December 2019 | The Honest Spoon

It’s December, and it’s winter break here in Portland. I took some time off to hang at home with my family and the “go go go” in me is struggling to relax. I think I’m bored-and when I’m bored I bake. After spending way too much time on Pinterest this morning, I came across a million awesome recipes for baklava. But guess who doesn’t have phyllo dough at home? ME!!!!

Therefore, I present you with my baklava inspired star bread. While sweet yeast breads take some time, it took about 2.5 hours from start to finish- not bad for a lazy Saturday. Most of that time is proofing the bread- active time is around 30-40 minutes. The base of this recipe is from Half Baked Harvest. The filling is the result of me, my cravings, and the contents of my pantry.

TIPS:

If you prefer to break this into two steps, you can follow a similar “overnight” method as I do for my Cinnamon Rolls. Just go through the first rise and bread assembly, then cover in plastic wrap. Put it in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. In the morning, place it in a warm spot on your counter for 45 minutes and bake!
The filling on this bread can pretty much anything you desire. Sweet? Savory? Imagine it filled with Pesto, or layered with garlic, butter, and herbs instead….! GLORIOUS! Don’t hesitate to get creative!
The flavor of the orange really comes through in this recipe. If that isn’t your thing, I suggest reducing the orange zest and juice by half, and increasing the cinnamon to 2 teaspoons.

PIN THIS RECIPE

BAKLAVA STAR BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

(serves 10-12)

DOUGH:

1 Cup warm whole milk
1 package instant dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 large eggs, room temperature & lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2- 4 Cups unbleached all purpose flour

FILLING:

6 tablespoons softened butter (not melted)
3/4 Cup light brown sugar
3/4 Cup finely chopped pistachios
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
zest of one small orange
1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water

SYRUP:

1/4 C water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
juice of one small orange
3 tablespoons honey

METHOD:

DOUGH:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, put in the milk, butter, honey, yeast, egg, salt and 3 1/2 Cups of flour. The dough should be sticky- if it seems too sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour.

2. Remove the dough and, with floured hand, knead for a few turns and shape into a smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl (I used butter), cover with a clean kitchen towel and keep in a warm spot in your kitchen. Let rise 45-60 minutes or until doubled in volume.

3. While the dough is proofing, prepare the fillings.

combine cinnamon, light brown sugar and orange zest in a bowl
place finely chopped pistachios in a separate bowl
place butter in a separate bowl
prepare egg wash by lightly beating 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water.

4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and divide dough into 4 equal parts using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Shape one ball and roll out into a 10” circle. Place circle onto parchment paper and transfer parchment and dough onto a baking sheet.

5. Start by layering the first dough round with butter, brown sugar mixture, and pistachio- leaving a 1” border around the edge. Gently brush egg wash around the edge. Repeat the process two more times and place the final and 4th round on top. gently press all sides together as you go.

6. Place a roughly 2 “ round glass or biscuit cutter in the center of your dough. You will start by making 4 clean cuts at the North, South, East and West positions. You will continue to make even cuts until you end up with 16 cuts- see video. It’s hard to explain! Then you will twist two end together- twisting twice and away from each other and pinching the end together, tucking the ends neatly underneath.

5. Cover the bread with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Let rise 30-45 minutes or until doubled in volume.

6. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove the plastic wrap, and brush liberally , but gently, with egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes until nicely golden brown.

7. During the last 15 minutes of baking, prepare the syrup by placing all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Reduce liquid to about 1/3 cup. Pour directly onto fully cooked bread right out of the oven.

8. Let bread cool about 10 minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy. Please let me know how it turns out. I love to hear from you!

As always, please let me know what you think! I love to hear your comments and feedback!