This delicious Sourdough Chocolate Christmas Star Bread has THE best flavor I have ever put in my mouth. The dough is a brioche-style sourdough bread with layers of Nutella. It is the perfect dessert bread for the holidays or any season!
If you make this for your guests this Christmas, they will surely be impressed. When I pulled mine out of the oven, my daughter's husband couldn't stop oohing and aahing over how beautiful it was. I even impressed myself! Hey — sometimes I forget I can cook and bake like a professional. Just kidding! Let's get into this bread, shall we?
It's a tear-and-share kind of bread perfect for Christmas morning. Imagine having a piece of this with a hot cup of coffee while watching the kiddos open their Christmas presents. It's pure perfection if you ask me.
It takes no time to make this chocolate star bread so let me show you how.
How to Make Chocolate Star Bread
Here is the list of ingredients you will need —
- warm milk
- sugar
- active dry yeast
- sourdough discard
- bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- room temperature butter or melted butter either one here works fine
- salt
- Nutella
- egg wash
Add the sugar and yeast to the warm milk and let it bloom for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the yeast mixture, sourdough discard, flour, softened butter, salt, and 2 eggs. Mix this on low speed first and then onto medium speed until a smooth dough has formed and it has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. It may take about 6 to 7 minutes to get the dough nice and pliable.
Set the bowl aside and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Once it has doubled, time to shape the bread. Rise times will vary depending on how cold or warm your house is.
Shaping the Bread
On your work surface, add a piece of parchment paper.
Divide the bread dough into 4 equal pieces. There will not be any leftover excess dough with this recipe.
Use a rolling pin to roll out each piece into a 10-inch circle. Place the first circle onto a piece of parchment paper and spread on 1/3 of the Nutella. Place the next disc on and spread another 1/3 of the Nutella on top of that. Add the third layer and add the final amount of Nutella. Top the bread with the 4th circle.
Use the rolling pin to roll the layers of dough a little to make sure that everything is even and you have a perfect circle. Now, place a cup or small jar in the center of the circle and use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 16 equal strips. You could even use a cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter for the center. It's more of just a marking guide.
Take two strips of dough at a time and twist the pieces of dough outwards and away from you so it spirals around. Join the pieces at the bottom to create a star point.
Repeat this step until you make it around the dough.
Invert a baking tray or use a pizza tray and transfer the sweet yeast dough with the parchment paper to the tray. If you add it to the baking tray right side up with the lip, it might cause the dough to form weirdly.
Let the dough proof for about 15 to 20 minutes before coating in the egg wash. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Bake the chocolate sourdough Christmas star bread until it is golden brown. Serve as is or lightly dust with powdered sugar or make icing to drizzle a little bit across the top.
What Does This Taste Like?
I was so impressed with the flavor of this Sourdogh Chocolate Star Bread. The Nutella adds some great flavor. The sour of the bread and the chocolate pair nicely together.
This is great served warm but is just as delicious the next day. I already have friends and family ordering this bread for Christmas morning through my home bakery business.
As I stated above, it is the perfect dessert bread this holiday season. If you are looking for something fun and festive to share at your holiday parties, then I suggest you make one of these! It may look complicated, but honestly, it comes together quickly and easily.
Store the leftover bread in an airtight container or a ziplock bag. I just separated mine and it stored fine. If you want to keep it together, store it on a pizza pan wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Looking for more sourdough recipes? Check these out
Sourdough Chocolate Christmas Star Bread
Gorgeous sourdough brioche bread stuffed with Nutella and shaped into a Christmas star. Perfect for sharing with friends and family on Christmas.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups of flour
- 2/3 cup of sourdough discard
- 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 1 cup of warm milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick of butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of Nutella
- Egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tablespoon of water)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the sugar, yeast, and water. Allow it to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Add the sourdough starter, flour, butter, salt, and eggs to the bowl and mix well until you have a nice smooth dough. This may take about 6 minutes or so.
- Once the dough is smooth and is pulling away from the side of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into 4 equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it into a 10" circle.
- Grab a piece of parchment paper and lay the first piece of dough down. Spread on 1/3 of the Nutella.
- Now add the next layer of dough and repeat the process.
- Top with the 3rd layer of dough and spread the final bit of Nutella on that layer.
- Add the final layer of dough and use the rolling pin to push the layers together.
- Add a small cup or jar to the center of the dough and use a sharp knife to cut 16 equal strips around the dough.
- Take two pieces of dough and twist them outward away from each other. Join them at the bottom to create a star point. Do it around the dough until all the pieces have been joined.
- Let the dough proof for about 15 minutes.
- Brush with the egg wash and bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve as is or sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with icing.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 288mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 9g