While we were in Paris, Susan and I took a Bread class where we learned how to make a Nutella Snowflake Bread. Susan and I thought that it would be fun to do a variation using a cinnamon and sugar filling instead of Nutella, and toping it with a whole lot of cream cheese icing instead of pearl sugar. The result was amazing!
Ingredients for Dough and Filling
The ingredients included water, egg, salt, butter, sour cream, sugar, all-purpose flour and yeast.
We used the following ingredients for the cinnamon/sugar filling: Granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and unsalted butter.
Making the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread
Making the Cinnamon Snowflake BreadAs we generally do, we used my little bread machine to do most of the work. Start by adding all of the dough ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed, and setting the bread machine to the dough cycle. When the dough cycle had finished, we removed the dough to a floured surface, and divided it into four pieces. Each of the pieces weighed roughly 8 ounces.
Before rolling out the dough, we made the cinnamon/sugar filling by adding melted butter to the granulated sugar ground cinnamon.
I rolled one of the balls of dough into a rough circle, approximately ⅛-inch thick.
Then, using an 8-inch cheesecake pan, I trimmed the dough to 8-inches.
I placed the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a wooden butter knife, I spread the circle of dough with 1/3 of the cinnamon/sugar filling.
I repeated this process two more times. To finish things off, I put an 8-inch piece of dough on top of the three layers.
I placed a small cookie cutter in the center of the top dough layer and made 4 equal cuts starting at the edge of the cookie cutter. I then cut each of the four pieces in half, again starting at the edge of the cookie cutter. Ending up with a total of eight wedge shaped cuts.
I removed the cookie cutter, and cut each of the eight pieces in half, starting the cut about an inch from where the cookie cutter was. Ending up with a total of sixteen cuts.
To turn the dough into a snowflake, I carefully picked one of two pieces of dough up and twisted it twice, towards the other piece. Then I took the other piece of dough and twisted it twice, towards the piece that had just been twisted. I repeated this with the remaining seven pairs of dough. Voila, Cinnamon Snowflake Bread.
I covered the bread with a cloth dish towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes, until it was doubled in size. Unfortunately, the inner “star” disappeared in that rise. I think that it was because of the way that I had cut the dough. Anyway, I brushed the bread with an egg wash, and put it into a 350° F oven for 20 minutes.
While the bread was cooking, we made the icing, which consisted of room temperature cream cheese, room temperature unsalted butter, vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar.
Finishing the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread
Finishing the Cinnamon Snowflake BreadAfter 20 minutes, the Cinnamon Snowflake Bread was a golden brown. We carefully transferred it from the parchment paper onto a cooling rack.
While it was still warm, Susan worked her magic, piping the icing onto the bread.
All I can say is OMG, is this good! Yum!
If you liked this then you should check out my Braided Cinnamon Bread Wreath.
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Ingredients
Dough
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup water the egg plus the water should weigh 4 ounces, 114 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 29 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) sour cream
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons (1.75 ounces, 50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups (17.5 ounces, 496 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (.37 ounces, 11 grams) bread machine yeast
Filling
- 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces, 99 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 5 Tablespoons (2.5 ounces, 71 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Icing
- 4 ounces (114 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 58 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
- Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough cycle, and start the machine. Check the dough after five minutes of mixing, and add 1 to 2 more Tablespoons of water or flour if the dough is too dry or wet.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- When the dough cycle is finished, remove the dough and form into 4 balls, roughly 8 ounces each. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the balls into a circle roughly 1/8-inch thick. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Center an 8-inch cake pan on dough, and press down to begin cutting. With a small paring knife, cut around the cake pan to remove excess dough.
Filling
- Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 5 Tablespoons melted butter until combined. Set aside.
- Spread cinnamon/sugar filling with small knife. Repeat with two more balls of dough. Roll final ball of dough into a circle roughly 1/8-inch thick and place on top of third cinnamon/sugar layer.
- Place a small cup or cookie cutter in center of dough. Starting at the edge of the cup or cookie cutter, cut 4 equal slits in the dough. Then cut each of the wedges in half, resulting in 8 cuts. Starting about 1-inch from the cup or cookie cutter, cut each of the 8 wedges in half, resulting in 16 cuts.
- Being very careful, pick up one of two pieces, twist twice toward other piece. Pick up second piece, and twist twice towards first piece. Repeat with the remaining 14 wedges.
- Remove the cup or cookie cutter from the center. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise until double in bulk, about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Brush surface of bread with egg wash; bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Icing
- While bread is baking, make cream cheese icing by beating the cream cheese and butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar; beat on low until ingredients are well combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
- Remove bread from oven; transfer to wire rack. Pipe or spread cream cheese icing on bread.
- Yield: 1 Cinnamon Snowflake Bread.