Spiced Apple Star Bread Recipe
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Warm, buttery, and full of cozy spice, this Spiced Apple Star Bread is as delicious as it is stunning! Soft, pillowy layers of dough are filled with a sweet apple-cinnamon mixture and twisted into a beautiful starburst shape. Perfect for special occasions, holiday gatherings, or whenever you want to wow your family with a treat that tastes like fall wrapped in every bite.
When the apple harvest starts, my taste buds turn to bake anything with this delicious fruit. Apple pies, crisps, muffins, filling, cakes, breads, or even stuffed into pork chops. I just can’t get enough!
This Cinnamon Star Bread is soft and tender and tastes like a cinnamon roll loaded with fresh apple. This star-shaped bread is perfect for a holiday morning but easy enough to make when you’re craving a delicious pastry.
We originally made this bread when I was participating in a monthly bread challenge. The challenge was to create bread using fall fruits or vegetables. Sweet or savory bread was all game. Our Spiced Apple Star Bread just screams fall!
Quite some time ago we 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 we 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.
Star Bread Fillings
To put a spin on the Cinnamon Star Bread, we stuffed our bread with apples. Here are some more ideas.
- Add raisins to the apples
- Substitute the apples with pears
- Substitute the fruit with chocolate chips
How to make Spiced Apple Star Bread
- We used an electric stand mixer for this recipe. Add the dough ingredients to the bowl, and with the mixer running, slowly add the water until the dough is soft and smooth, not wet and sticky.
- Cover the dough and let it rise for one hour.
- Using a bench scraper, cut the risen dough into 4 pieces. I rolled them into balls and covered them for 15 minutes while I prepared the filling.
- Roll each ball into a 10-inch circle.
- I turn a baking sheet upside down and cover it with parchment paper. Put the first dough circle on the parchment paper.
- Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it with brown sugar and 1/3 of the diced apples.
- Place the second dough circle on top of the first one and stretch it to match up the edges of the first circle.
- Repeat the filling and third dough circle. Place the 4th circle over the previous 3 but don’t top it with filling.
- Place a 2-1/2 to 3-inch biscuit cutter in the center of the top dough circle.
- Don’t cut through the dough. Just place it there.
- You can also use a glass. You just need a circle you can work around.
- Using the bench scraper or sharp knife, make 4 cuts through all 4 layers evenly spaced through all four layers. Repeat until you have 16 cuts to the center.
- Each 2 strips make one star tip. 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
- Remove towel and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Turbinado or demerara sugar.
- Bake
That many steps? Not really, I just really broke them down so it would be easy for you to shape your bread.
Tips for the perfect Star Bread
- Dice the apples in small pieces to make twisting the bread easier without losing the filling.
- We recommend using fresh apples. Canned or jar apple slices will have too much moisture making the bread soggy and/or lose its shape.
- Don’t overfill the dough. You will just lose the extra filling when you twist it or it will be difficult to shape.
- Don’t overproof the second rise. By doing so, you will lose the shape.
- We added turbinado (sugar in the raw) to the top of our bread because we love the crunch you get when you bite into it. You could skip the sugar and just apply a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze.
I’m hoping all of these details will encourage you to try it and I hope you’ll let me know if you have any questions.
If you enjoy interesting bread recipes as much as we do, you may enjoy our Blueberry Twisted Bread Rolls, our Kifli Walnut Rolls, or this delicious Brioche Cinnamon Roll recipe.
We LOVE baking bread! You can find all of our bread recipes here!
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 year.
It’s not any more difficult than making cinnamon rolls, and makes an amazing gift!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
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
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup dry milk
- ¼ cup potato flour or instant mashed potato flakes
Filling
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ 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 the star rise for 45 minutes. While the 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
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
This recipe was made on behalf of a challenge group that’s no longer active but I learned so much and am grateful to have participated. Pavani at Cook’s Hideout was our host for this post. 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
- 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
- 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
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! 🙂
Thank you Alix! It was so fun to make. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
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.
LOL! Definitely, eat it! It’s delicious. Thank you, Jennifer!
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!
Thank you, Caroline! This bread was almost like dessert and I can’t wait to make it again. Have a wonderful weekend Caroline!
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:)
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!
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
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!
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!
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
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
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!
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.
That is amazing. I am definitely making this over the holidays. I pray that mine turns out half as beautiful as yours.
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.
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
I can’t wait to see it Wendy! I bet it’s going to be amazing. I appreciate the mention too!
I am speechless at this beauty! 😀
Thank you Julianna! It was a fun one to make.
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!
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!
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.
Thank you Robin! I had a lot of fun and had a bit of beginners luck I think.
Wow, what a stunning bread that is Julie. It must have tasted amazing .
Thank you, Pavani. I had fun making this. You gave us a fun theme this month!
This star shaped bread is in my to do list . Well explained with clear pictures ……. Lovely
Thank you so much! It is easy with pictures is what I found.
Beautiful and artistically made bread.
Thank you, Sneha! It was a lot of fun to make too.
Way to go Julie I am truly impressed with how beautiful your bread came out !
Thank you so much Sheryl! I really had a good time making it and eating it!
Pinned!! This is beyond fabulous, Julie. Beautiful and mouthwatering- hopefully I can replicate it over here. 😉
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.
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!
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?
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. 🙂
Thank you Ana! It was really good and I’ll be making it again for Thanksgiving.
That is one gorgeous looking bread that is screaming fall!!!
Thank you Sonal! It was so much fun to make and my head is just swimming with stuffing ideas for the holidays.
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? :))
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.
Stunning! Yes, your photos really do bring this bread to life and show us how to make it step by step. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Holly! It was such a fun bread to make.
It really is a work of art Julie. Beautiful and delicious.
Thank you Suzanne! I had so much fun with this one and will be making it for the holidays too.
Beautiful bread!
Thank you!
WOW this star shaped bread is beautiful and with all the apple in there, I am sure it is simply irresistible!
Thank you Smruti! We really loved it and it was so much fun to put together.
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!
Thank you Johanne! I have so much fun making my breads as you know. This one was delicious too.