Ingredients

• 1¼ cups Warm Milk, about 110°F (300 g)
• 1½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted (71 g)
• 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar (25 g)
• 1 Egg
• 3¾ cups Artisan Bread Flour (450 g)
• 1 tsp Salt

• ¼ cup frozen Spinach, thawed and packed
• 4 oz Cream Cheese, softened (113 g)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• ¼ cup chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• ¾ cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• Egg Wash (1 Egg + 2 tsp Water, beaten)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warm milk and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Add melted butter, sugar and egg. Add flour and salt.

3. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase to medium-low speed and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 9–10 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 1–2 hours. Alternatively, cover dough and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.

1. Measure spinach by generously packing it into a measuring cup. Squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible. Place spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salt in a food processor and pulse until well combined.

2. Once dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into four equal pieces and gently shape each piece into a ball.

3. Roll each piece of dough into a roughly 12-inch circle.

4. Place one dough circle on a piece of parchment paper. Spread one-third of the spinach filling evenly over the dough, leaving about a 1½-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with one-third of the sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup of the mozzarella.

5. Place a second dough circle on top. Spread with another one-third of the spinach filling, then sprinkle with another one-third of the sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup of the mozzarella.

6. Add the third dough circle and repeat with the remaining spinach filling, sun-dried tomatoes and ¼ cup of the mozzarella. Top with the final dough circle.

7. Gently press the layers together and trim the edges as needed to create an even 10–11-inch circle.

8. Lightly press a 2½–3-inch round cutter into the center of the dough to create a shallow indentation. Remove the cutter. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, mark the dough into 16 equal sections by first dividing it into quarters, then dividing each quarter in half twice more. Cut along each marked line, stopping at the indentation so the center remains intact.

9. Keep dough on the parchment and transfer it to a baking sheet.

10. Working on the baking sheet, take two adjacent strips of dough and twist them away from each other three times. Pinch the ends together. Repeat with the remaining strips to create an eight-pointed star.

11. Loosely cover dough and let rise until puffed, about 20–30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.

12. Brush dough lightly with egg wash. Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until golden brown.

13. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a platter or cutting board. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese just before serving.

1. The spinach filling can be mixed by hand. Finely chop the spinach first so it spreads easily.

2. If the filling feels too stiff, warm it in the microwave in 5–10-second bursts until more spreadable, but not hot.

3. The spinach filling can be made 1 day in advance. Bring to room temperature or gently warm in the microwave until soft and spreadable before using.

4. If dough circles become too soft to work with, chill them briefly in the freezer to firm them up slightly.