Christmas Star Brioche
Eva Kolenko
“This is my very favorite bread dough—tender, light, eggy, and buttery—and I love the orange flavor,” says Jerry Di Vecchio, Sunset’s long-time food editor, who developed the original dough for a story in 1968. We’ve reshaped it to create a more contemporary design, but it is otherwise unchanged. While the bread is rich (maybe that’s why it reheats so well), Di Vecchio still likes to serve it with butter. To make it, you’ll need a large rimless baking sheet.
How to Make It
1
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup warm water (110°) and yeast; set aside. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat 6 tbsp. butter, the granulated sugar, vanilla, zest, and salt on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in whole eggs, then yolks. Add yeast mixture and milk. Change to dough hook and gradually mix in 3 3/4 cups flour on low speed. Knead on medium speed until dough is very stretchy and fairly smooth, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time, until dough pulls cleanly from side of bowl, is very smooth, and only slightly sticky.
2
Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until double, about 2 hours.
3
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead out air, adding more flour if dough still feels sticky. Divide dough in thirds and shape each into a smooth ball. Let rest, loosely covered, 10 minutes. Flatten each with hands, then roll into a 10-in. round; reroll if needed until shape stays put. Set 1 round on a 12- by 16-in. sheet of parchment paper. Beat egg white to blend and brush enough onto dough to coat. Set another round on top; brush again. Repeat, leaving top layer uncoated.
4
Set a 2-in.-wide biscuit cutter or glass in center of dough stack. With a bench knife or regular knife, cut dough through layers into 16 equal portions, working from cutter to edge of circle. Pick up 2 adjacent stacks of strips and twist away from each other about 3 times, evenly spacing twists along length. Pinch ends together. Repeat to make 8 points of the star. Remove biscuit cutter. Transfer parchment with dough to a rimless 14- by 17-in. baking sheet.
5
Preheat oven to 325°. Let dough rise, loosely covered in a warm place, until puffy enough that your little finger inserted at edge of dough leaves a faint impression, 15 to 25 minutes; don’t over-proof, or twists will lose their definition.
6
Brush dough with more egg white. Bake until richly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center reaches 200° to 205°, 25 to 30 minutes. Loosen bread from parchment and slide onto a wire rack. Let cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar; pull apart.
MAKE AHEAD Up to 2 days, wrapped airtight. Wrap loosely with foil and reheat on a baking sheet in a 325° oven about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
1 pkg. (2 1⁄4 tsp.) active dry yeast
6 tbsp salted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 3 large oranges
½ tsp fine salt
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks and 1 egg white, at room temperature
⅓ cup whole milk, at room temperature
4 ¼ cups flour
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
1
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup warm water (110°) and yeast; set aside. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat 6 tbsp. butter, the granulated sugar, vanilla, zest, and salt on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in whole eggs, then yolks. Add yeast mixture and milk. Change to dough hook and gradually mix in 3 3/4 cups flour on low speed. Knead on medium speed until dough is very stretchy and fairly smooth, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more flour, 1 tbsp. at a time, until dough pulls cleanly from side of bowl, is very smooth, and only slightly sticky.
2
Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until double, about 2 hours.
3
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead out air, adding more flour if dough still feels sticky. Divide dough in thirds and shape each into a smooth ball. Let rest, loosely covered, 10 minutes. Flatten each with hands, then roll into a 10-in. round; reroll if needed until shape stays put. Set 1 round on a 12- by 16-in. sheet of parchment paper. Beat egg white to blend and brush enough onto dough to coat. Set another round on top; brush again. Repeat, leaving top layer uncoated.
4
Set a 2-in.-wide biscuit cutter or glass in center of dough stack. With a bench knife or regular knife, cut dough through layers into 16 equal portions, working from cutter to edge of circle. Pick up 2 adjacent stacks of strips and twist away from each other about 3 times, evenly spacing twists along length. Pinch ends together. Repeat to make 8 points of the star. Remove biscuit cutter. Transfer parchment with dough to a rimless 14- by 17-in. baking sheet.
5
Preheat oven to 325°. Let dough rise, loosely covered in a warm place, until puffy enough that your little finger inserted at edge of dough leaves a faint impression, 15 to 25 minutes; don’t over-proof, or twists will lose their definition.
6
Brush dough with more egg white. Bake until richly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center reaches 200° to 205°, 25 to 30 minutes. Loosen bread from parchment and slide onto a wire rack. Let cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar; pull apart.
MAKE AHEAD Up to 2 days, wrapped airtight. Wrap loosely with foil and reheat on a baking sheet in a 325° oven about 15 minutes.
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