Lemon Curd Star Bread

5 from 3 votes

Lemon Curd Star Bread – the name says it all. It’s a stunning recipe that is surprisingly easy to make. Lemon Curd Star Bread is sure to impress anyone who is lucky enough to have a piece. This show-stopping star bread features luscious lemon curd nestled between layers of easy to make sweet dough fashioned in the shape of a star.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Dough Cycle1 50

Total Time2 30

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 375kcal

Ingredients

Dough

1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup water (the egg plus the water should weigh 4 ounces, 114 grams)
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 29 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) sour cream (See Tip 1)
3 ½ Tablespoons (1.75 ounces, 50 grams) granulated sugar
3 ½ cups (17.5 ounces, 496 grams) all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons (.37 ounces, 11 grams) bread machine yeast
egg wash
Pearl sugar, optional for sprinkling on bread

Lemon Curd

3 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (3.5-ounces, 100 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ cup (4-ounces, 113 grams) fresh lemon juice (2 ½ to 3 lemons depending on size)
6 Tablespoons (3-ounces, 85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Lemon Glaze

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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. (See Tip 2)

Lemon Curd

Whisk together eggs, sugar, and lemon zest in a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enameled, glass). Add lemon juice; whisk to combine. Add butter pieces.
Place pan over medium heat. Whisk mixture constantly, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Continue whisking constantly for several more minutes, until bubbly.
Remove from heat. Pour lemon curd into wire mesh strainer set over a bowl. Stir with rubber spatula or spoon to force lemon curd through strainer. Discard any bits left behind in strainer.
Press piece of plastic wrap on top of lemon curd; refrigerate at least one hour to cool completely.
Yield: 1-⅓ to 1-½ cups.

Lemon Glaze

Beat confectioners' sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. If necessary, add more lemon juice or confectioners' sugar to achieve desired consistency.

Lemon Curd Star Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F. Invert a large baking sheet; line with silicone mat. 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 12-inches in diameter. Place on silicone lined baking sheet. Center 10-inch cake pan on dough and press down slightly to form a 10-inch circle on the dough. (See Tips 3 and 4)
Spread ⅓ of the lemon curd inside the circle. Repeat with two more balls of dough and remaining lemon curd.
Roll final ball of dough into a 12-inch circle and place on top of third lemon curd layer.
Place a small cup in center of dough. Starting about 1-inch from the edge of the cup, 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 two of the 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 wire rack. Drizzle lemon glaze over warm lemon curd star bread. Serve warm if possible.
Yield: 12 servings.

Notes

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 want to make the snowflake bread to give it a chance to come to room temperature.
The dough tends to be a bit springy with it's being 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