Holiday star bread

Combine the yeast with warm water and warm milk at 100 to 110 degrees, like hot bath water, and let it activate about 15 minutes.

Add a little sugar, ground cardamom, one beaten egg, a generous amount of melted butter, the flour and a little salt.

Knead with the dough hook about 5 minutes into a very smooth, soft, fairly elastic dough, scraping down the bowl once or twice.

Scrape the hook and clean the sides of the bowl with a spatula; with damp hands shape the dough into a smooth ball.

Cover and let rise in a warm spot a couple of hours, until doubled; it is ready when a floured finger poke holds its mark.

Mix cinnamon into sugar; whisk a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into an egg for the butter egg wash.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, flatten into a uniform disc and divide into four equal pieces.

Shape a piece into a ball and roll it into a circle 11 or 12 inches across; transfer to parchment and press into a near-perfect circle.

Brush generously with the butter egg mixture almost to the edge, sprinkle with at least a generous tablespoon of cinnamon sugar, and scatter dried fruit and chopped nuts right to the edges.

Roll the next piece, press it on top and repeat, three filling layers in all, finishing with the fourth round of dough.

Mark, without cutting, a three-inch circle in the centre; cut from it into quarters, then each quarter in half and in half again, for 16 strips; chilling first makes this easier.

Twist each pair of strips away from each other two or three times and pinch the ends together into a point, eight times in all.

Slide the parchment onto a pan, trim it, cover with a towel and proof at room temperature about 45 minutes until a little puffy.

Brush the entire surface with the egg and butter mixture.

Bake in the centre of a 400 degree oven 20 to 25 minutes until browned.

Transfer to a cooling rack, remove the parchment and cool to room temperature.

Dust lightly with powdered sugar; serve on a platter garnished with rosemary and cranberries.