This braided bread recipe is topped with raspberry jam and cream cheese. How to weave bread into a staple perfect for brunch or book club.
This recipe was reprinted in Five Minutes a Day by Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg with permission from Holiday and Celebration Bread.
How beautiful is this braided bread? This is not our own recipe, but that of our friend Zoë François. She’s behind the Artisanal bread in 5 minutes a day Cookbooks and a real badass baker. If you’re not following Zoë, check out her Instagram where she’s always cooking up the perfect treats. This braided bread recipe is from her new book, All About Holiday and Celebration Breads! This one is filled with raspberry jam and cream cheese and is amazing. We didn’t know how to braid bread, but with Zoë’s book instructions, it wasn’t as difficult as we thought! This particular braided bun is perfect for a fancy brunch or book club. Read on for the braided bread recipe.
Related: Fancy a quick bread? healthy banana bread
How to braid bread
This braided bread recipe takes a little time to put together, but it’s doable even with no baking experience! The beauty of bread is that, as the title suggests, the dough is a no-kneed recipe. The day before preparing the plait, simply mix the dough ingredients together and leave at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, roll out the dough into a rectangle and place a line of cream cheese raspberry jam filling in the center. This is where the fun begins: use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips from both sides. Then, starting from the top, take the strips, twist them, and then fold them left to right over the filling. Below is a photo of our half-baked plaited bread recipe to show what it looks like!
Related: Dutch oven bread without kneading
About the book
Zoë is a master baker and the holiday and holiday bread in five minutes a day is a masterpiece! Every culture has its great bread traditions for holidays and celebrations – traditional Christmas breads from Ukraine, Greece, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia; festive breads from France and Israel, just to name a few. The book is full of yeast-flavored treats that are made for parties and special occasions (like this braided bread recipe!). And of each loaf there are beautiful color photos from our dear friend Sarah Kieffer! It’s the perfect Christmas present for aspiring bakers: or anyone who loves baked goods.
Order it: holiday and holiday bread in five minutes a day
Looking for holiday treats?
This braided bread recipe is a perfect holiday treat! Here are a few more of our favorite Christmas treats:
The description
This braided bread recipe is topped with raspberry jam and cream cheese. How to weave bread into a staple perfect for brunch or book club.
For the challah dough
- ¾ cups + 2 tbsp (200 grams) warm water (100F or less)
- ½ tbsp (5 grams) dry yeast
- ½ tbsp (8 grams) kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup (170 grams) Honey
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 ½ cups (495 grams) bread flour
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- Wash the egg yolk: Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water for brushing
For the filling
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon Grated lemon peel
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- ¾ cup raspberry jam
For the icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream (we used whole milk)
Knead and store the dough: Combine water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter in a 6 quart bowl or food container with a lid (not airtight). Stir in the flour without kneading using a high speed stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk or spoon. If you’re not using a machine, you may have to use wet hands to work in that last bit of flour.
Cover (not tightly) and let stand at room temperature until dough rises, 2 hours.
The dough can be used immediately after first rising, although it’s easier to handle when it’s cooled. Store container in refrigerator and use within 5 days.
Prepare cream cheese filling: Mix cream cheese, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Put aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sprinkle the surface of the chilled dough with flour and cut off a 1 pound piece (grapefruit size). (Another dough is left over; you can make a second loaf and double the amount of filling, or store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.) Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape into a rough ball, avoiding the surface of the dough is stretched downward while rotating the ball a quarter turn.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle about 9 x 13 inches. As you roll out the dough, add more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Lift the dough onto the lined baking sheet. Place the cream cheese filling in a 1-inch strip down the center along the length of the dough and brush with the raspberry jam.
Using a pizza cutter, cut strips about 1/2 inch wide on each side. (To see the photo). Twist the strips, then fold them, left over right, and criss-cross the stuffing. Gently pinch the strips as you work your way down the dough, creating a braid. Cover loosely with cling film and leave at room temperature for 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350Fwith a grate in the middle of the oven.
Brush the braid lightly with egg yolk.
Bake the braid 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool down.
Make the icing: While the braid is cooling, mix together the sugar and pastry cream. Add enough cream to spoon the glaze.
When the braid is completely cool, drizzle with glaze and serve. (We made 2 loaves and froze one: To freeze, freeze on a baking sheet until frozen, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a sealed container.)
- Category: Bread
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Bread, plaited bread, plaited bread recipe, how to plait bread, plaited bread with topping, plaited sweet bread
