I have always loved baking pull part bread, especially the savory kind. This Christmas, I wanted to try Savory Star Bread and I was blown away with how pretty it can look. A centerpiece for any festive dinner table. If you are intimidated with the idea, then watch the detailed VIDEO and you will realize how easy it is.
Savory Star Bread
Baking bread is extremely therapeutic for me, be it dinner rolls or sweet bread, sourdough or pizza. The whole idea of kneading and then shaping is so fun.
When I was shaping this Savory Star Bread, my son’s instant reaction was “Wow Mumma, this is one fancy bread”! It’s my first time baking a Star Bread after all. My husband loves bread, and he couldn’t stop admiring either.
I was so proud to pull it off!
Filling for the Savory Star Bread
This Savory Star Bread is layered with quick homemade marinara sauce and the second layer has dijon mustard along with fried garlic butter sauce. It was flavor packed and the texture of the bread was so soft.
The bread dough for the Star Bread
The bread dough is made with all-purpose flour, but you can choose whole wheat too!
I used active dry yeast. And activated the yeast in warm milk instead of water. The milk creates the soft pillowy texture.
There is also little amount of butter in the dough for the richness.
There are NO EGGS in the dough.
Recipe Video
Rising the bread dough
You could either rise the dough in a warm area (switch off oven with just the light on) and it should take about 2 to 3 hours.
Simultaneously, you could also rise the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
I tried both the version, and both works equally well.
Cold rising, the bread dough
If you rise the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then make sure to let it sit in a warm area for at least an hour before you shape the bread.
Savory Star Bread
Ingredients
For the bread dough
- 1 cup luke warm milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 and ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon butter
For the Marinara sauce (This recipe will make a lot of marinara, that you can store in the refrigerator or freezer. You can use it to prepare pizza or pasta)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried Oregon powder
- 1 lb 13 oz tomato purée
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- few fresh basil leaves
For the fried garlic butter sauce
- 10 to 12 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
Other ingredients
- 1 and ½ cup Mozzarella cheese - 1 and ½ cup
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- one egg for egg washing the bread before baking (OPTIONAL you can brush melted butter or milk too.)
Instructions
- Pour the luke warm milk in a tall glass and to that add the sugar and yeast. Give a quick mix and plate a plate on top. Leave it aside fo 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- If the yeast doesn't acivate after 5 to 7 minutes, than just discard and start over.
- To your mixer stand or a mixing bowl add the flour, salt and activated yeast water.
- Attach the dough hook and run it at speed 2 for 5 minutes. You can mix with hand too.
- Then add the butter in small cubes and run it again. It will looks very wet in the begining but then the dough will come together once it all incorporates nicely.
- If for some reason, the dough looks very wet, feel free to add little extra flour to bring it together.
- Then grease a big bowl with oil and shape the dough into a round ball and place it there. Cover with clear wrap and let it rise.
- You can place it in the oven (switched off, just lights on) and the dough should rise in about 2 to 3 hours.
- Or you could cold rise it in the refrigerator overnight. If you cold rise the dough, then do keep it in room temperature for an hour before you shape the dough.
- While the dough rises, prepare the sauces.
- For the marinara sauce, in a pot add the oil and drop the chopped garlic and onion.
- Add salt, oregeno and stir it around for 3 minutes. Then pour the tomato puree, salt, basil leaves and give a stir.
- Cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, you can leave the sauce as is or feel free to blend it.
- Once cooled completely, the sauce can be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator or freezer.
- For the fried garlic butter sauce, finely chop the garlic.
- In a small skillet, add the butter, oil and chopped garlic. Then stir it aorund and cool in medium heat until the garlic turns mild golden color. Leave the pan aside and let it cool down a little it.
- Once the dough is fermented properly, dust the kitchen counter top with little flour and drop the dough. Divide the dough into three portions.
- Shape each portions into balls.
- Then roll each of them thin, almost equal size round circles.
- Layer the first rolled dough on a cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Spread little bit of marinara sauce. Then spread some shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Place the second rolled dough and gently pull the edges if needed to fit in neatly. Spread the dijon mustard and then the fried garlic butter sauce. (You can save some of the garlic sauce to spread on top of the baked bread.)
- Finally place the third layer and press it gently to align it neatly.
- Now to shape, gently press a small bowl in the center. The line will guide you to cut the sides. (watch the video to understand better )
- Now using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife slice the strips from the edges to the center. Slice till the line you created by pressing the tny bowl.
- You need equal strips. Start by slicing the opposite sides first and then in the middle.
- Once you have all the strips ready, take two and give two or three twist and then seal the edges tight.
- Once you are done shaping the star, cover the shaped dough for 20 minutes.
- In the mean time preheat the oven to 350 F
- After the oven has preheated and the shaped dough rested for 20 minutes, whisk one egg and brush the shaped dough with the egg.
- Then place the cookie sheet in the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Once done, take it off and let it cool down a little bit before you serve.
