Cinnamon Snowflake Bread is the perfect breakfast for Christmas Day. So while sugar plums are dancing in your family's heads, make this fantastic bread for a memorable start to Christmas Day.
While Susan and I were in Paris, we took a Bread-making class where we learned how to make a chocolate-filled Snowflake Bread. The bread was topped with pearl sugar.
Susan and I thought it would be fun to do a variation using cinnamon and sugar filling instead of chocolate and topping it with cinnamon roll icing instead of pearl sugar. The result was fantastic!
Jump to:
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Why This Recipe Works
- Ingredients Overview
- Making the Dough - Use a Bread Machine
- Making the Cinnamon Filling
- How to Assemble the Snowflake Bread
- Cutting and Shaping the Snowflake
- Finishing the Snowflake Bread
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- More Cinnamon-Flavored Bread Where the Bread Machine Does Most of the Work
- Recipe
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Cinnamon Snowflake Bread
- Type: Sweet Yeast Bread
- Method: Bread Machine Dough plus Oven Bake
- Skill Level: Intermediate (shaping is easier than it looks!)
- Best For: Christmas morning, holiday brunch, special occasions
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes - the dough can be prepared the night before and refrigerated
Why This Recipe Works
- Using the bread machine ensures dough with consistent, reliable results
- Soft, enriched dough with sour cream for tenderness
- Layered cinnamon filling in every bite
- Show-stopping presentation without complicated techniques
- Tested, human-verified recipe with clear shaping guidance
Ingredients Overview
Making the Dough - Use a Bread Machine
- Start by adding all the dough ingredients to the bread machine pan in the order listed in the recipe below. Select the dough cycle, and press Start.
- When the dough cycle finishes, remove the dough to a floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, each weighing approximately 8 ounces.
Making the Cinnamon Filling
The cinnamon filling included three simple ingredients: Granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter.
- To make the filling, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Then add the melted butter and mix everything together until well combined.
How to Assemble the Snowflake Bread
- Roll each dough portion into a rough 12-inch circle, allowing the dough to rest as needed if it springs back
- Place the first circle on an inverted, silicone-lined half-sheet baking pan.
- Spread ⅓ of the sugar-and-cinnamon filling evenly over the dough.
- Repeat with two more layers of dough and filling.
- Place the final dough circle on top. Trim the stacked dough into a neat 10-inch circle.
Cutting and Shaping the Snowflake
- Place an inverted 3 ½-inch bowl in the center of the dough. Make four even cuts.
- Then divide each section again until you have 16 wedges in total. Remove the bowl.
- Working in pairs, twist adjacent strips three times away from each other. Then pinch the ends together to seal.
- Repeat until all eight points are formed, creating the classic snowflake shape. Brush the snowflake bread with an egg wash.
- Bake the cinnamon snowflake bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 23 minutes, until golden brown and perfectly cooked.
Finishing the Snowflake Bread
- While the snowflake bread was baking, I made the icing by beating together confectioners' sugar, room temperature unsalted butter, milk, and vanilla extract.
- When the cinnamon snowflake bread is done, remove it from the oven and carefully transfer it to a wire rack. Drizzle the icing over the still-hot bread.
All I can say is, OMG, this Cinnamon Snowflake Bread is impressive. It will make the perfect start to Christmas Day for your family. Yum!
For another fantastic star bread, check out my Lemon Curd Star Bread. It's a winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can half-and-half or heavy cream be substituted for the milk in the glaze?
Feel free to substitute half-and-half or heavy cream for the milk in the glaze.
How springy is the dough for the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread?
This dough tends to be a bit springy when rolled out. Therefore, I'll roll it into about a 6-inch circle and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then I'll roll it into an approximately 8-inch circle and let it rest before the final rolling.
How important is it that the dough circles be perfect?
I assemble the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread first and then trim it. Therefore, the initial dough circles don't need to be perfect.
Can the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread be reheated?
The Cinnamon Snowflake Bread is best served warm, but is also good served cold. However, I like to warm my piece of Cinnamon Snowflake Bread in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
What size bowl is used on the top of the bread before making the cuts?
The best-size bowl has a 3 ½-inch diameter.
Chula's Test Kitchen Tips
- When making any type of bread, including this Cinnamon Snowflake Bread, you should weigh the ingredients. There is a lot of variability in flour quantity depending on how it is measured. Do yourself a favor and purchase a scale. They are inexpensive and are indispensable in achieving consistent results.
