Snowflake Bread
Snowflake bread is so impressive to serve at your big holiday breakfast or brunch! Similar to a cinnamon roll, it’s made with a soft, fluffy dough layered with cinnamon sugar and shaped into a festive snowflake shape. Top with a sweet glaze if desired!
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Components Used: Enriched Sweet Dough Master Recipe, Basic Powdered Sugar Glaze
I’ve been making this holiday bread since 2018! Originally I called it Star Bread but over time it’s evolved into more of a snowflake shape. It’s perfect all winter long including the ultimate holiday feast, Christmas. I recommend making the dough the night before and then serving fresh the next day for your big holiday breakfast or brunch.
The flavor of this bread is very similar to a cinnamon roll. It’s a soft, fluffy dough layered with warm cinnamon sugar. While technically optional, I like to drizzle it with a sweet glaze.
Why you should make snowflake bread this holiday season
- Snowflake bread is so impressive! Invite all of your family and friends to admire your beautiful work of art.
- The components of this dough are actually quite simple to make. Make a basic enriched dough layered with an easy cinnamon sugar filling.
- This tutorial includes step-by-step instructions and photos making it easy to shape the snowflake.
- Not only is it beautiful to look at but this sweet bread is delicious! The texture of soft, pillowy dough is combined with the warm flavor of cinnamon spice.
Flavor Variations
The flavor of this bread comes mostly from the filling. The filling consists of melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar giving it a classic cinnamon roll flavor. To mix it up, here are some variations you can try.
Orange Cranberry: Skip the cinnamon sugar filling and add a slather of cranberry jam in between the layers of dough. Frost the rolls with a glaze flavored with orange zest and juice.
Chocolate Hazelnut: Skip the cinnamon sugar filling and add a chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella) in between the layers of dough. Frost the rolls with a neutral flavored powdered sugar glaze or cream cheese frosting.
How to make snowflake bread
This snowflake bread is made with the same dough and filling as my classic cinnamon rolls but it’s the shaping of the dough that makes it unique.
Sweet rolls, like snowflake bread and cinnamon rolls, are made with an enriched dough. This master recipe for enriched dough is used to make not only sweet rolls but also soft dinner rolls, donuts, loaf breads, and more.
Make the dough
Warm the milk to about 110-115°F/43-46°C. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar to the warmed milk and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until you see some bubbles and foaming.
This step is called “proofing the yeast”. It’s optional but it’s a good way to test your yeast to make sure that it’s active before using. If you do not see any bubbles or activity then either your yeast is dead or your milk is too hot.
Add all of the dough ingredients into a large mixing bowl including the milk/yeast mixture. The order in which everything is combined doesn’t make a difference. Just weigh everything in the bowl and mix with a spoon, your hands, or in a stand mixer until everything starts to come together.
The dough can then be kneaded by hand or in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Knead for 8-10 minutes by hand or 6-8 minutes with a mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Add more flour as needed while kneading the dough. When the dough is finished being kneaded it will still be slightly sticky to the touch, but should feel smooth and elastic and stand tall when rounded into a ball.
Move the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, a damp cloth, or a shower cap (my preference) to bulk ferment until doubled in size: about 1 hour for instant yeast and 2 hours for active dry yeast.
Make the filling
In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. In another bowl, melt the butter for the filling and set aside.
Shape the dough
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. You can do this roughly by eyeballing it, or use a scale to divide it accurately.
Roll each piece of dough out into a circle about 8-9 inches (20-22 cm) wide. Rotate the dough as you roll to keep it in a circle shape. Try to make the circles roughly even in size, however it does not need to be perfect. You can use your fingers to press out the edges of the dough to round off the edges if needed. Place one piece of rolled out dough onto a piece of parchment paper.
Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Spread a third of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of the butter. Place a second piece of dough over the top of the first.
Repeat the process by brushing on the melted butter and sprinkling the cinnamon/sugar mixture over this piece of dough. Place a third piece of dough on top and repeat. Top with the last piece of dough but do not add any butter or cinnamon sugar (you shouldn’t have any left).
Place a small round cookie cutter or piping tip, about 1-1 ½ inches (2.5-3 cm) wide into the center of the dough. Do not cut through it, simply place it on top. You can also simply mark off the width into the center of the dough.
Using a bench knife or sharp knife, cut the rest of the dough into 16 strips. I like to start by cutting it into quarters and then each quarter into 4 equal strips.
Take two pieces of cut dough and twist them away from each other going around about 3-4 times. Pinch the ends together to seal. Continue this all the way around the circle until you have 8 points of the snowflake.
Place a piece of loose plastic wrap over the top of the dough and let proof about 45 minutes if using instant yeast and about 75 minutes if using active dry yeast.
Bake & Glaze
After proofing, brush the snowflake gently with an egg wash and coarse sugar. I love using these sparkly white sugar crystals. You may need to press together the points of the snowflake again if they have come undone.
