Festive Star Bread

Waking up to a beautiful sunny morning with the little one at my heels. With my family thousands of miles away, Thanksgiving hasn't nearly been the same since I've moved to Maui. Although he is such a little joy in my life that it makes it a little easier being away from home.

Winslow is turning into quite the little assistant on these shoots. Before this shot was taken, he was being very patient albeit grumbling in the distance watching on. I turned by back to adjust my lens and his nose found its way right into the scene. I couldn't have planned it better or would have it any other way for this festive loaf of macadamia nuts and cranberries. It makes for a beautiful gift or presentation for any guest (unexpected or otherwise) for this holiday season.

This recipe was adapted from my favorite Vermont Company, King Arthur Flour with a tropical twist.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk

3/4 cup + 2 to 4 tablespoons of lukewarm water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

Filling

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

First, measure the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Next, sift the flour, potato flour, and dry milk through a strainer; this is an important step to prevent lumps in the dough. (If you're using instant mashed potatoes rather than potato flour you can skip this sifting step.)

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise for 60 minutes, until it's nearly doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, cover the balls, and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.

On a lightly greased or floured work surface, roll one piece of dough into a 10" circle. Place the circle on a piece of parchment, brush a thin coat of beaten egg on the surface, then evenly sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar, leaving 1/4" of bare dough around the perimeter.

Roll out a second circle the same size as the first, and place it on top of the filling-covered circle. Repeat the layering process — egg, cinnamon sugar, nuts, cranberries, dough circle — leaving the top circle bare.

Place a 2 1/2" to 3" round cutter in the center of the dough circle as a guide. With a bench knife or sharp knife, cut the circle into 16 equal strips, from the cutter to the edge, through all the layers.

Using two hands, pick up two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice so that the top side is facing up again. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough so that you end up with eight pairs of strips.

Pinch the pairs of strips together to create a star-like shape with eight points. Remove the cutter.

Transfer the star on the parchment to a baking sheet. Cover the star and let it rise until it becomes noticeably puffy, about 45 minutes.

While the star is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Brush the star with a thin coat of the beaten egg. Bake it for 12 to 15 minutes, until it's nicely golden with dark brown cinnamon streaks; the center should register 200°F on a digital thermometer.

Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

Store any leftover bread, well wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.