Christmas Poinsettia Bread

Poinsettias mean a lot to me. Every Christmas, my aunt would buy three of them; one for my parents, one for my uncle’s family, and one for hers. Back home, we all lived in the same building, each on a different floor, it’s like a family building if you want; so seeing those poinsettias in every apartment felt like a little family tradition we all shared.

Things changed as we grew up. We moved countries, built our own lives, and now we’re spread across different parts of the world. But every year, I still buy a small poinsettia and keep it in my home. It’s my way of holding on to her tradition and keeping that memory alive.

That’s why I love poinsettias so much, and why I wanted to turn the idea into a Christmas bread. I used my pink burger buns dough as the base for this recipe (just without the pink this time). It’s an easy recipe and is fluffy and soft!

Anyways, this little bread is my way of turning a memory into something warm and festive you can share too.

Ingredients to make this beautiful Christmas bread

• Flour: This is the base of the dough and gives the bread its structure. All-purpose flour works perfectly here and makes the bread soft and easy to shape.
• Active Dry Yeast: Helps the dough rise and gives the bread its light, fluffy texture.
• Granulated Sugar: Just a bit to lightly sweeten the dough and help with browning while it bakes.
• Egg: Adds richness and softness to the dough, making it tender and easy to work with. I used a large egg.
• Water or Milk: Either one works. Milk gives a slightly softer crumb, while water keeps the dough a bit firmer for shaping. Make sure they are warm, not hot, just warm.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds flavor and helps create that soft, pull-apart texture. It also makes the dough smoother and more pleasant to work with.
• Salt: A small amount to balance the sweetness and bring out all the flavors in the dough.
• Water-based food coloring: I used red, green, and yellow. You will only need a few drops for the whole flower. You can also se gel colors and dilute them with water if that’s all you have.

Measurements are posted in the recipe card below the instructions.

Christmas Poinsettia Bread Tutorial

1. Remove a small piece of dough and set it aside. You’ll use this part later to make the green leaves and the little yellow buds in the center of the poinsettia.

Divide the rest of the dough into 3 parts: 2 equal pieces and 1 smaller one. Roll each piece into a circle. The largest circle will be the base, the second circle (same size) will be the second row of petals, and the smaller circle will become the top row of petals. This gives you 3 layers in total.

For the first circle (the base), cut 8 long slices, like cutting a pizza, but stop before the end so the pieces stay attached to the base. They are attached at the edges but not in the centre.

In the middle of each “pizza slice,” cut a small line. Flip each triangle outward, then tuck the tip of the triangle into the small cut you made in the centre of that slice. Place it down to form your first peal row.

2. For the second circle, repeat the same cuts, but this time the pieces won’t stay attached.
Cut it like a pizza all the way through so each slice is separate.
Then make the small cut in the middle of each slice again, but this time cut all the way to the outer edge (not toward the center).

To shape the petal, you flip each side twice outwards then connect them in the middle and flip the whole petal before placing it down. When you place it, make sure each petal is between 2 base petals.

3. For the final row of petal, you will cut your smallest circle into 4 “pizza cuts” and repeat steps of “step 2” and place them in between the second row. Your petals are now complete.

You can shape leaves and buds with the remaining dough and add them. To color the dough, use water-based food coloring and a brush, I used 3 drops for the whole flower which is way less than wanting to color the dough!

When you are done shaping and coloring, let it rest again for 30 minutes, and bake at 200°C (392 °F), in a preheated oven, for about 20 minutes.

⚠️ Before you bake!

When you bake it, make sure you turn off the top element so it keeps its bright colors! Don’t bake at more than 200°C (392 °F). I turn on the fan and the bottom element and place the poinsettia on the middle rack. If your oven does not allow to turn off the top element when fan is on, place a baking tray on the top rack of the oven to prevent direct exposure to the top element.