Cinnamon Sugar Star Bread (with Cream Cheese Icing)
This cinnamon sugar star bread makes the perfect holiday treat! Whether you are serving it for breakfast, dessert, or a snack this sweet bread is sure to impress, and be a hit with everyone who tries it! Plus we’ve added a quick and simple cream cheese icing for an extra touch of sweetness!
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I’ve been making star bread for years now, it didn’t take much for me to fall in love with the soft dough and sweet filling. And every New Year’s Eve I make my favorite chocolate orange star bread. It wasn’t until a few months ago though, that it dawned on me, that I could make star bread with any filling I wanted! And something about chilly weather, and warm cinnamon sugar just sounded downright delicious.
So needless to say, I have had my next star bread recipe in the works. And I can’t even begin to tell you how good this cinnamon star bread recipe is! Sweet cinnamon sugar baked between layers of soft fluffy dough and topped with cream cheese icing creates a warm, comforting sweet treat that is perfect for the winter months and the holidays!
In some ways, I guess you could say this star bread is my cheat version of making cinnamon rolls. I love making cinnamon rolls, but some days you just want a cinnamon roll without having to go through all the effort of making them.
Sure this recipe requires a bit of time and some hands-on work. But I can easily have this cinnamon-sugar bread on the table in under 3 hours, unlike my favorite homemade cinnamon rolls.
I’m happy to say this cinnamon sugar star bread has been just as big of a hit as my chocolate orange star bread. Not only does this star bread taste exactly like cinnamon rolls, but I’ve added a cream cheese icing that is sure to seal the deal!
It makes the perfect breakfast for the autumn and winter season and especially Christmas morning! And it’s sure not only to be a hit with everyone who tastes it, but it’s also sure to impress with its fun and elegant star-like shape!
Cinnamon sugar star bread(with cream cheese icing)
Equipment
- Danish dough whisk
- Pizza Cutter
- sharp knife
- Rolling Pin
- biscuit cutter or canning jar lid
- You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe, but I’ve personally never used one for this dough.
Ingredients
For the bread
- active dry yeast
- white sugar or cane sugar
- all-purpose flour
- whole milk
- water
- large egg
- softened butter
- sea salt
cinnamon sugar filling
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- softened butter
for the cream cheese icing
- softened butter
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- whole milk
How to make cinnamon sugar star bread
Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.
Place the yeast and sugar in a large bowl, and set aside.
In a small saucepan on low heat, heat the milk and water until they reach 110 degrees F. Gently pour the warm milk mixture into the yeast and sugar and stir gently.
Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, at this point, the yeast should be alive and bubbly.
Add the egg, sea salt, and softened butter and mix roughly before adding the flour.
Start by adding 3 and 1/4 cups flour and mixing with your dough whisk until it comes together in a ball. If the dough is wet or sticky, add more flour a 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together to form a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes or until smooth. The finished dough should be very soft and smooth.
Place the dough in a large bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature or in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, prepare the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon, and stir to combine, add the softened butter. Then using a fork or your hands, mix until the butter is completely incorporated. You should have a dark brown crumbly mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
Once the dough has risen gently punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Roll out the first piece of dough into a 10-inch circle, roughly 1/4-1/2 an inch thick. Place the first layer on your parchment-lined baking sheet and roll out the second piece of dough.
Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough leaving roughly a 1/2-inch gap around the edge of the dough, then gently smooth the sugar out with your hands or the back of a spoon.
Place the second round of dough on top of the cinnamon sugar. Cover the second layer of dough with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, again leaving a 1/2-inch gap around the edge of the dough, and smooth the sugar out.
Roll out the third piece of dough and place it over the second layer of cinnamon sugar. Top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, and gently smooth it out. Finally, roll out the fourth piece of dough, and place it over the third layer of cinnamon sugar, this is your final top layer. At this point, you should have 3 layers of cinnamon sugar and 4 layers of dough.
Using a pizza cutter, carefully cut around the dough, trimming any extra overhang. Do your best to trim the dough into a circle. You can either bake the scraps of dough you cut off or discard them.
With a biscuit cutter or canning jar lid, make a roughly 2-inch big circle in the center of the dough. Push your cutter or jar lid down just hard enough to leave an imprint in the dough. Then using a sharp knife cut around the 2-inch circle, about 3/4 of the way down. You do not want to cut through the bottom of the dough!
Then using a pizza cutter, and starting from the edge of the 2-inch circle on the center of the bread, cut the dough into 16 equal strips.
