Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread

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Give your Christmas table a festive touch by making this Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread – a gorgeous & delicious centrepiece.

I love Christmas time and Christmas baking is so much better than Christmas shopping; it’s definitely feeling festive in the Kitchen Shed. In fact, the Kitchen Shed has had a Christmassy feel for a few weeks now as I’ve made a few different chutneys and I’ve just finished my last batch of Homemade Chilli Sauce. Once I’ve sorted a batch of Chocolate Covered Honeycomb and some Chocolate Peppermint Crisps I can add the final touches to my Christmas hampers and things really will be coming together.

The popularity of last year’s Christmas Tree Bread has haunted me for quite a while as to what I should bake for this Christmas. Luckily, my efforts during the summer when I had a crack at a bread sculpture for a baking challenge, came to my rescue. My Flower Bread (nothing like the famous lion sculpture on GBBO this year) was an enjoyable experience and provided me with a springboard for my Cranberry and Marzipan Star Bread. I’ve simplified the Flower Bread shape, using less layers and pieces, and filled the bread with festive flavours – it really is easy to make and looks gorgeous.

I’ve used a sweetened dough, not enriched like a brioche so the bread doesn’t take any longer to prove than a regular loaf – definitely no overnight proving ! The richness of the bake comes from the filling with the Cointreau soaked dried cranberries and orange buttercream.

After a couple of test bakes, I made a few tweaks to arrive at the final recipe. In my first attempt I rolled out a disc of marzipan to use in one of the layers but this resulted in too much marzipan oozed out during baking. I’ve rectified this by using grated marzipan in both layers and adding a touch of flour.

I reckon Cranberry and Marzipan Star Bread will add a festive feel to any Christmas table and will go down a treat with a glass or two of mulled wine. Having said that, a slice of this bread makes for a a perfect Christmas teatime treat with a cup of tea.

Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread

Ingredients

Dough:

• 450 g bread flour
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast (I used Doves Farm)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon Christmas Spice or mixed spice
• 50 g softened butter or sunflower margarine
• 250 ml buttermilk (or half milk and half natural yoghurt)
• 2 tablespoons marmalade chopped

Filling:

• 150 g grated marzipan
• 75 g dried cranberries
• 6 tablespoons Cointreau (or the tipple of your choice) or orange juice

Orange buttercream:

• 90 g softened butter
• 70 g caster sugar
• Grated zest of an orange
• 35 g plain flour

Glaze:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons sieved apricot jam

Optional Decoration:

• Almond flakes, icing sugar and dried orange slices

Preheat oven:

• 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6

Line:

• 1 large baking tray plus one small greased bowl or glass

Make your dough:

• Warm the buttermilk (or milk and yoghurt mixture) for 1 minute in a microwave on full power. The liquid temperature needs to be tepid to warm so as to encourage the yeast to start working – too much heat will kill the yeast. Gently warm liquid in a saucepan if you don’t have a microwave.
• If mixing and kneading your dough by hand:
• Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl, stirring them together until they form a ball.
• Knead by hand for 10 to 12 minutes.
• If mixing and kneading your dough using a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook:
• Add the dough ingredients into your mixer bowl.
• Mix on slow speed number 1 for approximately 1 to 2 minutes then on speed number 2 for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Your dough should be lovely and smooth and elastic.
• Place your dough in a large greased mixing bowl and cover.
• Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one and a half hours or until doubled in size.

While your dough is proving prepare the filling:

• Add the Cointreau or orange juice to your dried cranberries and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds to plump up.
• Cream the softened butter and caster sugar together and add the grated orange zest, mix well.
• Add the flour and mix again.

Assemble your Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread:

• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide into 3 balls, about 280 g each.
• Roll each ball into circles of 21cm diameter.
• Transfer one of the circles to the centre of a lined baking tray.
• Spread half the buttercream mixture onto the dough circle.
• Sprinkle with half of the hydrated cranberries.
• Arrange half the grated marzipan over the cranberries and buttercream.
• Place the second dough circle on top and repeat as before with the remaining buttercream, cranberries and marzipan.
• Place the remaining dough circle on the top and press gently.
• Using a sharp knife, dough cutter or pizza cutter, cut your pile of circles into 6 even triangles but do not go all the way
• to the edge, leaving 2.5 cm (1 inch) uncut. (see photos)
• Carefully fold each triangle/star outwards to reveal a circle in the middle.
• Place your greased bowl or glass in the centre of your star (see photo).
• Cover with a large upturned bowl, greased cling film or use a large greased polythene bag to cover.
• Leave to rise in a warm place for approximately for at least 45 minutes to one hour until doubled in size.
• See my Kitchen Shed Bread Making Tips to check when your dough is ready for the oven.
• Remove the glass or cup from the middle of your bread star.
• Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
• Brush your Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread with the warm sieved apricot jam and place on a cooling rack.
• Optional: Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with almond flakes and fill the centre with dried orange slices.

Pin Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread for later:

I’m linking Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread to Cuddle Fairy ‘s Holiday Foodie Linky for 2016:

I’m entering Cranberry & Marzipan Star Bread into a few food challenges this month:

• The Teatime Treats Challenge  hosted by Karen over at Lavender & Lovage and Janie at The Hedgecombers, hosted this month by Karen .
• Charlotte’s  Food Year Link Up Challenge over at Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen.
• The Bready Steady Go Challenge hosted by Michelle over at Utterly Scrummy and Jen at Jens Food, hosted this month by Jen.

And linking  to:

• Festive Food Fridays at Taming Twins and Kerry Cooks.
• Becky’s Holiday Recipes Linky over at Cuddle Fairy.