Hello, friends. It is good to be back here with new ideas for you! I had intended to make all of these projects last month… but, here we are the 1st of December : ) It was oh so nice to be back in the kitchen today baking and creating after a super busy month with the store. I hope these recipes and ideas find you with plenty of time to make some beautiful and yummy homemade gifts for your friends, neighbors, teachers, co-workers and family. Now, onto my latest obsession…
Christmas Star Bread
Oh my goodness! I have been itching to make the for months. I came across it on pinterest from Taste of Home and just had to know how to make it. Isn’t it just beautiful? I am completely stunned by it. Turns out – it is the simplest thing in the world. Not kidding. As in, I’m hoping to do it as a project with Emma’s class soon, so simple. It is just circles of dough, layered with filling (I used cinnamon, but raspberry jam or Nutella are also great), then cut and twisted. OMG I am so excited about this! The step-by-step details are below.
I also put together some more super simple ideas for easy Homemade Hostess Gifts. Aren’t these lovely? I just love how the tea towels add something special to these gifts, and then can be used by the recipient.
More details for making these are at the end of the post.
Now, back to the Christmas Star Bread!
Christmas Star Bread
The original recipe can be found here, Taste Of Home.
makes 2 – 8″ stars
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3/4 cup warm milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour
…
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
…
powdered sugar
Dissolve yeast in the warm water. In another bowl, mix together milk egg, butter, sugar, and salt. Add yeast and water mix, then add flour. Knead in the mixer (or by hand) for 6-8 minutes until smooth dough forms. Place in a greased bowl, covered with damp warm towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled. About 1 hour.
This is the dough after rising an hour. Punch dough down and turn out onto floured surface.
I divided the dough into 2 portions, put 1 half in the fridge to use for another batch, then cut the 2nd half into 4 sections. Was that too confusing? Basically, this recipe makes enough for 2 of the stars. I put 1/2 away to make one later with Emma, and am using the other 1/2 to make one here.
The 4 sections need to be rolled out into circles about 7-8 inches in diameter. I planned to put mine in the 9″ square kraft box, so I made sure it would fit in there. Start by placing the first round on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Each layer gets brushed with melted butter, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
I used a measuring cup to make an impression of a circle in the center, so guide my cuts.
Make 12 slits in the dough all the way around.
Twist each section once, turning two pieces together, so they point in to each other.
See how turning two strips into each other, they create the star?
Repeat again and pinch the points together.
So pretty!
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Look at all of those yummy layers!
This is the large 9″ kraft box, lined with parchment paper.
I mean… so, so cute.
I wrapped mine with ribbon, a holiday tag and a sprig of cedar.
Essentials Used:
Tea Towel (I included this with my gift, bundled underneath the box)
This is super simple and you don’t have to actually make anything – but isn’t it charming?
I got two baguettes (these are from target!!!) and had a jar of my Dad’s Blackberry Jam. To wrap, I used one of my tea towels, cream ribbon, a tag, and a sprig of cedar from our tree outside.
This is an idea that I made for Emma’s teacher for Thanksgiving. Here, I’ve made another version with a more Christmasy look. It contains Pumpkin Bread and Honey Butter. You could totally buy the bread to make life easier.
Happy Hostess Gifting!
Essentials Used :