Using your hands, gently lift 2 of the strips slightly off the baking sheet, and twist them over twice in opposite directions. Set them back down and gently press the ends of the dough together. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough.
See my chocolate orange star bread recipe for video directions on cutting and twisting the bread.
Cover the finished star bread with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake for the star bread 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
While your bread is baking prepare your cream cheese icing. In a mixing bowl combine all of the icing ingredients, then mix using electric beaters, until smooth.
Allow the bread to cool either on the pan or a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes, before drizzling the cream cheese icing over the top.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Any leftover star bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days! Any leftover cream cheese icing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I love to serve this cinnamon sugar star bread with a dish of cream cheese icing on the side!
If your icing isn’t thin enough to drizzle, feel free to add more milk until the icing reaches your desired consistency.
If you like you can top this bread with an egg wash before baking, but personally, I never do.
Twisting star bread might sound a little complicated, but I promise it’s actually a lot easier than it sounds! If you are having trouble with this step of the recipe, be sure to check out the video instructions I posted in my chocolate orange star bread recipe!
Be sure to check out these delicious bread recipes too!
Chocolate orange star bread recipe
Cranberry Orange Bread with fresh cranberries
The Best Homemade Pecan Sticky Buns
Cinnamon Sugar Star Bread(with cream cheese icing)
Equipment
- Danish dough whisk
- Pizza Cutter
- sharp knife
- Rolling Pin
- biscuit cutter or canning jar lid
- You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe, but I’ve personally never used one for this dough.
Ingredients
for the bread
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 1/4-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 tsp sea salt
for the cinnamon sugar filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup softened butter
for the cream cheese icing
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the yeast and sugar in a large bowl, and set aside.
- In a small saucepan on low heat, heat the milk and water until they reach 110 degrees F. Gently pour the warm milk mixture into the yeast and sugar and stir gently.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, at this point, the yeast should be alive and bubbly.
- Add the egg, sea salt, and softened butter and mix roughly before adding the flour.
- Start by adding 3 and 1/4 cups flour and mixing with your dough whisk until it comes together in a ball. If the dough is wet or sticky, add more flour a 1/4 cup at a time until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes or until smooth. The finished dough should be very soft and smooth.
- Place the dough in a large bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature or in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, prepare the cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon, and stir to combine, add the softened butter. Then using a fork or your hands, mix until the butter is completely incorporated. You should have a dark brown crumbly mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
- Once the dough has risen gently punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll out the first piece of dough into a 10-inch circle, roughly 1/4-1/2 an inch thick. Place the first layer on your parchment-lined baking sheet and roll out the second piece of dough.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough leaving roughly a 1/2-inch gap around the edge of the dough, then gently smooth the sugar out with your hands or the back of a spoon.
- Place the second round of dough on top of the cinnamon sugar. Cover the second layer of dough with half of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, again leaving a 1/2-inch gap around the edge of the dough, and smooth the sugar out.
- Roll out the third piece of dough and place it over the second layer of cinnamon sugar. Top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture, and gently smooth it out. Finally, roll out the fourth piece of dough, and place it over the third layer of cinnamon sugar, this is your final top layer. At this point, you should have 3 layers of cinnamon sugar and 4 layers of dough.
- Using a pizza cutter, carefully cut around the dough, trimming any extra overhang. Do your best to trim the dough into a circle. You can either bake the scraps of dough you cut off or discard them.
- With a biscuit cutter or canning jar lid, make a roughly 2-inch big circle in the center of the dough. Push your cutter or jar lid down just hard enough to leave an imprint in the dough. Then using a sharp knife cut around the 2-inch circle, about 3/4 of the way down. You do not want to cut through the bottom of the dough!
- Then using a pizza cutter, and starting from the edge of the 2-inch circle on the center of the bread, cut the dough into 16 equal strips.
- Using your hands, gently lift 2 of the strips slightly off the baking sheet, and twist them over twice in opposite directions. Set them back down and gently press the ends of the dough together. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough.
See my chocolate orange star bread recipe for video directions on cutting and twisting the bread.
- Cover the finished star bread with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake for the star bread 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- While your bread is baking prepare your cream cheese icing. In a mixing bowl combine all of the icing ingredients, then mix using electric beaters, until smooth.
- Allow the bread to cool either on the pan or a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes, before drizzling the cream cheese icing over the top.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
