Nutella Star Bread

This star bread is a Christmas morning favorite. It's beautiful star shape makes the holiday just that much more special! It bakes up so soft with layers of sweet nutella. Not to mention it's so fun to shape, and such a great baking project for kids! You're going to love making this one for the holidays 🙂

For more brioche recipes, try Brown Butter Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls, Overnight Cinnamon Star Bread, and Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls.

Why you'll love this nutella star bread

• Soft & Pillowy Brioche: My go-to brioche recipe that's a dream to work with when proofed overnight, and bakes up so soft & pillowy, you'll want to sleep on it!
• Rich Nutella: Who doesn't love nutella?! But if you're one of the few that don't you could also use a 1:1 heavy cream to chocolate ratio ganache. See more details in this recipe on how to make it. 
• Fun to assemble & shape: This star bread is arguably wayyyy more fun to assemble than cinnamon rolls, and is much simpler to do than you think! Get the kids in the kitchen and follow the step by step photos below 🙂

• Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast: If using active dry yeast, combine  with milk and sugar and allow to sit for 15 minutes. If using instant yeast, there is no need to let the yeast sit in the mixture.
• Whole Milk: Use whole milk for optimum flavor, and warm the milk to about 110 degrees F to activate the yeast.
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar will need to be mixed in with the milk and yeast to help activate the yeast. 
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 eggs at room temperature.
• Vanilla Extract: A good quality vanilla paste or extract will give these cinnamon rolls a wonderful flavor!
• All-Purpose Flour: The best way to measure your flour, as well as the rest of the ingredients, is by weight.
• Unsalted Butter: I recommend using a high-quality European-style butter, like Kerrygold.
• Nutella: To make this recipe a bit easier, I went with this store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread. If you'd prefer, you can make a homemade ganache instead. See more details in this recipe on how to make it. 
• Powdered Sugar: Optional, but a generous dusting of powdered sugar makes this star bread even more festive!

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this Nutella star bread recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Activate the yeast. In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk to 110 degrees F and stir in the sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes for the yeast to activate. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step. 

STEP 2: Mix in eggs & vanilla. Mix the eggs and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.

STEP 3: Make the brioche. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add in a few pieces of butter at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 8-12 minutes. To check if the dough is ready, tear off a small piece and carefully spread it out to see if you can see the light through it without it tearing. If it tears, mix for another minute or two and check again.

STEP 4: Proof the dough. Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof overnight in the fridge. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

STEP 5: Divide the two into quarters. Weigh out the dough into 4 equal pieces, then shape into balls. Mine weighed 156g each. Roll out each dough ball into a circle with a diameter of about 8 inches.

STEP 6: Assemble the star bread. Place the first layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spread about two tablespoons of nutella onto the first layer, leaving a small border around the edge. Lay the second piece of dough on top and spread on another two tablespoons of nutella. Repeat with the next layer of dough and nutella. Lastly, lay the fourth layer of dough on top.

STEP 7: Shape the star bread. Take a round cookie cutter or glass of about 1 ½ inches and place in the center of the dough. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters.

STEP 8: Shape the star bread. Cut the dough again into 8ths. 

STEP 9: Shape the star bread. Cut the dough again into 16ths. 

STEP 10: Shape & Bake. Take two pieces and twist them twice away from each other. Press the ends together and use a little bit of water and flour to make them stick. You should end up with eight points. Cover the dough and let rise for 15-20 minutes. Bake the star bread for 20-22 minutes or until evenly golden. Allow the star bread to cool for a few minutes, then dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Proof the dough overnight. I recommend allowing your brioche dough to rise slowly overnight in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the star bread immediately. 
• Use a scale & measuring tape. When dividing the dough into quarters, use a scale to make sure they're equally sized. Mine came out to be 156g each. I also recommend using a measuring tape to ensure each are 8" in diameter. These precise measurements will ensure all of your hard work results in the most beautiful star bread!
• When spreading on the nutella, go with your gut. It's very unusual for me to not give a precise measurement for an ingredient, but in this case it doesn't really matter. So long as you apply an even layer and leave a small border, add as much or as little as you'd like!

Storage Tips

This star bread is best the day it is baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Warm up in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoy!

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x