So a few weeks too late, I finally got around to making the Daring Bakers Challenge. I had never made a laminated dough like a puff pastry or danish, so it was a bit intimidating at first, but the results of all of my efforts were well worth it. Unfortunately, many of these recipes are simply oversized for our two person household, so I put off the construction of the braid until the in-laws were in town. My father in law love cherries so I knew I really needed a good cherry filling. On the other hand my mother in law doesn't care for cooked fruit. Finally, my husband is totally addicted to Wisconsin almond flavored kringles (based of a similar laminated dough concept). Unfortunately these delectable pastries are just not readily available in Pittsburgh, so I thought that this was an opportunity to please them all. I made almond filling and cherry filling. All in all I made 3 braids from the recipe and learned a lot along the way about how much filling is too much or too oozy.
For the almond filling I perused several recipes online and decided to wing it. I mixed ground almonds with brown sugar cinnamon, salt (don't skimp on the salt it really helps give the dish nuttiness), a dash of almond extract, and eggwhites. I started with about 2 cups of whole almonds and about one cup of sugar. Since I wasn't going to use this right away I left out the egg whites until right before filling. I used about 4 egg whites for this amount of almonds, but the filling had a tendency to escape the confines of the braid, so for the future I would stick to no more than 3 egg whites and make sure to chill really well before braiding.
For the cherry filling I tried two methods,
Method one - pitt bing cherries and cut in half
method two- pitt bing cherries, cut in half, at some sweet cherry jam, let set in fridge
Out of these methods, the first created a much more desirable result. The cherries cooked in the braid tasted jammy without oozing. The second method create tons of overflow from the braid... which when mixed with the almond mixture was crisp and tasty, but meant that the bread did not rise as nicely and had a few cherry colored blemishes.
So I made plain almond braids and almond cherry braids. I loved both, but as it is summer I would strongly suggest using the uncooked bing cherries.
DOUGH (detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I used instant yeast.)
1/2 cup (250 mil) whole milk
1/3 cup (58 grams) sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I used green cardamom pods and whizzed the seeds in a coffee grinder.)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped- I didn't have this, so I just added more vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup (125 mil) fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups (390 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
BUTTER BLOCK (beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks, 220 grams) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
DOUGH: In the bowl of the stand mixer, stir together the milk and yeast with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. BEURRAGE: In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix the butter and flour using the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another minute, until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Set aside at room temperature.
4. BUTTER BLOCK: After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the dough to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
6. Repeat folding two more times, refrigerating for 30 minutes in between.
7. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used.
The fun part Assembly!
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface (and on top of your parchment paper, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, 1/4-inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet. (Don’t forget to move the rolled dough to the baking sheet!)
4. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
5. Spoon the filling down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps,” fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. You can trim any excess dough but as we like bread around here i just tucked in the ends which meant one end was always breadier than the rest of the braid.
6. Brush the egg wash over the braid.
7. Spray some cooking spray on a piece of plastic wrap, and cover the dough with the sprayed side down. Proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled and is light to the touch. Don't forget the cooking spray or the braid will look completely mangled upon plastic removal. Luckily the egg wash covered up much of my error on the first braid
8. Preheat oven to 400º F
9. Remove the plastic. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and reduce heat to 350º F. Continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the bread is a deep, golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
10. Wrap well in plastic to store
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