Cinnamon Star Bread (2 medium loaves)

Dough:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 to 4 tablespoons lukewarm water (adjust to make a soft, smooth dough)

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry milk powder

3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes (or 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons potato flour)

1 tablespoon instant yeast

Filling:

1 large egg, beaten

7 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided evenly in two bowls

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 eight equal pieces (they should be about 105 grams each). Shape each piece into a ball, cover the balls, and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.

On a lightly greased work surface, roll one piece of dough into a 7- or 8-inch 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 from one bowl, 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, dough circle — and press the edges gently together.  Repeat once more, then add the top circle of dough, leaving it bare.  Continue pressing edges gently together each time a layer is added.

Place a 2-inch round cutter or glass in the center of the dough circle as a guide – do not press it down into the dough. 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. Pinch the pair of strips together at the end into a point.  Repeat with the remaining strips of dough so that you end up with eight pairs of strips, in a star-like shape with eight points. Remove the center cutter.

Repeat the process with the remaining 4 balls of dough and remaining bowl of cinnamon sugar.

Transfer the stars on the parchment to baking sheet(s). Cover the stars and let the rise until noticeably puffy, about 45 minutes.

While the stars are rising, heat the oven to 400°F.

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

Remove the loaves from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 medium-sized loaves.

From King Arthur Flour website