Twelfth Night Star Bread

History

Twelfth Night, as the name suggests, is the twelfth and final evening of Christmas, which also happens to be the eve of the Feast of Epiphany and the Epiphany season. Therefore, the traditions associated with Twelfth Night are often the same as the Epiphany festivities, just translated to the evening before because for many Christians throughout history, the new day began at sundown. Perhaps the tradition most unique to Twelfth Night, however, is the Twelfth Night party itself.  

In the East, where Epiphany originated, the feast is celebrated with great solemnity and awe for the God who took on flesh revealed himself to man in his nativity, baptism, and through the first miracle at the wedding at Cana. Around the fourth century the Western church adopted this feast of Epiphany (and therefore Twelfth Night) and joined in the great celebration with a stronger emphasis on the visit of the Magi, thus many of the traditions for this day in the West revolve around the wise men who met their Lord.

One such Epiphany tradition (often connected to Twelfth Night) is the King Cake. You can find several variations on the King Cake recipe, but the important part is that a small trinket or bean is concealed within the cake for one lucky person to find. We share more about the king cake ceremony and tradition in a post of its own if you want to learn more.

Another tradition is a very practical one that involved taking down the Christmas decorations and consuming whatever edible décor remained. Because Twelfth Night is a transition into Epiphany, the change of season meant a change in scenery within the home. Historically, some have told superstitious tales about what might happen to anyone who leaves a tree up after Epiphany, but others would set Candlemas as the true deadline. Regardless of which date you pick, one thing is for sure: the precious décor should not go to waste, especially if it’s edible!

Star of Bethlehem Bread

As we read in the Magi’s story, these wise men followed a star to find the baby Jesus. The church fathers appear to hold differing opinions about what precisely this star was. Was t a bright light that magically appeared or the intersection of two or more stars at this moment in history? Or perhaps even something different? No matter the answer, the Magi were led by a star to meet the Star who would arise out of Jacob, as Balaam had prophesied (Numbers 24:17). Therefore, it seems fitting to make a star bread, also a popular choice for Christmas Day, for Epiphany, as well. And the best part is that you can use up any leftover fruit filling simmered together with sugar to make a sweet and versatile filling.

Ingredients

1 packet yeast

1 cup milk, warm

3 tablespoons sugar

zest of one orange

3 eggs, separated

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

Filling

1 cup cranberries

1 cup sugar

Juice from one orange

2 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Begin by heating the milk until warm to the touch but not hot. Combine the milk and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and let rest for five minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix together 3 tablespoons sugar and the zest of one orange using a spoon or your fingers until fragrant and add this, the salt, and two eggs into the milk/yeast mixture. Split the third egg; add the yolk to the mixture and set the egg white aside for later. 
3. Begin adding in the flour first by one cup and then by half cups until a dough forms and pulls away from the side of the bowl. 
4. While the mixer is on low speed, begin adding in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter is added, continue mixing for five minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and let rest. At this point you could put the dough in the fridge to rest overnight or leave out to double in size before continuing.
6. Before the dough has doubled, prepare the filling by simmering the filling ingredients in a sauce pan until a jam forms. Remove the jam from the heat and let cool.
7. After the dough has doubled or rested overnight, divide it into two and roll each part out into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Place the first circle onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and spread the jam evenly over it. Then place the second layer on top to form a “sandwich.”
8. Take a sharp knife and cut slices into the bread but leaving the center untouched so that there are 16 slices total. Then begin folding two pieces together like so: take a “ray” in each hand and fold them away from each other three times and pinch the ends together. Repeat this seven more times until all of the pieces are folded and you have eight points to the star.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
10. Brush the star with the egg white combined with 1 tablespoon of water before placing in the oven to bake for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown on top.