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I’m taking a different approach to winter this year. Instead of dreading it, I’m going to celebrate it. And I’ll start by making this gorgeous Snowflake Bread! This spectacular star shaped bread looks tricky but I think you ALL can handle it. It’s basically a pull apart bread but with a major upgrade! Layers of filling are twisted together to create the most stunning and indulgent sweet bread. Snowflake Bread makes a wonderful addition to breakfast or brunch. And it’s also great for gifting too! Who wouldn’t love to receive this masterpiece?!? Plus winter baking helps to keep the house warm. If you need me, I’ll be hanging around the oven…until about March.

Here’s all you’ll need: yeast, warm water, milk, an egg, butter, sugar, salt, flour, jam, and confectioners’ sugar. First dissolve the yeast in warm water until nice and foamy. Slowly sprinkle the yeast across the surface of the water to prevent it from clumping. Set aside.

Next in a large bowl, combine the milk, egg, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar, and salt. Then add in the yeast mixture. Gradually beat in 3 cups of flour (or as much as you can) to form a soft dough. It helps to mix in the flour about a half a cup at a time. Knead in the remaining flour by hand.

Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Gather the dough in a ball and roll it around in the flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Press down and outwards with the heels of your hands until the dough is springy. Fold the dough in half, press down with the heels of your hands to press it flat. Repeat for 6-8 minutes. You’ll know you’re done kneading when the dough is smooth and shiny and holds its shape. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour. The dough will double in size.

Of course if you are lucky enough to have a bread machine on hand, you can add all the ingredients to the pan and mix on the dough cycle to save yourself a couple of steps.

Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and slightly flatten. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a twelve inch circle. Wanna know an easy way to get all of your circles the exact same size? Use a dinner plate as a cutting guide! Sometimes you’ve gotta improvise with what you’ve got.

Voila! A pizza cutter or a knife works best for cutting dough. Repeat with all four portions.

Next place one of your circles on a 14-inch pizza pan lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of your jam all over the dough, leaving about 1/2″ around the edges. I got a little crazy with the jam! You might wanna go a little less than the picture.

Or try some of these Snowflake Bread variations. Swap out the jam for cinnamon and sugar or even Nutella! Oh. My. Yum!!! Repeat this process twice. So you want to add another layer of dough, then another layer of jam (two more times) and then finish with your last layer of dough on top.

Place a 2-1/2″ round cookie cutter (or a small round dish) directly in the center of your dough. Do not press down, we’re just going to use it as a cutting guide. Using a sharp knife (or a pizza cutter), cut 16 evenly spaced cuts from the round cutter to the edge of the dough to form a starburst. I find it easiest to start with 4 cuts, top, bottom, left, and right. Then add another cut in the middle of those four cuts (now you’ll have 8 cuts total). And then one last time, cut in between each of those 8 cuts and you end up with 16 evenly spaced cuts. I’ll do the math, you do the cutting.

Ok hopefully you didn’t get scared off yet and you’re sticking with us! Cause this next part can be a little…tricky-ish. But you can do this! I promise you it’s literally so simple once you get the hang of it. Grab two strips of dough, one in your right hand and one in your left hand. Twist outwards. Twice! Practice makes perfect so don’t give up on this one.

Or think about it this way. Place your index finger on top of the strip and your thumb on the bottom. Now twist your hands outwards so that your thumb is now on top and your index finger is now on the bottom. Repeat the process to form two complete twists. Pinch together the edges of the two strips to seal. Repeat with the remaining strips. Stop overthinking it and just do it! For real, when I tried to picture it in my head it totally kept messing me up. You really just have to go for it on this one. And remember, just like real snowflakes, every Snowflake Bread is beautiful and unique!

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  You’ll really want to keep an eye on it for those last 5 minutes. 

Remove the bread from the baking pan, brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar.

YOU DID IT!!! I’m so proud of your culinary creation! If we’re talking Snowflake Bread, then I’ll take a blizzard any day! We’ve got a whole winter wonderland of snowy treats. Try our Snowman Pancakes or Polar Bear Marshmallows next!

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