Sourdough Star Bread
If there's one recipe that always makes people say "wow," it's this cinnamon Sourdough Star Bread. Buttery, soft, and filled with warm cinnamon sugar layers, this bread looks like something straight from a bakery, but it's actually super doable at home.
This sourdough Christmas star bread is especially popular around Christmas holidays in our house. But really, I usually make it all throughout fall and winter because it's just sourdough cinnamon rolls in different shape!
If you've tried my Soft and Fluffy Sourdough Brioche Bread, you'll love this twist on it! It's the base dough use for so many things (rolls and wreaths of all kinds!)
Quick Look
- Prep time: 40mins.
- Rest time: 8-24hrs.
- Cook time: 25-28mins.
- Servings: 8-10.
- Main ingredients: flour, active sourdough starter, milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon
- Cooking method: Baked 🡢 Oven
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Serving ideas: Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert with a warm drink or vanilla glaze drizzle
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Sourdough Star Bread
- Baking Schedule
- 💭Crucial Success Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Sourdough Star Bread
- Other Delicious Recipes
- Sourdough Star Bread
- Other Sourdough Recipes You'll Love
- Same Day Sourdough Brioche Rolls
- Cranberry Orange Sourdough Brioche Rolls
- Cranberry Orange Sourdough Brioche Wreath
Important Ingredients
- Active sourdough starter gives the bread a subtle tang and a naturally fluffy texture.
- Butter for richness and flavor.
- Cinnamon sugar filling creates that sweet, cozy swirl in every bite.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Filling options: Swap cinnamon sugar for Nutella or jam for a different flavor profile.
- Festive additions: Add a bit of orange zest or drizzle a simple vanilla glaze over it once cooled.
- Savory version: You can make a filling with garlic butter and herbs for a savory star bread version!
How to Make Sourdough Star Bread
Step 1: In the mixer bowl, combine milk, starter, egg, sugar, flour, and salt (Image 1). Try to have the milk and egg at room temperature to slightly shorten fermentation and avoid a tangier flavor, which we usually don't want for brioche. It's not necessary, cold ingredients work fine if that's what you have.
Step 2: Mix on low until no dry bits remain. After about 3 minutes of mixing, add the softened butter in a few additions and continue mixing until it's absorbed and the dough looks smooth and cohesive (Image 2).
Step 3: Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (Image 3) where you'll bulk ferment and do your stretch-and-folds. Cover for 30 minutes, then perform 2 sets of stretch-and-folds, 30 minutes apart.
Step 4: Ferment at around 22-23°C (72-73°F) until there's about a 50% rise and the dough feels gassy and aerated, about 6-8 hours, depending on temperature (Image 4).
Optional cold proof (recommended for clean layers): Chill the dough for 4-24 hours. Cold dough rolls cleaner, the layers cut sharper, and the buttered sugar stays put. Brioche doesn't need extra sourness, so one chill stage is perfect.
Step 5: Mix the sugar and cinnamon (Image 5). Keep the butter softened and spreadable.
Step 6: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces (about 192-195 g each).* Shape into quick balls (Image 6).
Precision tip: Weigh the total dough before dividing, then divide that number by four. You'll have some moisture loss during mixing and fermentation, so this gives you the most accurate gram target per piece.
Step 7: Roll the first ball into a 25 cm / 10 in circle. Roll it directly on parchment paper, or transfer it there after rolling, to make assembly easier. It's difficult to move once layered.
Roll all four circles once, then let the gluten relax. After finishing the fourth, return to the first and roll each a second time for thinner (Image 7), smoother circles.
Step 8: Spread with softened butter (Image 8) and sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon sugar (about 30 g / 2 Tbsp).
Roll the second circle, place it on top, and repeat the butter and sugar step. Do the same with the third. Top with the fourth circle without butter or sugar.
Pro tip: Slide the stacked round onto a sheet pan and chill for 10-15 minutes to make cleaner cuts.
Step 9: Press a small dish or cutter (6 cm / 2 in) in the center as a guide, don't cut through.
Cut the circle into 16 equal rays (Image 9), stopping at the imprint. The easiest method: cut into quarters, then eighths, then sixteenths.
Step 10: Pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch or tuck the ends under to seal. Repeat around the circle (Image 10).
Why: A double twist gives a pretty star with defined lines that stay intact in the oven.
Cover and proof for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. The star should look slightly puffy.
Step 11: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Brush with light egg wash for extra shine if desired.
Bake for 25-28 minutes until deep golden brown (Image 11), with an internal temperature of around 93°C / 200°F.
Tip: If browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5-8
Step 12: Cool for 15-20 minutes, then dust with icing sugar (Image 12). Serve warm for the best texture.
Hint: For perfect layers, chill the stacked dough briefly before cutting. It helps keep the star pattern clean.
Baking Schedule
| Step | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mix + folds | 1 hr | Includes two folds |
| Bulk fermentation | 6-8 hrs | Until 50% rise |
| Cold proof | 4-24 hrs | Optional but recommended |
| Shape + final proof | 1 hr | Until slightly puffy |
| Bake | 25-28 mins | Until golden |
💭Crucial Success Tips
- Don't rush the proof! Let the dough rise slowly for that soft, airy crumb.
- Chill before cutting for neat, even layers.
- Use a light hand with the cinnamon sugar, too much can make layers slide.
- Always bake on parchment for easy cleanup.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend to use an active starter to rise quickly. Discard doesn't have equal strength and will result in a more tangy bread, which we usually don't want with sweet breads.
