In today’s post: You can make this show-stopping Christmas star bread with just two ingredients! The beautiful bread looks complicated but the process is quite simple. Follow along with our video instructions to make your own.

I’ve been wanting to learn how to make star bread for a few years. The loaves turn out so beautiful, I thought they would look great on a holiday table. All the recipes I could find involve making your own bread dough, which is something I love to do, but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! Making your own star bread from scratch requires more time than many people have during the busy holiday season. So I decided to see if I could use refrigerated dough to make a gorgeous shaped bread without all the work.

Ingredients

I considered using frozen bread dough for this loaf, which I’m sure would be delicious, but letting the dough thaw and rise takes just as long as making it it from scratch. So I tried a couple of refrigerated doughs (yep – the ones in the tubes!) and settled on Crescent Dough Sheets as the best option. It’s buttery and flakey with a rich taste that goes perfectly with the second ingredient in this two ingredient treat: Nutella!

Honestly, even after I baked this I was skeptical. Sure, it looked gorgeous, but would these two ingredients combine into something people would want to eat? The answer was a resounding yes. Every time one of my kids walked past the star bread another section would disappear. We ate most of the loaf the same afternoon I baked it and polished off the rest at breakfast the next day.

Bread or Pastry?

I’m calling this a Christmas star bread because it’s traditionally made with an enriched bread dough. Using refrigerated Crescent dough sheets instead changes the texture a bit, and the Nutella definitely adds sweetness. So it’s probably more like a pastry than a bread, but it’s the biggest pastry I’ve ever seen so I’m going to keep calling it bread.

How to Make Star Bread Video

This bread looks so fancy, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make. Watch this video to see exactly how to make it. Detailed instructions follow the video, and you’ll find a printable recipe card at the end of the post.

Prep the Crescent Sheets

Open and unroll the first crescent dough sheet on a piece of parchment paper. It will be a long rectangle. Fold it in half to create a square.

You want to *gently* roll this square out until you can cut a 9 inch circle from it. Use a rolling pin to gently roll it a little larger from side to side and top to bottom. After you’ve rolled it a bit, you can *gently* tug on the edges to make it just barely big enough to cut a 9 inch circle. Rolling too hard will flatten all the air out of the dough, making it tough when it cooks. Tugging on it too hard with just tear it. So work with a light hand here. Once it’s large enough, use a 9 inch plate or cake pan as a template to cut the dough into a circle.

Layer the dough and Nutella

Repeat the above process two more times so you have three circles of crescent dough. Measure the Nutella into a bowl and microwave it 7-8 seconds, just to loosen it up. Do not microwave longer than that; if it’s warm the loaf will be harder to shape. Stir the nutella well, then spread half of it on the first dough circle.

Place another circle of dough over the first. Spread the remaining nutella on it and top with the final circle of dough.

Cut + Shape Dough

Press a small cup into the center of dough to make an impression. Use a sharp knife to cut from that impression to the outside of the dough. Cut dough into fourths, as shown.

Layers of crescent dough and nutella cut into fourths.

Cut each quarter into half, then into quarters, until you have sixteen equal wedges.

Layers of crescent dough and nutella cut into twelve pieces. — Lift two adjacent pieces and twist them TWICE away from each other, then pinch the ends together:

Two pieces lifted and twisted twice outward, edges pinched together.

Move to the next two wedges and repeat. Lift the pieces, twist them away from each other twice, and pinch the edges together. Continue until you’ve gone all the way around the circle.

Bake

Slice the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 24 minutes until top is golden brown. Don’t take it out when the top is still pale or it may not be cooked all the way through. Cool 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Best the Same Day

Like many baked goods, the texture of this star bread is best the same day it’s baked. If you have leftovers, store them at room temperature in an airtight container. (We thought the leftovers were still delicious the next day even though the texture was slightly less soft.)

Let’s Make