A Muse in My Kitchen
Cheese-Filled Braided Bread
This Easter I’m switching it up by trying a new recipe for our Easter Bread. Every year I make the traditional Paska that my Mother has made for years – this year I wanted something a bit different.
This recipe rocks! It looks like danish with cheese filling. It looks hard to make – but it’s not!
Really.
The dough is ridiculously easy. You simply mix all the ingredients in one bowl – and mix by hand or mixer. I like using my stand mixer with the dough hook.
Let it raise for 2 hours.
While the dough is rising, make a sweet cream cheese filling and refrigerate.
After two hours, divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 12″ x 8″ rectangle. Spread half of the cream cheese filling up the center. For variety – add a layer of your favorite jam. I used orange marmalade.
Fold 1″ of the end over the filling and cut 1″ strips up to the filling.
Criss cross the strips of dough down the bread tucking them gently into the filling.
Let raise for another hour and a half.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Look at this beauty! Your guests won’t believe you made it!
Enjoy and Happy Easter!
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- ½ cup lukewarm milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ – ¾ cup of your favorite fruit filling or jam
- Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them together — by hand, mixer or bread machine — till you’ve made a soft, smooth dough.
- Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 – 2 hours, or until it’s puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk).
- FILLING
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling by mixing all of the ingredients together till smooth. Chill till ready to use.
- ASSEMBLY
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide it in half.
- Roll each half into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.
- Spread half of the filling lengthwise down the center third of each rectangle.
- Cut 1-inch-wide strips from each side of the filling out to the edges of the dough. Fold about an inch of dough at each end over the filling to contain it, then fold the strips, at an angle, across the filling, alternating from side to side.
- Allow the braids to rise, covered, for 1 to 1½ hours, till almost doubled in size. Brush with a glaze made from 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water, and sprinkle with sparkling white sugar, if desired; then bake the braids in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
- Yield: 2 braids.
