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Been a while since I made these. I love this stuff, and you'd think that it'd kill me making it. But actually it's very therapeutic and the more I resist the temptation, the weaker those cravings get. So I think it's doing me some good. Plus we have an abundance of strawberries in the freezer, so It's time to get rid of them.
This recipe makes 2 braids.
Sponge
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup warm milk (115°+ or -)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For the sponge: mix the sugar, yeast, and flour together in bowl. Pour in the warm milk. Beat until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1/2 hour.
Dough
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2-3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Add the eggs, salt, sugar, and one cup of the flour to the sponge. Beat until smooth. Then add the butter in small chunks and beat well. Add the remaining flour a handful at a time and mix in until a soft but kneadable dough is achieved and the butter thoroughly incorporated.
Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer until it is smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Deflate the dough, recover the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, make the fillings before shaping the loaves.
Strawberry Filling
2 cups strawberries, quartered
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Strawberry Filling: combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Egg Glaze
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Egg Glaze: combine the egg and milk in a bowl and beat until combined.
Cream Cheese Filling
3/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon egg glaze
Cream Cheese Filling: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined
Once your filling has cooled off, take the dough out of the refrigerator and gently deflate it.
Divide it into two pieces. Use a rolling pin to shape each piece into a thin (1 cm) rectangle.
Spread your fillings in the center of the dough.
At an angle, slice the sides of the dough into tabs approximately 1 inch wide.
Oops! Forgot to take a picture of that. Here's someone else's picture, but they used blueberries.
Alternating from side to side, fold the pieces in over the filling. When possible, gentle press on the tabs to seal the folds.
After it has been fully folded, glaze the braid with egg wash. Cover loosely with plastic. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 350.
Just before placing the braid in the oven, glaze it again with any remaining egg wash. Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, rotating it once after 20 minutes so that it bakes evenly. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for at least half an hour before slicing.
I gave the nice large one to a friend and kept the smaller one for the family to munch on for breakfast. Life is good.
This recipe makes 2 braids.
Sponge
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cup warm milk (115°+ or -)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For the sponge: mix the sugar, yeast, and flour together in bowl. Pour in the warm milk. Beat until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1/2 hour.
Dough
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2-3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Add the eggs, salt, sugar, and one cup of the flour to the sponge. Beat until smooth. Then add the butter in small chunks and beat well. Add the remaining flour a handful at a time and mix in until a soft but kneadable dough is achieved and the butter thoroughly incorporated.
Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer until it is smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Deflate the dough, recover the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, make the fillings before shaping the loaves.
Strawberry Filling
2 cups strawberries, quartered
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Strawberry Filling: combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Egg Glaze
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Egg Glaze: combine the egg and milk in a bowl and beat until combined.
Cream Cheese Filling
3/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon egg glaze
Cream Cheese Filling: combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined
Once your filling has cooled off, take the dough out of the refrigerator and gently deflate it.
Divide it into two pieces. Use a rolling pin to shape each piece into a thin (1 cm) rectangle.
Spread your fillings in the center of the dough.
At an angle, slice the sides of the dough into tabs approximately 1 inch wide.
Oops! Forgot to take a picture of that. Here's someone else's picture, but they used blueberries.
Alternating from side to side, fold the pieces in over the filling. When possible, gentle press on the tabs to seal the folds.
After it has been fully folded, glaze the braid with egg wash. Cover loosely with plastic. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 350.
Just before placing the braid in the oven, glaze it again with any remaining egg wash. Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, rotating it once after 20 minutes so that it bakes evenly. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for at least half an hour before slicing.
I gave the nice large one to a friend and kept the smaller one for the family to munch on for breakfast. Life is good.
nice job 
fer it.
off to the market we go... again...
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