Christmas and Hanukkah are both less than a week away and most of us are immersed in Holiday baking, meal planning, and perhaps if you’re like me, some last-minute gift shopping.
If you are looking for something festive to make for breakfast or brunch this Holiday season, this show-stopping Snowflake Bread with Raspberry Filling might be exactly what you are looking for!
I got the idea for this easy snowflake bread from a Holiday baking class I taught at the cooking school recently, during which we made a beautiful cinnamon and sugar snowflake bread. It was delicious, but it required long resting periods for the dough and several steps in the forming of the bread. Good quality puff pastry makes work easier, and, a flavorful raspberry filling peeking through the twists makes this sweet pastry perfect for your Holidays.
Photo Tutorial with Easy Step by Step Instructions
- Ingredients for the Easy Puff Pastry Snowflake Bread:
2. Trim the puff pastry and top with raspberry preserves:
3. Place a second layer of puff pastry on top of the raspberry layer:
4. Cut puff pastry circle into 16 wedges:
5. Lift the ends of two wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other:
6. Pinch the ends together to reconnect them and make a pointed tip:
7. Repeat with the rest of the wedges:
8. Brush some egg wash on top and sprinkle with pearl sugar:
9. Bake until puffed and golden brown:
For this recipe, I collaborated again with Fillo Factory and used their organic, all-butter puff pastry which is made with only four ingredients: butter, flour, salt and water.
As you can see by the photos, this festive snowflake bread might look too intricate to make, but the reality is that it is so easy to form and does not require any special skills to make it! Hopefully this tutorial will encourage you to make it sometime during the Holidays to share with your family and your friends!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all!
- For the pastry:
- 1 lb. organic Fillo Factory puff pastry (two sheets individually wrapped)
- For the Filling:
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup good quality raspberry jam
- ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
- For the topping:
- --- pearl sugar
- --- powdered sugar (optional)
- For the glaze:
- 2 - 4 TBSP. milk
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar (more if needed)
- ½ tsp. lemon juice
- Defrost the puff pastry dough according the instructions on the box.
- Remove one sheet of the puff pastry from the package. On a floured work surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the puff pastry gently into a 10" square. Using a sharp knife cut a 10” circle. Place the circle on a piece of parchment paper, brush a thin coat of beaten egg on the surface, then evenly spread the raspberry filling, leaving ¼" of bare puff pastry around the perimeter.
- Remove the second sheet of puff pastry from the refrigerator and the package and repeat the same rolling and cutting into the same size circle. Place it on top of the first filling-covered circle.
- Place a 2” to 2½" round cookie cutter in the center of the dough circle as a guide (you can also use a small drinking glass for this). With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the circle first into four equal wedges, then each wedge into four more wedges so you end up with 16 wedges total, making sure to leave the pastry under the cookie cutter uncut.
- Using your two hands, lift two adjacent wedges and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch the ends together to reconnect them. Repeat with the remaining wedges so that you end up with eight pairs of twisted wedges. Your puff pastry should look like a snowflake shape with eight points. Remove the cutter and transfer the pastry with the parchment on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating.
- Brush the pastry with a thin coat of the beaten egg. Sprinkle with some pearl sugar. Pinch again the points to reshape, if necessary. Bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until it is puffed and nicely golden brown.
- Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly for about 10 minutes before you dust with a little confectioners' sugar (optional).
- Stir together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl, adding up to 1 tablespoon more milk or confectioners' sugar if needed so that the glaze is the correct consistency to slowly drizzle off the end of the spoon. Drizzle the glaze all over the snowflake bread and let it harden, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
More Favorite Christmas Cookies and Treats
Greek Almond Shortbread Cookies (kourabiedes)
Swedish Christmas Saffron Buns
Pistachio Baklava Rolls with Chocolate Drizzle
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Looks so elegant and yet your description seems so simple! Will have to try this.
Thank you so much Kiki! It is not difficult at all, I do hope you try it!
Just made this over the weekend for a Christmas brunch—delicious!
I am so glad to know you made this recipe and that it was a success!
I’m so excited to try this. My 4 year old granddaughter has been asking to help bake for the holidays. This is right in her skill set! I was wondering if you ever thought of adding either cream cheese, Brie or even a sharp cheddar to this?
I can’t see why you couldn’t add some cheese, Carol! I would stick with cream cheese though, because it won’t interfere with the twisting of the dough wedges…. Brie or cheddar would melt right away and ooze out of the dough before the end of baking! Happy baking with your granddaughter!