Birds eye view of star bread on parchment paper

The quintessential summer berry in western Canada. I love Saskatoons! Every year I try my best to pick a bucket or two of these berries. They are amazing in everything from pies to jams, BBQ sauce, and baked goods like this seasonal star bread.

A great bonus to being part of the Grey Arrow Farm CSA is being able to head out to the field and pick for free.

For this recipe, you can use fresh or frozen saskatoons, or even pre-made prepared jam to skip a step.

Saskatoon and Cream Cheese Star Bread

Saskatoon Filling:

4 cups saskatoon berries
2 cups sugar
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Filling:

350 g light cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour
8g package of active dry yeast
¾ cup milk, plus ¼ cup warm milk
½ cup sugar, plus 1 tsp
1 egg at room temperature
¼ cup butter, softened
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp heavy cream, plus sugar for finishing

Make the saskatoon filling ahead of time or the night before. Alternatively, you can substitute for prepared saskatoon jam. Place saskatoons, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens, slowly bubbles, and coats the back of the spoon (~15-20 minutes). Refrigerate filling overnight or until completely chilled.

Prepare dough. Heat ¼ cup milk in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Add yeast and sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes.

In large bowl, add the flour, egg, sugar, butter, ¾ cup milk, salt and yeast mixture. Combine until a sticky ball forms. Turn onto counter and knead for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough becomes soft and elastic. Place into a large bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 hour until dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make cream cheese filling by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand mixture, blend under smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into four equal parts. Shape into four balls and cover for another 10-15 minutes.

Roll one ball at a time into a 10-inch circle. Place dough on a parchment paper-lined pizza pan or large baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese filling, followed by saskatoon filling on the dough, leaving half-an-inch space from the edge. Roll out a second ball, layer onto the first and layer with more cream cheese and saskatoon filling. Roll out the third ball, and layer again. Roll out the fourth ball and place it on top leaving the top dough bare.

Using a cup as a guide, place it in the centre of the dough. Cut the dough into four equal parts, stopping at the edge of the cup. You’ll want to work fast to prevent filling from leaking out as much as possible. Don’t worry if it gets a little messy (simply remove some of the extra filling that may leak out to avoid burning in the oven). Cut each quarter section four more times so you are left with 12 slices. Pick up two slices (one in each hand) and twist the strands outwards twice and pinch the two twists closed together. Repeat until all slices have been twisted and combined.