Chutney and Cheese Star Bread
Few years ago, I had these tea time cilantro chutney sandwich at a friend’s house. It’s the simplest and easiest of recipes to make chutney sandwiches. I loved them so much. It literally has three ingredients given the fact chutney is ready. Bread, chutney, and cheese.
Later, I learnt that chutney sandwiches a re a thing in Ahmedabad. I grew up in place called Baroda. We have Bombay sandwich, samosa sandwich but not simple chutney sandwich or I never tried them. Sounds silly!
So, I had this idea of making bread filled with chutney and cheese. First, I was thinking of making a babka shaped. Babka has eggs in it, which I am fine with, but I wanted something eggless and different. So, I had the idea of making star bread. I am glad I tried it. Its looks complicated but its so easy. Also, its quicker than other breads.
I have always loved the star bread but was not sure how difficult it would be or would it be easy. But let me tell you, its super easy and so delicious. Guess the filling also taste like you are eating chutney sandwich in a different form. I was skeptical about the filling too.
Be ready to impress your friends and family!
Step-1 Make the dough and let it rise at least 90 minutes. Once the dough rises, you punch it down to let the air out.
Step-2 Roll out the circles – Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. I even weighed them. But if you do not have a weigh scale. Each ball is rolled out into 10-inch circle. Add the filling in between the layers and stack them. The filling will be in 3 layers and dough would 4 layers.
Step-3 Shape the bread once the bread is layered, cut out the edges with a pizza cutter. To make it even clean circle. Place a 3-inch bowl or glass in the center to make an indent. This will be the center of the bread or star. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut 16 even strips around the circle. This will create 8 designs once you follow the next step. Grab the 2 strips at a time and twist them towards each other. Then press the two ends. This will create 8 points design.
Step–4 Let it rest for 20 minutes and bake for another 25 minutes.
Once the bread is shaped cover it with a plastic wrap or kitchen towel for 20 minutes, pre-heat your oven. When ready to bake, uncover it brush it with milk or egg wash. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and bake it.
Do not give second rise longer than 20 minutes, too much time will puff it up, and the bread will lose its shape while baking.
So, 20 minutes is max time needed for second rise.
For this recipe I chose filling of Cilantro Chutney and cheese. But there are so many more fillings you can do.
Savory- Cream cheese, herbs, olive tapenade, tomato pesto etc.
Sweet – Cinnamon sugar, Nutella, cardamom sugar, apple butter, marzipan etc.
Any filling can go into it if we keep it light. If you over fill it, it will spill while baking and make a mess and spoil the look of the shape.
The dough can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated overnight. Make sure you make the dough, let it rise first time, punch it down and cover it tightly in a bigger container so that the dough can rise. Whenever you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
Chutney and Cheese Star Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup All purpose flour or Bread flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup milk powder
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- ½ cup cilantro chutney
- 3 cubes Amul cheese or ¼ cup any type of cheese
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp Milk or cream for washing on top
Instructions
- Place the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, milk powder and yeast in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can do it by hand too. Give it a light mix.
- Warm milk in microwave until it is warm to touch around 110F. Milk should not be too hot, or else it will kill the yeast. Mix in the butter too in the milk. Let it melt too.
- Now, pour this liquid into the flour mixture. Beat the mixer for 3-4 minutes on slow. Once dough is formed. Lift the dough into ball. Use dry flour if its too sticky. If you are making it by hands, just mix everything and make dough.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in a slight warm place until it rises and doubles in size for 90 minutes.
- Prepare the cilantro chutney if you have not already prepared it. Shred the cheese and leave it aside.
- When the dough has doubled in size after 90 minutes, punch it down to release all the air bubbles. Lightly flour the surface you will be rolling out your dough.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. I weighed each round. But you do not have to do so. Make sure its equal. Roll each dough ball into a round circle that should be 10-inch in circle.
- Form circles from other 3 balls. Place the first circle on a baking sheet. Adjust the shape if you need to do so. Take 1 tbsp of chutney and spread it on the circle. Followed by cheese. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of cheese all over the chutney. Cover the chutney mix with another circle we formed.
- Repeat the process one more time, by spreading the chutney and cheese and covering it with another circle. Total filling will be in 3 layers. The top layer will not have any filling.
- Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut around on the outside of the circle to form even edges and even circle.
- Place a 3- inch round glass or bowl in the center of the circle and make a small indent. Do not cut it. Just a rough small circle. Take the bowl away. This will be called the center of the star.
- Next, cut strip with pizza cutter from the edge towards the circle. Maintain the inner circle. There will be 16 even strips.
- Use both hands and grab two strips next to each and twist them away from each other and then make a point and seal that point. Repeat until you have 8 points.
- Once shaped, cover the bread lightly with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes exactly.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Using a brush, lightly brush the bread once it has proofed after 20 minutes with some milk. This gives it some light color on top once baked. Sprinkle sesame seeds and bake it for 25 minutes or until the top has light brown color to it.
- Remove it form the oven, and let it cool down for 5 minutes. Move it to a cooling rack until it cools down completely, or you can serve it as soon as you like.
- In cold weather it can be stored at room temperature for 1 day. If you want to keep it longer then, store it in a container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Layers: The top layer does not have filling on it, so only top 3 of the 4 shaped circles.
- Do not overfill the bread. Keep the filling light. Also, the filling should not be too watery or liquidly.
- You can have savory filling or sweet filling.
XOXO, Devangi