Recipe by Chef Jessica Hallam
Photos by Steve Smede
I MADE THIS BREAD FOR THE FIRST TIME A FEW MONTHS AGO. I had seen it all over social media last Christmas and knew I wanted to share it here this year. Christmas is here and this is a fun eyecatching dessert that tastes amazing. The recipe is a little technical but fairly similar to making cinnamon rolls.
I’m using Grandma Carolyn’s roll recipe for the base because it is our favorite. The recipe makes a lot of dough so you will have two stars at the end. You could always substitute orange marmalade, cinnamon roll filling or your favorite jam in place of the raspberry. We like to glaze ours with a simple powdered sugar glaze. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
INGREDIENTS: 1 2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. water
2/3 c. potato flakes
3/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. instant yeast
2 tsp. salt
5 large eggs
7-9 c. all-purpose flour
FILLING: raspberry preserves/ jam sugar
INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium saucepan combine milk, water, potato flakes, butter and sugar. Warm the mixture to about 110 degrees the butter will be melted and warm to the touch. Be careful not to overheat the mixture or it will kill the yeast once combined with the other ingredients.
2. While the milk mixture is cooking on the stove, prepare your stand mixer with a large 6 qt. bowl and a dough hook. Add the eggs, salt, yeast and 3 1/2 c. of the flour
3. Once the milk mixture is ready, add it to your mixing bowl. Mix on low to combine. Then mix on high for 2 minutes. This will develop the gluten strands to give you that amazing fluffy texture.
4. Next, add another 3 1/2 c. of flour. Mix on low. I usually cover my mixer with a flour sack towel because flour has been known to fly out of the bowl on occasion. Mix on low for 3 to 4 min. The top half of the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl leaving it clean, while the bottom half will remain stuck in the bottom. If the dough is very sticky, continue adding the flour 1/2 c. at a time until it is no longer sticky.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with plastic wrap and allow to raise for 30 min. to an hour.
6. Remove dough from bowl and place on a floured surface. Divide dough in half. Place one half back in the bowl and cover. Divide the remaining half into four pieces. Next, roll each piece into a circle. Making sure the pieces are all very close in size. Place one of the circles on your sheet tray, then lightly spread raspberry filling over the circle leaving about a 1/2 inch rim around the edge. Repeat with two more of the circles. Then place the last circle on top.
7. Take a large glass and set it directly in the middle of the circle. Press down to make a visible indent. Take a pizza cutter and make four cuts, one at 12 o’clock, one at 6 o’clock, then again at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. Only cut up to the indent. Not all the way through. Then make cuts dividing each quarter in half again. Then divide each in half again. You should end with 16 pieces connected to the middle.
8. Starting at the top, take two pieces next to each other and twist them two times away from each other. Pinch the ends of the pieces together to form a point. Repeat with the remaining strands until you have the shape of a star.
9. Cover the star with plastic wrap or a flour sack towel. Allow to raise 20 to 25 minutes while resting on top of your warm oven. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
10. After the rest, bake the star for 17 to 22 min., rotating the pan halfway through. The tops should be a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 min. Then dust rolls with powdered sugar or drizzle with icing. Serve while warm.