Super fun and cute Star Bread made from a simple no-knead bread recipe. This dough is made from pantry staples including plain flour, salt, olive oil, warm water and dried yeast.
I first made this Star Bread to celebrate the inaugural Matariki holiday in 2022. In New Zealand, where I live, this is a time of celebration for Maori. Matariki is the name given to the Pleiades star cluster which rises at the end of June or start of July each year. For many Maori, this time marks the start of the Maori lunar New Year.
What better way to celebrate Matariki than by making your favourite seasonal soup, alongside some star bread to dip into it? Chicken Noodle Soup is a favourite with my family, as is Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup.
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Ingredient notes:
- Flour: This recipe calls for plain white flour. I would not recommend swapping this for gluten free flour.
- Active yeast: If you make bread infrequently and already have dried yeast in the cupboard, be sure to check the expiry date! Nothing worse that going to all that effort and the bread doesn't rise.
- Olive oil: I would recommend a plain olive oil over extra virgin for this recipe. Regular olive oil has a more subtle taste to it.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Add flour, salt and dried yeast to a large bowl and whisk it together. Pour in the warm water and olive oil then mix it all together to combine. Scrape any extra dough off the sides. Cover with a beeswax wrap, tea towel or cling film. Leave on the bench overnight or 6-24 hours.
When you are ready to bake your bread, preheat the oven to 220°C fan bake and line 2 large trays with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 9 equal portions.
One by one, roll each portion into a ball, and then use a rolling pin to roll it out flat into a circle approximately 1 cm thick. Use a tablespoon measure to imprint a circle in the centre, then make an equal number of cuts around the outside. 16 cuts will give you an 8 pointed star, 12 cuts will give you a 6 pointed star etc.
Take two strips of bread and twist them away from each other in opposite directions, then pinch the ends together to form one of the points. Repeat for the remaining strips until you have a star shape. Repeat this with all nine of the dough balls until you have 9 stars.
Place the stars on the lined baking trays. Brush with a little milk then sprinkle over optional rock salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.
For another fun bread recipe, why not give my Homemade Pretzels a go?
Recipe FAQs:
Of course. I do try to make all my stars the same size so that they bake evenly. But you can have a play with shape and scale if you like!
This recipe wouldn't work by simply swapping the regular flour for gluten free flour. However, if you have a good gluten free bread recipe that isn't too sticky, you could shape that into stars.
Absolutely any time that you like! I really enjoyed making them for the Matariki holiday last year. We were with family for the holiday and everyone had a go at making their own stars. They all looked different which made them unique and special.
Storage:
Fresh bread is best eaten on the day it is made. Leftovers can be store in an airtight container in the pantry for another day.
This bread can also be frozen. Simply allow the cooked bread to cool to room temperature then place in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to three months. The key is to freeze is as soon as it cools to keep it as fresh as possible.
Top tips:
If you're making these with children (which I recommend - they really love this activity!), you can use a template to help make the cuts. I made this one out of an ice cream container lid. I cut a large circle out then drew a smaller circle in the middle. From there I dusted of my protractor from primary school to make 12 even lines, every 30°. I cut the lines out with scissors. Once you have rolled out your circle of dough, you can press the template down to create an imprint. When you lift it off, it will be much easier to see where to cut. Not a necessary step but a helpful one!
This bread is perfect for dipping into soup - another great recipe to make during Matariki or on the cooler months. The points of the star can act like a pull-apart loaf.
For another great homemade bread recipe, you could also try my Homemade Bagels.
Related Recipes:
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Star Bread
Star bread made from an easy no-knead dough made from plain flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and warm water.
Ingredients
- 5 cups of plain white flour, 750g
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp active dried yeast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 ½ cups of warm water
- Rock salt
- 2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Dough: Add flour, salt and dried yeast to a large bowl and whisk it together. Pour in the warm water and olive oil then mix it all together to combine.
- Scrape any extra dough off the sides. Cover with a beeswax wrap, tea towel or cling film. Leave on the bench overnight or 6-24 hours.
- When you are ready to bake your bread, preheat the oven to 220°C fan bake and line 2 large trays with baking paper.
- Stars: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 9 equal portions.
- One by one, roll each portion into a ball, and then use a rolling pin to roll it out flat into a circle approximately 1 cm thick.
- Use a tablespoon measure to imprint a circle in the centre, then make an equal number of cuts around the outside. 16 cuts will give you an 8 pointed star, 12 cuts will give you a 6 pointed star etc.
- Take two strips of bread and twist them away from each other in opposite directions, then pinch the ends together to form one of the points. Repeat for the remaining strips until you have a star shape. Repeat this with all nine of the dough balls until you have 9 stars.
- Place the stars on the lined baking trays. Brush with a little milk then sprinkle over optional rock salt, sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Notes
- If your dough is quite sticky, transfer the cut circle to the lined tray, then twist the strips into the stars points.
- Use plenty of flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 334Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 458mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 9g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
jo henderson says
I would love to know if you can freeze the stars (dough) before cooking?
VJ cooks says
I haven't tried it myself but I think it would work. I would freeze them on the trays, then place them in a container or bag once their shape has been frozen. Thaw on lined trays, brush with a little milk then bake.