fun to put together.
Wendy Klik says
That is amazing. I am definitely making this over the holidays. I pray that mine turns out half as beautiful as yours.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Wendy! It looks daunting but it really is a lot of fun. Read through it and please let me know if you have any questions.
Wendy says
I am going to try it tomorrow as a garlic cheese bread to serve with lasagna. If it turns out well and I post it I will link back to you
Julie Menghini says
I can’t wait to see it Wendy! I bet it’s going to be amazing. I appreciate the mention too!
Julianna says
I am speechless at this beauty! 😀
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Julianna! It was a fun one to make.
zeba Durrani says
Oh my…what a beautiful bread…the apple and the spices and just elevating the beauty of this bread. I am in awe of your creativity Julie! Looks delicious and thanks for sharing on Fiesta Friday!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Zeba! This bread was a lot of fun to make and eat! Thank you so much for co-hosting this week!
Robin @ A Shaggy Dough Story says
What a beauty, Julie, inside and out! I’ve tried making a couple of star breads, with varying degrees of success, but you’ve inspired me to give it another go.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Robin! I had a lot of fun and had a bit of beginners luck I think.
Pavani says
Wow, what a stunning bread that is Julie. It must have tasted amazing .
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Pavani. I had fun making this. You gave us a fun theme this month!
sharanya palanisshami says
This star shaped bread is in my to do list . Well explained with clear pictures ……. Lovely
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much! It is easy with pictures is what I found.
sneha datar says
Beautiful and artistically made bread.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Sneha! It was a lot of fun to make too.
Sheryl says
Way to go Julie I am truly impressed with how beautiful your bread came out !
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much Sheryl! I really had a good time making it and eating it!
[email protected] says
Pinned!! This is beyond fabulous, Julie. Beautiful and mouthwatering- hopefully I can replicate it over here. 😉
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Josette! I KNOW you can do this. You have mad bread skills and I hope you will let me know how it goes.
judigraber says
I saw this bread too Julie and ever since I made Pane Banco I have been interested in “twisted bread”. Thanks for trying it first so I know what to do – except there are always good comments after every KAF recipe. You kicked it up a notch by adding an apple – great idea!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Judi! KAF is my go too with bread. I sure wish I was as talented as developing the recipes but I guess some of them have been around for a long time and just keep getting tweaked like we do?
Celebrating Sunshine says
This is truly a piece of art! I’m sure it is very tasty, but I would never break it, cut it or eat it. 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Ana! It was really good and I’ll be making it again for Thanksgiving.
Sonal says
That is one gorgeous looking bread that is screaming fall!!!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Sonal! It was so much fun to make and my head is just swimming with stuffing ideas for the holidays.
Loretta says
Move over Martha Stewart, here comes Julie, our world-class baker! 🙂 This IS definitely art on a plate Julie. I love the challenges your bread bakers group gets out. It surely takes you to new heights. When I first saw it, I thought, “whoa, you could sell these to bakeries around the holidays”. Seriously though, all the ingredients too would have me savoring each bite for a long time. I like your illustrations, it looks like it all fell into place together. Dare I try it? :))
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Loretta! I think you would be absolutely astonished at how easy this bread is to make. I want you to try it and send me a picture of how beautiful yours is too. I let it intimidate me when I saw it the first time, but the how too pictures are easy to follow.
Holly says
Stunning! Yes, your photos really do bring this bread to life and show us how to make it step by step. Thanks for sharing!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Holly! It was such a fun bread to make.
Suzanne says
It really is a work of art Julie. Beautiful and delicious.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Suzanne! I had so much fun with this one and will be making it for the holidays too.
Kelster says
Beautiful bread!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you!
Smruti @ Herbivore Cus=cina says
WOW this star shaped bread is beautiful and with all the apple in there, I am sure it is simply irresistible!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Smruti! We really loved it and it was so much fun to put together.
Johanne Lamarche says
You make it look easy Julie and what a masterpiece you have created! Almost too pretty to eat but I can’t resist….I want a slice, especially with warm apple filling. Wow!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Johanne! I have so much fun making my breads as you know. This one was delicious too.