Star Bread with Cheese and Herbs
This savory herb and cheese star bread is both festive and delicious. It combines stretchy mozzarella, savory feta cheese, herbs and spices. Serve it at your next holiday party, brunch or enjoy it as a snack.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Whole milk (- 2% works well too)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp Active dry yeast (- Equivalent of 1 packet)
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup Mozzarella (- Shredded)
- ½ cup Feta (- Crumbled)
- 1 tbsp Dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Dried mint (- Substitute dried basil, Italian herb mix, or just use more oregano)
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds (- Toasted)
- 1 tsp Chili flake (- Optional, I use a mild Aleppo Chili flake)
- Honey
Instructions
- 1
Bloom yeast. Heat the milk and water slightly in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add the sugar and yeast. Mix well and wait 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Note: Be careful, if the liquid is too hot, it could kill the yeast. 110°F is the maximum temperature that yeast can withstand.
- 2
Make dough. In a stand mixer bowl add the flour and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, add to the stand mixer bowl and knead for 8 minutes. You may need to adjust liquid/flour as necessary. Note: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough in a bowl and then knead it on your counter for 10 minutes.
- 3
Rise. Once the dough is supple, let it rise in an oiled bowl (or in the stand mixer bowl) covered with a towel for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- 4
Mix. While the dough rises, make your herby cheese mixture by combining all the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
- 5
Divide. When the dough is ready, divide it into 4 equal parts and form into balls. Use a kitchen scale if you have one.
- 6
Roll. Roll the balls out into flat disks about 12 inches wide. You may have to let the disks rest as you roll to let the gluten relax. Otherwise, disks may not stretch to 12”. If you're feeling fancy, use a large dinner plate to cut out perfect circles.
- 7
Assemble. On a lined baking sheet, place a dough disk, then spread ⅓ of the filling mix evenly. Top with another dough disk, add ⅓ of the filling and repeat until finished.
- 8
Form the star shape. Place a small bowl or cookie cutter on the center of the dough stack as a guide. Cut dough stack into quarters, without cutting under the bowl/cookie cutter. Cut each quarter in half, and then cut each 8th in half again. You should end up with 16 wedges.
- 9
Twist. Grab 2 adjacent wedges and twist them in opposite directions 3 times and then pinch the ends to form a neat point. Repeat 7 times.
- 10
Rise. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes while your oven preheats to 375°F.
- 11
Egg wash. Brush bread with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- 12
Bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top and bottom and cooked through. Drizzle with optional honey while still warm.