THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. ~Val, Denver, CO. Hi Valorie, I looked around and wonder if you mean gnocco Fritto, or crescentina, which according to Wikipedia comes from the same general area of Italy as Coppia Ferrarese. I also ended up having to use butter instead of shortening and I’m sure that had an impact. STAR BREAD. Divide dough into 2 parts and form into loaves. I’d appreciate if you’d spread the word about Recipephany and this recipe! If you have any issues or questions, please let me know at recipephany@longlast.com. It will relax and get easier to handle. I remember the smell and the soft inside fluff. However, star bread appears to be an alias. So, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve unlocked one of the secrets of the baking universe – thank you. Specialty Italian bakeries hooked customers on the twisty-shaped loaves, also called “horn bread” or “bolognese bread.” Those bakeries have dwindled to a handful, and star bread always sells out—often before it reaches the shelves. I’m so glad you landed on the recipe, and I really hope it comes through for you. Would you want to try a really easy yeast bread first? If you can make this recipe, or find someone who would try, you might be surprised at how deliciously authentic it tastes. Hand rolling may work, but I haven’t tried. Let me know if you have luck in getting local bakers to make it. Easy . Over the years, I’ve cornered commercial bakers for advice. To support the blog, check out the HBHW eBooks available on Amazon. Wes thinking the pasta roller attachment might do the trick? Cover the dough tightly, then place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Mix the night before baking: Stir ingredients in a medium bowl, then knead briefly to combine. Good for you in getting SAF yeast and making pizza! We dragged out our trusty pasta machine. I wondered if you could help me before I get into this project. While this bread is shaped like Coppia Ferrarese, it produces a loftier loaf more like Springfield’s star bread. If you’re using regular active dry yeast, try using a little more than called for in the recipe. }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-f9gfdiqof")); You can browse through past issues on the Newsletter archive page. People ask Joe Santos all the time for the recipe for the star bread at his Italian Bread Shop in the Forest Park neighborhood, but you could never roll the dough the way he does. Hey Tina, Hope this helps. I have been looking for a good Italian bread recipe and this is it. For decades I’ve sought this holy grail of bread recipes. Lower heat to 425 convection after 10 minutes if it is getting too dark too fast. ), I fudged it. I made two loaves today, and followed the recipe exactly. I visited every deli and bakery in the LA area and nobody knows about this bread out here that I also grew up with in Plymouth Massachusetts. Thanks so much for letting me know how it came out. Sundays, after mass, we would go visit and always came home with star bread and some great Italian cold cuts. They would cut small rounds from the horns and make little sandwiches of thinly sliced Italian cheeses and cold meats for appetizers. Cover loaves with plastic wrap and proof for 70-90 minutes (or a half hour longer if your room is cool). Bob. (function(d, s, id) { It is shaped sort of like a “butterfly” and kind of twisty. e9 = new Object(); Good luck on trying to make it. Bob. I like the bendable ones with curved edges, as they work into the rounded sides of a bowl. Joyce. I remember this bread being sold at a bakery or pizza place around 1000 Main Street close to Memorial Avenue. How did you find this recipe? Yeast was impossible to get, so I got a one pound brick of SAF. It just requires a pasta machine and some heavy-duty kneading (I prefer doing it by hand). All rights reserved. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/christmas-star-twisted-bread e9.size = "728x90,468x60"; If I could get some, I think I would feel 16 again. The starter dough smells wonderful the next day. NOTE: This makes about 50 percent more than you need for this recipe. What makes it so special? Thanks for the links to the gnocch. Tear starter into a few pieces and combine with all other ingredients in a large bowl. My husband Dan grew up in Springfield, and his family celebrated holidays and special occasions with star bread. The texture of the bread is so smooth and velvety. I cobbled together this Coppia Ferrarese-star bread hybrid using primarily the PGI guidelines. Anyway, thank you so much for commenting and please spread the word about Recipephany. Makes 2 loaves, each about 15 ounces before baking, and about 13 1/2 ounces after baking. If you could find this recipe you would make me so very happy. js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/58/711521558.js"; Knead by hand for about 25 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Tiger bread. I followed your recipe and spent the whole weekend practicing in the end I think I made a couple decent loaves. I had recently seen something online or on TV about Detroit-style Pizza, another regional food. If the strips seem really dry when I’m rolling them up, I sometimes just sprinkle a little water on them to keep them from de-laminating. facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefchewy.highcountry.7 6 cups flour2 tbsp. Once you combine the starter (in bits) with the rest of the dough, you’ll find it rises a bit better. It may also be that your dough is too dry. Add the water and stir until blended; you’ll have a … Star bread calls for a 45 percent hydrated sourdough starter. Thanks for sharing this! Adding a little more water might activate more gluten and it might help it rise more. Suggested: Heavy-duty stand mixer; kitchen scale. Be the *star* of your holiday get togethers with this easy star bread recipe! Please spread the word about Recipephany! Good luck, and I hope this works for you! Thank you for sharing your recipe!! Anyone know about this location? YAY! Also, a cake tester should come out clean. Not in any cookbooks. Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over the butter, then top with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, chili flakes, and … Coppia Ferrarese calls for lard, but the last star bread I bought had liquid soybean oil and shortening as ingredients. With manual pasta machines, you knead the pasta dough on a wide setting, then dial narrower settings to get to the thinness you want for the pasta. The pasta machine is the key, not a bread machine. The crust is golden in color a very, very smooth. Happy Holidays to you, too! What started out as an elegantly slim, sculpted bread, evolved into a plump “H”-shaped loaf in Springfield. Cut dough into quarters, and form each quarter roughly into a strip. I don’t know if I’ll make it – I’ve never made bread before. I did another with a bit more water, and even got it sticky (a bad idea for this recipe). I made the usual starter with the little amount of water it calls for plus a little more (it always seems to need a tiny bit more) to bring it together into a pliable dough. But getting the amount of water right is a little tricky. Best, Hey Mike, Italian bakers introduced it to Springfield, Massachusetts, and a few other places in the state about a hundred years ago. Sprinkle in just enough water so that the dough has a smooth surface and gets slightly elastic, although it won’t be as stretchy as other bread doughs. Hi Diane To assemble: Divide the dough into four pieces and shape into balls. Thanks again, I will be making this a lot. Could you please let me know how it goes? This was the Big Breakthrough. I’m still experimenting, so please let me know how it goes and if you’ve got any suggestions. I think the rule of thumb is to add tiny amounts of water just to make the dough come together, then add drops so that the dough gets pliable and doesn’t break. Normally, people are extremely intimidated when using yeast. I was wondering if I could make this and bake it as an “Italian bread” shaped loaf instead of the star. I hope you try it and come away a Star Baker. Lightly rub top with the 1-1/2 teaspoons bread flour. Star bread is getting harder to find. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, salt, yeast and two cups of flour. Refrigerate dough for up to 1-2 days. Happy Holidays. Thank you to Red Star Yeast for partnering with us for this recipe… So now I have to make this…Thanks!!! If you look at images of bakery star bread online, you’ll see some that aren’t very pretty. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. So what choice do I have but to bake it myself? I can buy it at a nearby Italian bakery here in Springfield, MA but I would love to bake my own. And who can resist the shape that offers not two, but four crunchy ends? But in the face of this stonewalling, Dan and I set out to find the secret recipe on our own. Our easy recipe is simple, and makes a great weekend project 1 hr . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnocco_fritto. mixer, combine yeast, sugar and warm water. I’m impressed with your dedication.