Bake on 350°F/ 175°C for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm as is or add a glaze.
Make a basic powdered sugar glaze or cream cheese frosting and drizzle over the top of the slightly cooled bread. Slice into wedges or gently pull off the points of the snowflake to serve.
Prep & Storage
How to Prep Ahead: This snowflake bread can easily be prepped ahead of time! After shaping, wrap the baking sheet in plastic wrap. Store in your refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake.
How to store in the freezer: Freeze the unbaked shaped snowflake for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, move the pan to your refrigerator and let thaw overnight. About 2 hours before baking, take it out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature and rise. You can place the pan next to a heating oven to speed up the process. When the dough is doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and bake.
How to store in the refrigerator and make overnight snowflake bread: Refrigerate for up to 16 hours. If it sits in the fridge for too long, the filling will start to liquify and leak out.
About 2 hours before baking, take it out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature and rise. You can place the pan next to a heating oven to speed up the process. When the snowflake is doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and bake.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like to try these other delicious holiday bread recipes.
Snowflake Bread
Snowflake bread is so impressive to serve at your holiday brunch. Similar to a cinnamon roll, it's made with a soft, fluffy dough layered with cinnamon sugar. Top with a sweet glaze if desired!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 113 grams (½ cup, 120 milliliters) whole milk (lower fat or non-dairy can be substituted)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 25 grams (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 240-300 grams (2-2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 42 grams (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
For the Filling
- 66 grams (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 42 grams (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
For the Glaze *optional
- 60 grams (½ cup) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Make the dough
- Warm the milk (113 grams/ ½ cup) to about 110-115°F/43-46°C. In a large mixing bowl add the warm milk, yeast (1 ¼ teaspoons), and a large pinch of granulated sugar. Stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until you see some bubbles and foaming.
- Add the smaller amount of all-purpose flour (240 grams/ 2 cups), the rest of the granulated sugar (25 grams/ 2 tablespoons), salt (¾ teaspoon), unsalted butter (42 grams/ 3 tablespoons), and egg (1 large) to the mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix together until a sticky dough forms.
- If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Dust flour over the top of the dough and knead the dough by hand for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If kneading with a stand mixer, fit the mixer with a dough hook and knead at medium speed for 6-8 minutes. Add more flour, up to a ½ additional cup (60 grams), as needed while kneading the dough. When the dough is finished being kneaded it will still be slightly sticky to the touch, but feels smooth and elastic and should stand tall when rounded into a ball.
- Move the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, a damp cloth, or a shower cap (my preference) to bulk ferment until doubled in size, about 1 hour for instant yeast and 2 hours for active dry yeast.
Make the filling
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the granulated sugar (66 grams/ ⅓ cup) and cinnamon (1 tablespoon).
- In another bowl, melt the butter (56 grams/ 4 tablespoons) and set aside.
Shape the dough
- Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. You can do this roughly by eyeballing it, or use a scale to divide it accurately.
- Roll each piece of dough out into a circle about 8-9 inches (20-22 cm) wide. Rotate the dough as you roll to keep it in a circle shape. Try to make the circles roughly even in size, however it does not need to be perfect.
- Place one piece of rolled out dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Spread a third of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of the butter. Place a second piece of dough over the top of the first. Repeat the process by brushing on the melted butter and sprinkling the cinnamon/sugar mixture over this piece of dough. Place a third piece of dough on top and repeat. Top with the last piece of dough but do not add any butter or cinnamon sugar (you shouldn't have any left).
- Place a small round cookie cutter (or something in a similar size), about 1-1 ½ inches (2.5-3 cm) wide into the center of the dough. Do not cut through it, simply place it on top. You can also simply mark off the width into the center of the dough. Using a bench knife or sharp knife, cut the rest of the dough into 16 strips. I like to start by cutting it into quarters and then each quarter into 4 equal strips. See the photos in this post for more thorough detail.
- Take two pieces of cut dough and twist them away from each other going around about 3-4 times. Pinch the ends together to seal. Continue this all the way around the circle until you have 8 points of the snowflake.
- Place a piece of loose plastic wrap over the top of the dough and let proof about 45 minutes if using instant yeast and about 75 minutes if using active dry yeast.
- Position an oven rack to the center position. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Bake
- If desired, brush the dough with an egg wash and a sprinkle of coarse sugar.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Meanwhile, make the glaze.
Glaze
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar (60 grams/ ½ cup), vanilla extract (½ teaspoon), and smaller amount of milk listed (1 tablespoon).
- If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add another splash of milk. If it becomes too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the slightly cooled bread. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature.
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One Comment on “Snowflake Bread”
Ooooh, I just made this today and other than me slightly over baking it for a minute or two, it’s perfect! Thank you for the recipe.