Braided Lemon Bread
This is the kind of treat that goes down well any time of the day - for a breakfast treat with a brimming cuppa, a pretty addition (the faux braiding is easy) on a brunch table, and an anytime snack from the freezer. The soft, brioche-type dough and smooth lemon goes down well. This is adapted from Smitten Kitchen, with way, way more lemon curd and the suggestion to top it with a drizzle of icing for a pretty finish. Delicious!
An Orange/Almond/Ricotta cake has a delicious citrus taste and try this Russian apple cake, a Sharlotka, too.
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
Makes 1 cup
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, finely grated
6 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Method for Lemon Curd
Whisk together the juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly until the curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk and a first bubble appears on the surface, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap touching, until cold, at least 1 hour.
Sponge
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for the dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing the bread
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Sparkling crystal sugar or pearl sugar for sprinkling OR 3/4 cup Icing Sugar and 1 tablespoon milk for icing
Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (5/8 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (8 ounces) homemade lemon curd or commercial lemon curd
Method for the Dough and Filling (see above for Method to make the Lemon Curd)
Make the sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the dough by hand: Whisk together the sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large, wide bowl. Stir in the sponge. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon as best as you can; you may need to get your hands in there to form it into a shaggy ball. Turn the ball of dough and any incorporated scraps onto a counter and knead until a smooth, soft dough forms, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
Make the dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
Make the filling (while the dough rises): Combine the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice and flour (do not add the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and the lemon curd until ready to fill the braid.
Prepare the bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the centre section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese filling.
To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of the dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal number of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper; if you have a bench scraper, this is a great time to use it. Remove the four corner segments. (Like so.)
To “braid”, begin by folding the top flap down and the bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips (like so) until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hand off decoratively under the end of the braid.
Slide the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
Bake the bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Beat the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the loaves with the egg wash and (optionally) sprinkle the braids with pearl or coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving, but for optimal taste, let it sit for several hours to overnight (covered) so the flavours can blend. If desired, cool the bread completely and drizzle with the mix of icing sugar and milk.
Do ahead: When working with bread dough, you can refrigerate it or freeze it at almost any point in the process (before the first rise, after you deflate it, etc.). When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature and let it resume rising from where it left off. This can take a few hours since it is cold. For this braid, assemble the whole thing, braided and filled, put it on its baking sheet, loosely cover it with plastic and either refrigerate it overnight or up to a day, or freeze it for up to a week (wrapped better once frozen). When you’re ready to use it, take it out, bring it back to room temperature and let it complete its second rise before you brush and bake it.
This is the kind of treat that goes down well any time of the day - for a breakfast treat with a brimming cuppa, a pretty addition (the faux braiding is easy) on a brunch table, and an anytime snack from the freezer. The soft, brioche-type dough and smooth lemon goes down well. This is adapted from Smitten Kitchen, with way, way more lemon curd and the suggestion to top it with a drizzle of icing for a pretty finish. Delicious!
An Orange/Almond/Ricotta cake has a delicious citrus taste and try this Russian apple cake, a Sharlotka, too.
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
Makes 1 cup
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, finely grated
6 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Method for Lemon Curd
Whisk together the juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 1-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly until the curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk and a first bubble appears on the surface, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap touching, until cold, at least 1 hour.
Sponge
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for the dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing the bread
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Sparkling crystal sugar or pearl sugar for sprinkling OR 3/4 cup Icing Sugar and 1 tablespoon milk for icing
Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (5/8 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (8 ounces) homemade lemon curd or commercial lemon curd
Method for the Dough and Filling (see above for Method to make the Lemon Curd)
Make the sponge: In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the dough by hand: Whisk together the sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large, wide bowl. Stir in the sponge. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon as best as you can; you may need to get your hands in there to form it into a shaggy ball. Turn the ball of dough and any incorporated scraps onto a counter and knead until a smooth, soft dough forms, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
Make the dough in a stand mixer: Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.
Make the filling (while the dough rises): Combine the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, lemon juice and flour (do not add the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and the lemon curd until ready to fill the braid.
Prepare the bread: Gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the centre section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese filling.
To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of the dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal number of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Be careful not to cut your parchment paper; if you have a bench scraper, this is a great time to use it. Remove the four corner segments. (Like so.)
To “braid”, begin by folding the top flap down and the bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips (like so) until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hand off decoratively under the end of the braid.
Slide the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.
Bake the bread: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Beat the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush the loaves with the egg wash and (optionally) sprinkle the braids with pearl or coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving, but for optimal taste, let it sit for several hours to overnight (covered) so the flavours can blend. If desired, cool the bread completely and drizzle with the mix of icing sugar and milk.
Do ahead: When working with bread dough, you can refrigerate it or freeze it at almost any point in the process (before the first rise, after you deflate it, etc.). When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature and let it resume rising from where it left off. This can take a few hours since it is cold. For this braid, assemble the whole thing, braided and filled, put it on its baking sheet, loosely cover it with plastic and either refrigerate it overnight or up to a day, or freeze it for up to a week (wrapped better once frozen). When you’re ready to use it, take it out, bring it back to room temperature and let it complete its second rise before you brush and bake it.