the other night as i was gabbing with one of my friends in hawaii about what has been going on in our lives and catching up and seeing as i like to multi-task all the time i was also surfing blogs and websites for recipes that just have that "WOW" factor. as i was perusing through smitten kitchen i stumbled upon this tasty looking piece of carb heaven. i had been looking for a light, kind of tangy, pastry-ish item to try since sunday was the first day of spring. so why not make something that was just as happy and delightful?! plus, its just so darn PRETTY!!!
so i set to work...
so i set to work...
INGREDIENTS
Sponge
- 3/4 cup warm water *i used soy milk*
- 2 teaspoons sugar *i used honey*
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise or instant yeast
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- all of the sponge
- 3/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt *i was a little shy of 3/4 cup, so i substituted sour cream to make up for the lack of yogurt*
- 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup sugar *i used honey*
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- egg wash for brushing braid
- pearl sugar or sparkling white sugar for sprinkling on braid *i used sugar in the raw*
Cream cheese filling
- 2/3 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- *i added about half a lemon's worth of lemon zest*
- 1/2 cup prepared lemon curd *i had to store buy since i was a little pressed for time*
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
*this is what your sponge will look like after 15 min.*
In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the sponge, yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, adding more flour if needed to achieve the correct consistency.
If working by hand or stand mixer, place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 6 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.*i usually warm up my oven to ~170 degrees and let my doughs rise in there, since our house is always like an icicle*
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.
Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover half with plastic wrap and set it aside as you roll out the first piece into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Rolling on parchment paper makes moving the bread to the baking sheet much, much easier. *if you didn't roll on parchment move the rolled out dough to a piece of parchment BEFORE you put the cream cheese filling on, this will keep you from having the difficult task of doing it while its already braided, which i learned the hard way:-/* Lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, to divide it into 3 equal sections. Spread half the cream cheese filling down the center section, and top with half the lemon curd, leaving 1" free on all sides of the filling.
To form the mock braid, cut 1" crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips down each side *they recommend using a bench scraper to cut the strips, but sadly that is one tool i have yet to get, so i just used my handy pizza cutter, worked just as well^_^*. Beginning on the left, lift the top dough strip and gently bring it across the filling diagonally. Repeat on the other side with the top dough strip, so that the two strips crisscross each other. Continue down the entire braid, alternating strips to form the loaf
Repeat the rolling, filling, and braiding steps for the second piece of dough, using the remaining cream cheese filling and lemon curd. Set both loaves aside, lightly covered, to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, or until quite puffy
*i wanted to try this with cherries since i had an extra can of cherry pie filling in my pantry from my cream cheese tarts. i didn't add any lemon curd, but i am sure if you want to try it it would turn out just as delicious!*
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash (one lightly beaten egg, 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt), and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown *i put both loaves in on the top two thirds of my oven, cooked both for about 15 minutes then moved the one on the top to the bottom and the bottom too the top*. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Yield: 2 loaves.
*dig in^_^*
these turned out too yummy for words, the tang of the cherry mixed with the sweet dough of the bread and the creamy cheese filling. mmm, and the slight hints of the lemon zest just POP out at you to say hello!! not heavy or overbearing, but delightfully perfect carb HEAVEN!! i hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i do!!^_^
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