A little stickiness is normal for enriched doughs. Try lightly flouring your hands or chilling the dough for 15-20 minutes before handling. Adding too much flour can make it dry and tough.
It should look slightly puffy and bounce back slowly when poked. If it deflates immediately, it's over-proofed; if it feels dense, give it more time.
How To Store Sourdough Star Bread
Keep your sourdough star bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 2 days. Don't refrigerate, it will dry out.
To freeze, wrap the cooled bread tightly in plastic and place it in a freezer bag. It keeps well for up to 1 month.
Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10 minutes until warm and soft again.
Other Delicious Recipes
- Honey Oat Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
- Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread
- Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- No Tools, no Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread Recipe
If you tried this Sourdough Star Bread or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Star Bread
Ingredients
Dough
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g active sourdough starter
- 200 g milk cool room temp
- 65 g sugar
- 50 g butter room temp
- 1 egg beaten
- 5 g fine salt
Filling
- 60 g butter softened (spreadable)
- 90 g sugar I like half white + half light brown for flavor, but plain white is fine
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar Optional add-ins: a pinch of cardamom
Finish
- 1 tablespoon egg Optional egg wash: beaten egg or 1 teaspoon milk
Instructions
- In the mixer bowl, combine milk, starter, egg, sugar, flour, and salt. Try to have the milk and egg at room temperature to slightly shorten fermentation and avoid a tangier flavor, which we usually don't want for brioche. It's not necessary, cold ingredients work fine if that's what you have. Mix on low until no dry bits remain. After about 3 minutes of mixing, add the softened butter in a few additions and continue mixing until it’s absorbed and the dough looks smooth and cohesive.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl where you'll bulk ferment and do your stretch-and-folds. Cover for 30 minutes, then perform 2 sets of stretch-and-folds, 30 minutes apart.
- Ferment at around 22-23°C (72-73°F) until there's about a 50% rise and the dough feels gassy and aerated, about 6-8 hours, depending on temperature.Optional cold proof (recommended for clean layers): Chill the dough for 4-24 hours. Cold dough rolls cleaner, the layers cut sharper, and the buttered sugar stays put. Brioche doesn't need extra sourness, so one chill stage is perfect.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Keep the butter softened and spreadable.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces (about 192-195 g each). Shape into quick balls.Precision tip: Weigh the total dough before dividing, then divide that number by four. You'll have some moisture loss during mixing and fermentation, so this gives you the most accurate gram target per piece.
- Roll the first ball into a 25 cm / 10 in circle. Roll it directly on parchment paper, or transfer it there after rolling, to make assembly easier. It's difficult to move once layered.Roll all four circles once, then let the gluten relax. After finishing the fourth, return to the first and roll each a second time for thinner, smoother circles.
- Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon sugar (about 30 g / 2 Tbsp). Roll the second circle, place it on top, and repeat the butter and sugar step. Do the same with the third. Top with the fourth circle without butter or sugar.Pro tip: Slide the stacked round onto a sheet pan and chill for 10-15 minutes to make cleaner cuts.
- Press a small dish or cutter (6 cm / 2 in) in the center as a guide, don't cut through. Cut the circle into 16 equal rays, stopping at the imprint. The easiest method: cut into quarters, then eighths, then sixteenths.
- Pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch or tuck the ends under to seal. Repeat around the circle.Why: A double twist gives a pretty star with defined lines that stay intact in the oven.
- Cover and proof for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. The star should look slightly puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Brush with light egg wash for extra shine if desired. Bake for 25-28 minutes until deep golden brown, with an internal temperature of around 93°C / 200°F.Tip: If browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 5-8
- Cool for 15-20 minutes, then dust with icing sugar. Serve warm for the best texture.
Is there a video showing how to do this? The directions start getting a little muddy around step 6.
Hi Sarah!
I’m just working on a video actually! And sorry about the instructions, I tend to stuff in lots of tips and I know (and have been told before) that it can get messy. I’ll try to write them more clearly from Step 6 onward:
6) Make the filling. Stir the sugars with the cinnamon (and cardamom if using). Keep the butter very soft/spreadable.
7) Divide & rest. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces (about 192–195 g each). Shape into quick balls. Rest 5–10 minutes so they roll easier.
8) Roll the circles. Roll the first ball into a 25 cm / 10 in circle on parchment (much easier to move). Repeat with the other balls. Then go back and give each circle a second quick roll so they’re thin and even.
9) Layer. Move the parchment with the first circle onto a sheet pan. Spread a thin layer of softened butter, then sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar. Add the second circle; butter + another 1/3 sugar. Add the third; butter + final 1/3 sugar. Top with the fourth circle plain. Nudge edges to line up.
10) Chill (quick). Slide the pan into the fridge for 10–15 minutes. This makes cutting and twisting much cleaner.
11) Mark the center. Press a 6 cm / 2 in cutter (or small glass) in the middle as a guide—don’t cut through.
12) Cut 16 strips. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut into quarters, then eighths, then sixteenths, stopping at the center mark.
13) Twist & seal. Take two adjacent strips, twist them away from each other twice, then pinch/tuck the ends under to seal. Repeat all the way around to form the star.
14) Proof. Cover and proof 30–45 minutes at room temp until slightly puffy.
15) Bake. Heat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Brush lightly with egg wash if you want shine. Bake 25–28 minutes, until deep golden and about 93°C / 200°F internal. If it’s browning fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 5–8 minutes.
16) Finish. Cool 15–20 minutes, dust with icing sugar, and serve warm.
Does this help? If so, I'll probably update the recipe as well. Please let me know 🙂