Rabble and Rise: It's time for snowflake and star breads to shine
{Kivi Leroux Miller and daughter Jianna Miller are co-owners of Rabble & Rise Baking Company. Contributed Photos}
Whether you prefer a sweet breakfast bread or a savory charcuterie bread, the holidays are a great time to let beautiful and delicious breads shine on your holiday table.
"I love making this snowflake cinnamon roll bread and the rosemary star bread at the holidays," says Kivi Miller, co-founder of Rabble & Rise Baking Co. "Both breads are easy to rewarm and they are pull-apart breads that are great for sharing and snacking."
For breakfast, Miller recommends searching for recipes for "cinnamon star bread" although she thinks they often look more like snowflakes when baked. For the savory bread, she recommends the recipe called "Rosemary-Scented Baked Brie Bread" from King Arthur Baking Company. "You can put anything in the center of the star -- it doesn't have to be brie," says Miller.
Not up for baking yourself? You can pre-order both breads for your holiday meals from at RabbleandRise.com.
"Rosemary-Scented Baked Brie Bread" from King Arthur Baking Company
Ingredients
Dough
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (315g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
3/4 cup (170g) water, lukewarm
4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, at room temperature
rounded 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped*
*Substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence, if desired.
Assembly
one 8-ounce wheel Brie cheese or whatever dip or items you wish to include
1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt (egg wash)
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine all of the dough ingredients. Mix on low speed until homogenous, then switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl; it will remain tacky and stick to the bowl in some places.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or container, and let it rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy. Transfer the container to the refrigerator to continue rising for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. When the dough is finished rising, it will have doubled in size and be much firmer and less tacky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it in half (290g per piece). Roll each piece into a 15" log that’s about 1" wide, then use a bench knife or kitchen scissors to cut each log into fifteen 1" pieces. (Each piece should be about 19g; the pieces don't have to be perfectly even, but the more uniform they are, the more beautiful your star will turn out.) Roll into 30 neat balls.
Line a large cookie sheet, a rimless sheet pan, or an upside-down rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment; lightly grease the parchment.
To make a 5-point star, arrange 15 balls in a circle. The balls should touch but don’t need to be tightly packed. Make 5 points, using 3 balls arranged in a triangle for each point, evenly around the circle. (You can also make a 6-point star by arranging 12 balls more loosely in a circle, then using the remaining 18 balls to make the points.)
Cover the baking sheet and allow the dough to rise at warm room temperature for about 1 hour, until puffy. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the center.
Brush the risen dough thoroughly with the egg wash, then repeat a second time. Sprinkle generously with flaky salt.
Bake the bread for 15 to 20 minutes, until deeply golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool.
