This is the best recipe for Cinnamon Star Bread—and it's so easy to make! You only need simple ingredients, resulting in a beautiful, fluffy bread with sweet cinnamon layers. It looks impressive, but don't worry, it's foolproof!
The dough is soft and airy, while the cinnamon sugar filling makes the edges crispy and caramelized. Inside, it stays chewy and melt-in-your-mouth good. To make sure your bread turns out perfect every time, I've added my best tips!
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Homemade Layered Cinnamon Bread
Cinnamon star bread is not only delicious, but also beautiful to look at. It's inspired by European sweet bread and has become popular all over the world because of its stunning star shape.
Every bite is warm, sweet, and buttery, with a hint of cinnamon. The dough is super soft, and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on top makes it even better! The secret? A little cardamom in the dough for extra flavor. This bread is perfect for brunch, holidays, or special occasions.
Beauty surrounded the Daring Bakers this month as our host, Sawsan, of chef in disguise, challenged us to make beautiful, filled loaves of bread. Who knew bread could look as great as they taste?
What do you need?
In the recipe card below, you will find the full list of ingredients, but here are some handy tips.
- Yeast: Use instant yeast (2 teaspoons / 6 gram) for an easy rise. If using dry yeast (6 grams) or fresh yeast (12 grams), dissolve it first in lukewarm water with sugar. Not hot water! It will kill the yeast.
- Butter: Adds richness and makes the cinnamon layers soft. Room temperature butter is a must!
- Cardamom: No cardamom? Try nutmeg or allspice for a different flavor.
How to Make It (6 Easy Steps!)
- Step 1 Make the dough: In a bowl, and mix lukewarm water, milk, egg, sugar, butter, and yeast. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, and cardamom. Combine everything and knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
- Step 2 Layer the Dough: Divide it into four pieces and roll each into an 8-inch (20 cm) circle. Stack the layers on top of each other, brushing each layer with butter and sprinkling cinnamon sugar. Leave the top layer plain.
- Step 3 Shape the Star: Cut the stacked dough into eight triangles, but don't cut through the center. Make a small cut in the middle of each triangle.
- Step 4 Twist & Shape: Pull the tip of each triangle through the cut and tuck it under. Pinch the bottom corners to form a star shape.
- Step 5 Brush & Rest: Brush the bread with milk and sugar. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Step 6 Bake!: Bake at 465°F (240°C) for 5 minutes, then lower to 390°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
Dough
- ¼ cup water, lukewarm
- ¾ cup milk, lukewarm
- 1 egg, size L
- ½ stick butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons yeast, instant
- 3½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
Between the layers
- ½ stick butter, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar
Topping
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Drizzling
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Prepare the Dough
- Whisk egg, milk, water, sugar, butter, and yeast in a bowl. Set aside.¼ cup water, ¾ cup milk, 1 egg, ½ stick butter, ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons yeast
- In another bowl, sift the flour, salt, and cardamom together.3½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and knead until you get a smooth dough.
- Lightly brush a bowl with oil, place the dough inside, and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).
- Lightly flour a surface and put the dough on top.
- Divide the dough into four equal parts.
Layering the Dough
- Mix the cinnamon with the sugar.4 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ½ cup sugar
- Roll each part into a circle (at least 8 inches (ca. 20 cm) in diameter).
- Place the first dough circle on a baking sheet. Brush with ¼ of the butter, then sprinkle with ⅓ of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.½ stick butter
- Place the second dough circle on top and repeat the butter and cinnamon-sugar steps. Do the same with the third layer.
- Place the fourth layer on top, but only brush with the remaining butter.
Shaping the Bread
- Use a knife to cut the dough into eight equal triangles.
- In each triangle, make a small cut (about ⅔ of the way through the middle).
- Take the tip of each triangle, insert it into the cut, and pull it through from the underside.
- Arrange the triangles on a baking sheet.
- Pinch the two bottom corners of each triangle together to create a flower shape.
Baking
- Mix the milk with the sugar.¼ cup milk, 1 tablespoon sugar
- Brush the dough with the sweetened milk.
- Let it rest for 15 minutes while preheating the oven to
465 °F or 430 °F. - Bake at 465 °F for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 390 °F or 350 °F and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until golden brown.
Drizzling
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
- While still warm, drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.½ cup sweetened condensed milk
Notes
- Size doesn't have to be perfect: If your dough circles aren't exactly 8 inches (ca. 20 cm), no worries! You won't see it once it's baked.
- Chill before cutting: Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before shaping. This makes the butter firm and easier to work with.
- At room temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Reheating: Warm in the oven at 300 °F (150 °C) for 5 minutes.
Nutrition
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