Print

Lemon Curd Star Bread Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 143 reviews

Lemon Curd Star Bread is a visually stunning and delicious layered bread featuring a soft sour cream dough filled with luscious homemade lemon curd, twisted into a star shape and finished with a zesty lemon glaze. This recipe uses a bread machine for the dough and stovetop cooking for the curd, resulting in a perfect balance of tender bread and bright citrus flavor, ideal for brunches, teatime, or special occasions.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup water (the egg plus the water should weigh 4 ounces, 114 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 29 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) sour cream
  • 3 ½ Tablespoons (1.75 ounces, 50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 ½ cups (17.5 ounces, 496 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons (0.37 ounces, 11 grams) bread machine yeast

Egg wash and toppings

  • Egg wash (1 beaten egg with a splash of water)
  • Pearl sugar, optional for sprinkling on bread

Lemon Curd

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) fresh lemon juice (from 2 ½ to 3 lemons)
  • 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces, 85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Prepare Dough: Add the dough ingredients to your bread machine in the order listed and select the dough cycle. Start the machine. After five minutes of mixing, check the dough’s consistency and add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water or flour if needed to achieve a soft, pliable dough.
  2. Make Lemon Curd: In a non-reactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. Add lemon juice and whisk until combined. Stir in butter pieces. Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture thickens, about 6 minutes, continuing a few minutes more until bubbly. Remove from heat and strain through a wire mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface and refrigerate for at least one hour to chill completely.
  3. Prepare Lemon Glaze: In a small bowl, beat together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Adjust consistency with more lemon juice or sugar as desired. Set aside.
  4. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Invert a large baking sheet and line it with a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  5. Shape Dough Circles: When the dough cycle is finished, remove dough and divide it into 4 balls, about 8 ounces each. On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball into a 12-inch diameter circle. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Center a 10-inch cake pan on the dough and press down slightly to mark a 10-inch circle.
  6. Assemble Layers: Spread one-third of the lemon curd inside the 10-inch circle on the dough. Repeat rolling and layering with two more balls of dough and lemon curd. Roll the last ball into a 12-inch circle and place on top of the third lemon curd layer.
  7. Cut and Twist Dough: Place a small cup in the center of the layered dough. Starting about 1 inch from the cup, make 4 equal slits, then cut each wedge in half, resulting in 8 cuts. Then cut each wedge in half again, totaling 16 cuts. Carefully pick two adjacent strips, twist them twice away from each other, and press to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining strips.
  8. Remove Center and Egg Wash: Remove the cup from the dough’s center. Brush the entire surface with egg wash and sprinkle pearl sugar if desired.
  9. Bake Bread: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Finish and Serve: Remove bread from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the warm bread. Serve warm for the best flavor and texture.

Notes

  • Use low-fat sour cream for the dough if preferred.
  • If preparing dough the evening before, oil a large bowl, cover dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Remove about an hour before use to come to room temperature.
  • To make rolling easier, roll the dough in smaller circles (6-8 inches) letting it rest for 5 minutes between rollings before the final 12-inch circle.
  • Dough circles do not have to be perfectly round because the edges will be trimmed after assembly.
  • No additional rising is needed after assembly. The bread goes directly into the oven, similar to baking a pizza.

Keywords: lemon curd star bread, lemon bread, layered lemon bread, citrus bread, bread machine recipe, lemon glaze bread

Find it online: https://tastemadebyclara.com/lemon-curd-star-bread-recipe/