In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, dry milk, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar & salt.  It is important to sift the ingredients to prevent lumps in the bread dough.

Add the softened butter, lukewarm water & vanilla extract.  Mix well to combine by hand or mixer.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 60 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Roll each one into a ball and place them, covered, on a tray for about 15 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon.  Set both bowls aside.

On a piece of parchment paper, roll one piece of dough into a 10" circle.  Brush the entire surface lightly with the beaten egg.  Evenly sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon-sugar (about 3 tablespoons), leaving 1/4″ of bare dough around the perimeter.

Roll out another 10" circle and place it on top of the 1st cinnamon coated circle. Brush it with egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.  Repeat the process with the 3rd circle.  Finish with the 4th circle, leaving it bare on top.  Reserve the remainder of the beaten egg to brush over the star once it's shaped.

Place a round cookie cutter (or upside-down drinking glass) measuring around 2 1/2″ to 3″ in diameter in the center of the circle. Press down gently to make an impression in the dough. Be careful …you are just making an impression, not cutting through any of the dough. Then, using a very sharp knife, cut through the layers of dough from the outer edge of the circle impression to the outside edge creating four quadrants. Then cut each quadrant into four equal wedges.

Using both hands, carefully lift two adjacent dough strips to the outer edge of the inner circle. Twist them away from each other twice so that the top side is facing up again. Pinch the outer edges together to form a bond between the two wedges. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough. When finished, you’ll have eight swirled star points.

Transfer the formed star on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover and let it rise until it becomes noticeably puffy about 45 minutes.  While it is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Brush the star with a thin coating of the beaten egg.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until it’s nicely golden with dark brown cinnamon streaks.  Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.  If desired, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve with a dollop of French Butter Icing.

Place milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, whisking constantly until mixture thickens to a creamy texture.  Remove from heat and place a piece of parchment or waxed paper directly on top of the sauce to prevent skin from forming.  Cool completely.  

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Slowly add the sugar and vanilla.  Once combined, add the cooled white sauce and continue beating until light and fluffy.  Alternatively, a hand-held mixer can be used.

NOTE: To frost a large cake or layer cake, double this recipe.