Cheese star bread

Stjernebrød med ost – Fyldt med hvidløgsost og to slags revet ost

Recipe for the most beautiful star bread filled with cheese.

Serves 6-8.

Course Bread, Side dish, Snack

Cuisine Danish

Nøgleord Christmas baking, Christmas recipes

Total Time 2 30

Servings people

Calories 427kcal

Ingredients

25 g fresh yeast
200 ml lukewarm milk
1 tbsp honey or sugar
1 egg
440 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
75 g softened butter

Filling and topping

150 g garlic cream cheese
80 g mature havarti, finely grated
50 g gouda, finely grated
Beaten egg, for brushing
Sesame seeds and poppy seeds

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast in the milk, then add the honey and the egg.
Mix the flour and salt, add it a little at a time, and knead the dough in a stand mixer until all the flour has been worked into the dough.
Then add the butter, cut into cubes, and knead the dough thoroughly until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. This takes 5-8 minutes depending on the strength of your mixer.
Grease your hands with a little oil or dampen them with a little water, shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with cling film and a tea towel, and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Gently press each ball flat, then roll them out on a lightly floured surface into circles about 30 cm in diameter.
Spread 3 of the circles with cream cheese - leave the last one plain.
Place one of the cream cheese circles on a sheet of baking parchment and scatter half of the havarti over it. Place the next cream cheese circle on top and sprinkle it with the gouda. Now place the last cream cheese circle on top and sprinkle it with the remaining havarti. All the cream cheese circles should be placed cream cheese side up. Finish with the plain circle and press the circles gently together.
*I only move the circle to a baking tray once it has been cut and is ready to be shaped into a star - I simply slide the baking parchment onto the tray with a pizza peel. If that sounds like a hassle, you can assemble it on the baking tray from the start - on baking parchment, of course.
Place a plate about 28 cm in diameter on top of the dough and trim away the excess dough, so you have a neat round circle.
The dough trimmings can be twisted into 2-3 little swirls.
Set a glass about 6-7 cm in diameter in the centre of the circle, and cut the dough into 16 equal strips – working outwards from the glass.
The easiest way is to first cut the dough into 4 equal sections, divide each of these in 2, and then divide those in 2 again. Then remove the glass.
Slide the baking parchment with the dough onto a baking tray - if you haven't already assembled the dough on it.
Now lift 2 "strips", one in each hand, and twist them 3 times – away from each other. Pinch the two ends firmly together through all the layers so they seal tightly at the tip. Continue all the way round until the bread looks like a star.
See the video above the recipe if you need to.
Lay a lightly damp tea towel over the top and leave the bread to prove for about 30 minutes.
Brush the star bread with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame and poppy seeds.
Bake the star bread in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 200°C for about 16-18 minutes.
Let it cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition