This post is sponsored by the National Peanut Board. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.
Say the words “peanut butter,” and the first thing that comes to mind is my dad. Growing up, the spread was a staple in our house – primarily because of him.
I have vivid memories of my dad coming home from tennis and downing spoonfuls of peanut butter for dinner. To this day, he still slathers slices of bread with the sweet paste for breakfast.
Like Father, Like Daughter
I’m convinced I inherited an obsession with peanut butter from my dad. Now that I’m living on my own, I always keep the pantry stocked with at least one jar. And whenever I visit a grocery store, I’m compelled to browse for a new peanut butter product to try. But it’s not a bad habit.
From breakfast to dessert, peanut butter is a versatile and affordable ingredient that can give meals and snacks a tasty and nutritious boost. In fact, it provides eight powerful grams of protein, two filling grams of fiber and 12 grams of unsaturated fat in each two tablespoon serving.
A Sweet Treat Inspired by My Dad
My dad craves baked goods – think morning buns, cinnamon rolls and oatmeal raisin cookies – as much as peanut butter. So, with Father’s Day approaching, I decided to create a recipe that combines his two passions. The result? This pretty peanut butter star bread.
While the pastry may look impressive, it’s actually quite simple to make. And the recipe calls for a standard list of ingredients, many of which you likely have on hand (like flour, milk and, of course, your favorite peanut butter brand).
Start by preparing the dough. Then throw some peanuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Finally, shape and bake the loaf!
For maximum enjoyment, serve the peanut butter star bread while it’s warm, ideally with a cup of hot coffee or tea.
Now it’s your turn to spread the peanut butter love! Share your favorite peanut butter recipe in a comment below or on social media with hashtag #HowDoYouPB. Be sure to click here for more delicious peanut butter recipes, too!
- ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons milk
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup roasted, salted peanuts
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- In a large bowl, heat milk until warm - about 30 seconds in the microwave should do. Add the yeast and sugar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the rest of the dough ingredients (butter through salt) to the milk mixture, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it’s smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (or less if using a stand mixer). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Freeze peanuts for at least 30 minutes; this will prevent the peanuts from turning into butter when processed.
- In a food processor, pulse the cold peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon until finely ground. Set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 4 equal pieces.
- Using a rolling pin, roll one piece into a circle, about 10 inches in diameter, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Spread one-third of the peanut butter in an even layer over the top of the dough, leaving a 1” border around the edges. Sprinkle on one-quarter of the peanut sugar. Repeat with remaining portions of dough, leaving the last circle bare. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
- Place a 2" round cutter in the center of the stack of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 16 wedges, leaving the area inside the round cutter intact.
- Using your hands, gently twist two adjacent wedges away from each other a few times and pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining wedges of dough.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Let dough rise for 30 minutes and then brush top of loaf with the beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining peanut sugar.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.