You can find the recipe for the lemon curd HERE. It is a bit time consuming, but not overly complicated. I also go over that in the first part of the VIDEO. You will need to make sure it has time to set up in the fridge, about 3 hours per the recipe. I am envious of anyone that could find lemon curd in their grocery store!
Here is the recipe for the lemon curd….
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Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tbsp melted butter
2 large eggs PLUS 2 additional yolks
Zest from 1 lemon
Directions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, vigorously whisk together all of the ingredients. To avoid bubble-overs, the contents should fill no more than 1/4 of the bowl; an 8-cup measure works well here.
- Microwave the ingredients in 1-minute increments, removing from the microwave and stirring to combine after each minute. Once the curd starts to thicken, shorten the cooking intervals to 30 seconds to avoid overcooking. The curd is done when it coats the back of a spoon and starts to mound a bit as you stir and the temperature reaches at least 185°F. This will take about 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the strength/power of your microwave.
- Stir the curd one more time, then pass it through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove the zest and any bits of cooked egg.
- Allow the lemon curd to cool briefly, then re-whisk and press a piece of plastic wrap or parchment against the surface to avoid forming a skin. Cool the curd at room temperature until barely warm then refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
- Keep curd refrigerated for up to 3 weeks; freeze for longer storage.
See?!?! Not too difficult! Waiting was the hardest part for me!
Now, onto the actual bread! The recipe uses the term “sponge” which automatically puts me on alert. Sponge = finicky, at least in my head.
Overall, this wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be. The actual braiding was time consuming, but not that tricky once I just jumped into it!
Without further ado, here is the recipe for the bread!
Ingredients
- Sponge
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 cup (60 g) all purpose flour
- Dough
all of the sponge
3/4 cup (170g) plain or vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (12g) table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups (600g) all purpose flour
- Filling
6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (57g) sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh preferred
1/4 cup (30g) all purpose flour
3/4 cup (203g) lemon curd
- Topping
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt
coarse sparkling sugar
Directions
- Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
- To make the sponge: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the sponge ingredients. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
- To make the dough: In the same bowl, combine the sponge with the yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add 4 1/2 cups (540g) of the 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. Add more flour, if necessary, to achieve the correct consistency.
- Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until it’s quite puffy and nearly doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
- To 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 the first piece into a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Rolling on parchment paper makes moving the bread to the baking sheet much easier.
- Lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, to visually divide it into three equal sections. Spread half the cream cheese filling down the center section and top with half the lemon curd, leaving 1″ bare of filling at each end of the dough.
- To shape the braid: Begin by using your bench knife, a pair of scissors, or a sharp knife to cut and remove a 1” rectangle from each of the dough’s four corners. This “notching” will make the ends of the finished braid neater.
- Next, fold the resulting dough “tab” over the edge of the filling on one end. Starting at that same end, cut 1″ crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips on each side.
- 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. When there are just two strips remaining (one on each side), fold the remaining “tab” over the filling, then crisscross the final two strips.
- 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 until quite puffy, 45 to 50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with pearl sugar or coarse sparkling sugar.
- To bake the braids: Uncover the braids and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
- Store any leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage. Reheat (or thaw and reheat) briefly before enjoying.
So that is it! I do wish I had made the lemon curd ahead of time, but other than that, I absolutely LOVE the way this bake turned out! I can see the potential to alter it as well. Think about adding some cinnamon to the dough and doing apples and apple butter for the filling! Or maybe a chocolate dough with some strawberries and cream! There are so many possibilites!
I hope that you enjoyed making this as well! Check back next week for another new and different treat as we start off the month of March!
