Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Braid
User Reviews
5
26 reviews
Excellent
Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Braid
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The Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Braid is a sweet yeast bread filled with a smooth cream cheese mixture and tangy raspberry jam. The dough is enriched with sour cream and butter, yielding a soft yet structured texture. Sliced almonds and coarse sugar sprinkled on top add crunch and sweetness, while the lemon zest in the dough and filling brightens the flavors.
Description
This braid begins with a sponge of instant yeast, warm water, sugar, and flour set aside until bubbly, which helps develop flavor and texture. The dough contains sugar, flour, sour cream, butter, salt, egg, and lemon zest, making for a tender and pliable finish after kneading and a warm rise.
The cream cheese filling is enriched with butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and Instant ClearJel for stability. A raspberry jam filling thickened with ClearJel adds fruity brightness. After rolling out the dough and layering fillings, it is braided and topped with sliced almonds and coarse sugar for texture and sweetness.
This pastry offers a balance of creamy, fruity, and nutty elements with a soft crumb and a crunchy exterior, suitable as a dessert or sweet breakfast treat.
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Ingredients
For the sponge:
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup water 100°-105°, warm
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour unbleached
For the dough:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour unbleached
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
For cream cheese filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened, unsalted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons Instant ClearJel
For raspberry filling:
- ½ cup raspberry jam seedless
- 2 tablespoons ClearJel
For Assembly:
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup almonds sliced
- ¼ cup sugar coarse white
Instructions
Make the sponge:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, warm water, sugar and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until bubbly.
Make the Dough:
- To the active sponge, add the sugar, flour, sour cream, butter, salt, egg and lemon zest. Place in the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead until the dough is soft and pliable, not sticky, about 3-5 minutes with the stand mixer. (Note you can also knead the dough with your hands, but it will take longer. Just look for the tactile cues of soft dough that's not too sticky.)
- Lightly grease a large bowl (I use a teaspoon of canola oil and a paper towel to coat the inside of a bowl) and place the dough in it. Lightly cover with a dish towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled.
Make The Cream Cheese Filling:
- While the dough is resting, add cream cheese, butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest to a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, beat the ingredients together. Add the ClearJel and egg and beat again, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula until very well combined. Set aside.
Make The Raspberry Filling:
- In a small bowl, combine the raspberry jam and Instant ClearJel. Mix until well combined and set aside.
Assemble the Braid:
- Gently deflate the dough and divide in half. Cut two pieces of parchment paper to the size of your baking sheet. Lay one sheet of parchment on the work surface and set one half of the dough onto it. Shape the dough into a rectangle with your hands, then roll it out to a 10x15" measure. Use a ruler to measure and assure the work surface is large enough.
- Using a pizza cutter, trim away any uneven or misshapen edges of the dough so that you're working with a truer rectangle.
- In a 2" swath, vertically down the center of the dough, spread half of the raspberry filling. Top the filling with half of the cream cheese layer and evenly spread it over the jam. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of almonds.
- Using the pizza cutter, make parallel cuts, about 2 1/2" long at a 45° angle down each side of the braid.
- Fold the top and bottom edges over the filling. Alternate pulling one strip at a time down over the center of the braid, overlapping the filling and continuing until the loaf is breaded. Tuck in the ends. Continue in this manner with the second braid.
- Cover the braids and let them rise for 30-45 minutes until they're puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Sprinkle each loaf with 2 tablespoons of almonds. Lightly brush with egg wash. Sprinkle each loaf with 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Bake for 32-36 minutes until golden brown. remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
140kcal
(7%)
Carbohydrates
16g
(5%)
Protein
2g
(4%)
Fat
7g
(11%)
Saturated Fat
3g
(15%)
Cholesterol
28mg
(9%)
Sodium
150mg
(6%)
Potassium
52mg
(1%)
Sugar
6g
(12%)
Vitamin A
215IU
(4%)
Vitamin C
0.5mg
(1%)
Calcium
19mg
(2%)
Iron
0.7mg
(4%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 32Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 140kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 16g | 5% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 28mg | 9% |
| Sodium | 150mg | 6% |
| Potassium | 52mg | 1% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 215IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 0.5mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 19mg | 2% |
| Iron | 0.7mg | 4% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
26 reviews
Excellent
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