Raspberry-Cream Cheese Braid

I've made this before--the lemon version. It bears repeating, no? This time, it's made with raspberries and cream cheese. I'm finding that these braids are fairly easy to make if you have a stand mixer (I haven't tried it without). Working with dough can be tricky, but as with most things, practice makes perfect. This recipe, adapted from King Arthur Flour, makes a sweet braid that tastes like it comes from a bakery...only better, since you know what went into it.

I won't bore you with pictures of the process. If you would like, visit my post Braided Lemon-Sour Cream Bread and you can see what goes on, from making a "sponge", to braiding the dough. I will share a quick recipe for the Raspberry filling, which is awesome.

You'll have more filling than you'll need for the braids. Just use it on some pancakes...yum!

Raspberry Filling

Printable Recipe

1 (12 oz) package frozen raspberries

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

Place the raspberries, water and sugar in a medium sized heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Slowly, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook and stir for a few more minutes, or until the mixture is thickened and bubbling. Cool to room temperature before using.

Truthfully, I should have used more filling than the 1/2 cup per braid that is called for in the recipe. I don't think anyone would have minded if a bit spilled out....

Now, I'm thinking that a savory braid is order. A "man" braid of sorts. Pizza, perhaps? Or something with beer and cheese? Hmmm....perhaps both. Stay tuned.

Braided Lemon-Sour Cream Bread

Once again, it's time for a monthly Improv challenge, hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. If you haven't had a chance to visit Kristen, you should take the time to do so.....not only does she post some great recipes, she has some great stories to tell.

This month our ingredients are Lemon and Sour Cream. As it happens, I was looking longingly at a Braided Lemon Bread recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.  After making a few adjustments, I had my January Improv Challenge in the bag! The best part is that while there are a few steps, it's easier to make than it looks.

This recipe starts out by making a sponge--think of it as a big kick-start to your yeast. As King Arthur describes it, this dough is so rich that it needs a little help to get it to rise quicker.  The dough is certainly rich, filled with butter, sugar, eggs, and (here's where I made my sub), sour cream. The recipe also calls for 2 teaspoons of vanilla or Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor and I have to tell you, that Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor is the bomb! My friend DeeDee recommended it to me, so I had to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did. It made the dough taste like it came from a bakery.

Let me just share a couple of hints when working with this dough (with any dough, really). First, if you measure your flour in measuring cups, spoon it lightly into the cup and level it off. Start with the minimum amount called for in the recipe...you can always add more. If you do add more, add it a tablespoon at a time until the dough is the consistency that you want. This time you are looking for a soft dough, so if it's a bit sticky, no worries.

Often, when you read a dough recipe, it calls for you to "punch it" down after it has risen. I'm guilty of using those words, myself. These directions call for you to "gently deflate" the dough, which really makes much more sense. Why rip into those delicate cells of yeast? Gentle is the way to go.

While the dough is rising, go ahead and get your filling together. First is a layer of cream cheese filling (a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and flour), and then there is a layer of lemon curd. You can buy a jar of lemon curd, but I prefer to make my own (printable recipe here) because I don't like it too be too sour.

Add the zest of one lemon to 3/4 cup sugar. Cream this mixture with 1/4 cup softened butter. Add 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/3 cup lemon juice and a dash of salt.

Place the lemon mixture in a medium-sized heavy saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just comes to a simmer and starts to thicken (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, cover and chill until needed.

You'll have more lemon curd than you'll need for the recipe...just keep it refrigerated and use it on toast, or waffles, or pancakes, or crackers, a spoon.....

Now you're ready to make your braid.

What we're making here is called a "faux braid". Although, it looks fancy when it's done, it's really quite a simple procedure. Just roll out the dough into a 10"x16" rectangle. The recipe suggests doing this on parchment paper, but I just love my silicone mat for this. The dough was easy to roll without even adding any additional flour.

Now just lightly press two lines down each side of the dough (making three equal divisions). You'll then spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle and top that with lemon curd. Cut strips on each side of the filling (making sure you have the same amount on both sides). Starting from the left, bring one strip of the dough over the filling diagonally. Repeat on the other side, so that the strips overlap and continue down the entire braid until you have your formed loaf.

It looks a little like a mummy at this point, no? The nice part about using the silicone mat is that you can just transfer the whole thing over to a baking sheet and bake. Just brush a little egg wash over the top, and sprinkle with some pearl sugar.

The sour cream was a great addition to the dough--it was very soft, and it stayed that way for a couple of days.

You can see what I did with my extra curd. :)

I was so happy with the results of this recipe that I'm going to be making it with different fillings. Cherries? Blueberries? Apples? Yes, yes and yes! I also am thinking that, with a few changes, I can make this into a savory braid. What kind of filling would you like to see?

Again, this recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website The only change I made was to swap out the yogurt for the sour cream. You can find a printable recipe here: Braided Lemon Bread

Orange-Glazed Sweet Potato Breakfast Braid

I was excited to learn last November that my recipe was one of eleven chosen as finalists in the "Best of the Midwest" Cook Off sponsored by Midwest Living Magazine. The event was held in Branson Missouri at the Silver Dollar City Theme Park in December---right in the middle of one of the biggest Christmas celebrations in the country....there were over a million lights on display! While I didn't win the 10K grand prize, the experience was amazing. The folks at Midwest Living Magazine and at Silver Dollar City couldn't have been more accommodating and the other finalists were as nice as could be.

The recipe that won me a spot in the competition, Orange-Glazed Sweet Potato Breakfast Braid, was supposed to be a representation of a typical recipe found in Minnesota. While sweet potatoes are thought of more as a Southern ingredient, the idea of a breakfast braid is so very Scandinavian...and the addition of cardamom as one of the spices just clinched the deal.

We prepared our recipes in the commercial sized bakery within Silver Dollar City. Here is Emily Hobbs making her Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake and Diane Sparrow making her Beef Short Ribs With Cranberry Port Gravy. Diane won the People's Choice Award.

We were each given kitchen helpers. They were so nice and so helpful--I learned a few things from them--like how to open the door to the proofer so that my bread could rise.

This was my bread right before my presentation. Unfortunately, I had to cut it into slices in order to present it. The judges didn't see it as a whole loaf.

The staff provided me with everything I needed....

....Including a vintage KitchenAid mixer. It worked great!

Here, a few of us wait to present our creations. Judy Reynolds (first on the left, in green) was the grand prize winner with her Caramel & Chocolate Kettle Corn Krispie Bars with Sea Salt.

After our presentations, we had a little time to explore the park. The Christmas trees were magnificent.

As a special surprise, the emcee for the prize ceremony was Tony Orlando! And, yes, we sang "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree"! Later, we saw all of the trees lit up. There were thousands of people watching.

Today I made my Breakfast Braid without the raisins. Braiding the dough took a little practice for me. It's easiest to start in the middle and braid to each end.

Of course it's best if we brush a little butter over the loaves before we bake them.

Of course, these don't last long at my house. And who says you need a knife to slice it?

I hear the next contest will be announced in Midwest Living Magazine's July issue. This should come out in about 2 months. Do you have the next "Best of the Midwest" recipe?