- When I use my bread machine, I place the pan on my kitchen scale and add the ingredients by weight as I proceed with the recipe. First, I'll add the egg, then enough liquid to bring the total weight to the egg plus the liquid. The reason is that there is a lot of variability in eggs depending on their size.
- Because the dough tends to be springy, I work on all four pieces sequentially. That is, I roll one piece as far as it will go, then another, and so on. This makes the process much faster.
- Once the dough is assembled, it is not necessary to let it rise much. The reason is that it will rise slightly when baked. Too much of a rise will somewhat destroy the appearance of the snowflake. Generally, once I've done the egg wash, I turn on my oven. When the oven reaches the temperature, I put the bread in.
- When I first started making snowflake bread, I cut the dough too close to the small bowl on top. As a result, the "star" would often be torn. Therefore, when making cuts, leave at least ½ inch between the edge of the bowl and the start of the cut.
- You can do either two twists of the adjacent pieces of dough or three twists. The bread is prettier with three twists.
- One time while making this spectacular bread, I used a 4-inch-diameter bowl before cutting. While it worked, the bread wasn't nearly as pretty as it is with the 3 ½-inch bowl.
- For a variation, try substituting Nutella or lemon curd for the cinnamon/sugar filling.
More Cinnamon-Flavored Bread Where the Bread Machine Does Most of the Work
If you liked this Cinnamon Snowflake bread, you should check out these other amazing recipes:
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Christmas Snowflake Bread
Cinnamon Snowflake Bread is the perfect breakfast for Christmas Day. While sugar plums are dancing in the heads of your family, make this amazing bread for a memorable start of Christmas Day.
Equipment
- Bread Machine
- Rolling Pin
- half-sheet pan
- Silicione liner
- 10-inch round (I use a pan lid) to cut the circle
- 3 ½ inch bowl
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup water (the egg plus the water should weigh 4 ounces, 114 grams) (See Tip 1)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 29 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) sour cream (See Tip 2)
- 3 ½ Tablespoons (1.75 ounces, 50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cups (17.5 ounces, 496 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons (0.37 ounces, 11 grams) bread machine yeast
- egg wash
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
- 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
Dough
- Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine pan in the order listed. Select the dough cycle and start the machine. After five minutes of mixing, check the dough and add 1 to 2 more Tablespoons of water or flour if it is too dry or too wet. (See Tip 3)
Cinnamon Filling
- Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Add melted butter; stir to combine.
Glaze
- Beat confectioners' sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. If necessary, add more milk or confectioners' sugar to achieve desired consistency.
Cinnamon Snowflake Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Invert a large baking sheet; line it with a silicone mat. Set aside.
- When the dough cycle is finished, remove the dough and form it into 4 balls, each roughly 8 ounces. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the balls into a circle roughly 12 inches in diameter. Place on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Center a 10-inch cake pan on the dough and press down slightly to form a 10-inch circle indentation. (See Tips 4 and 5)
- Spread ⅓ of the cinnamon filling inside the circle. Repeat with two more balls of dough and the remaining cinnamon filling.
- Roll the final ball of dough into a 12-inch circle and place it on top of the third cinnamon/sugar layer.
- Place a 3 ½-inch cup in the center of the dough. Starting about 1 inch from the edge of the cup, cut 4 equal slits in the dough. Then cut each wedge in half, yielding 8 cuts. Starting about 1 inch from the cup or cookie cutter, cut each of the 8 wedges in half, resulting in 16 cuts.
- Very carefully, pick two adjacent pieces and twist them twice away from each other. Press to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining 14 wedges.
- Remove the cup from the center. Brush with egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. (See Tip 5)
- Remove bread from oven; transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle glaze over warm cinnamon snowflake star bread. Serve warm if possible.
- Yield: 12 servings.
Video
Tips/Notes
- Use filtered or bottled water. The chlorine in tap water can retard the growth of the yeast.
- I always use low-fat sour cream when making the dough.
- If you make the dough the night before, coat a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The next morning, remove the dough about an hour before you plan to make the snowflake bread, so it has a chance to come to room temperature.
- The dough tends to be a bit springy when rolled out. Therefore, I'll roll it out into about a 6-inch circle and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then, I'll roll it again into about an 8-inch circle and let it rest again before the final rolling.
- Because the dough will be trimmed once the Lemon Curd Star Bread is assembled, the circles don't need to be perfect.
- Once the bread is assembled, there is no need to let it rise. Just go ahead and pop it into the oven, the same way that you would a pizza.
Nutrition
Calories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 136mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 384IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg
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