Christmas Braid Recipe

by Emma Christensen

Christmas Braid Recipe

Once the stockings are unstuffed, the presents dispatched, and the first round of cocoa sipped, it's time for this Christmas Braid for breakfast. In my house growing up, this meant my mother's cream cheese and jam-filled Christmas braid.

I got it fixed in my young head that this Christmas Braid recipe was handed down from the Danish side of our family. In a day already steeped in tradition, the notion that I could be eating the same Christmas Braid that my great-great-great grandma ate when she was little felt like just one more bit of magic.

This year, I decided it was time to carry on the tradition and called my mother for the family Christmas Braid recipe. That's when she broke the news that, no, this sweet braid bread had never passed through any generations. My mother had no clue where I got that idea. The recipe came from an out-of-print Fleischmann's Yeast cookbook.

When I saw the actual Christmas Braid recipe, my confusion doubled. This sweet braid bread bore no resemblance to my memory. It was more of a roll than a braid. And it was filled with, of all things, maraschino cherries. Surely, my young self would have made particular note of a breakfast featuring maraschino cherries. In the face of my doubts, my mother insisted that this was without question the recipe she made.

I brooded and fussed, and ultimately decided that it didn't matter. Maybe my ancestors didn't eat this bread for Christmas breakfast, but they did eat something. It was likely sweet and felt special, and they ate it together as a family. Just as my family does, and yours. That's the Christmas tradition that really counts.

This Christmas Braid recipe is prepared almost entirely the night before. In the morning, all that's needed is to put the Christmas Braid in the oven to bake.

Christmas Braid Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 10 to 12

Christmas Braid Recipe Ingredients

Dough:

1/4 cup (2 ounces) water

1 teaspoon yeast

1/2 cup (4 ounces) whole milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups flour

Filling:

1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup (2 ounces) granulated sugar

Zest from one lemon

1 cup (5 ounces) dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries and apricots

1/4 cup (5 ounces) raspberry jam

Frosting:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Christmas Braid Recipe Steps

In the bowl of standing mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand until the yeast has dissolved. Stir in the milk, egg, sugar, cardamom and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the flour and the butter. Stir until the butter is combined and then add the remaining flour.

Knead for 5-7 minutes with a dough hook. The finished dough should be smooth, glossy and slightly tacky. Cover and let the dough rise somewhere warm until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese with the yolk, sugar and zest until it becomes curd-like. Chop the dried fruit in a food processor and combine it with the jam in a separate bowl.

Sprinkle the counter with flour and turn out the dough. Sprinkle a little more flour over top and roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 15 inches long by 18 inches wide and 1/4-inch thick. Spoon the cream cheese mixture down the middle, spreading it into a 6-inch strip with roughly six inches of dough on either side. Spread the fruit mixture on top of the cream cheese.

With a pizza wheel or sharp knife, slice the dough on the right side into parallel strips at a downward angle. Do the same to the left side of the dough. Begin at the top and fold the strips over the filling, switching right and left to make a criss-crossed braid pattern.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Quickly scoop up the braid and transfer it to the center of the parchment. A pastry scraper or flat spatula can help with this step.

Cover the braid with plastic and refrigerate overnight. (You can also bake the braid right away. Just reduce the following rising time by 15 minutes.)

The next morning, let the braid rise somewhere warm for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it's no longer chilly and feels puffy to the touch. Heat the oven to 350 F in the last 20 minutes of rising. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bread is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling. Let the braid cool slightly.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla. Add milk one teaspoon at a time until the glaze is thin enough to pour. Drizzle the frosting over the braid, slice it into wedges, and serve.

This Christmas Braid is best the same day it is made. Leftovers will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for three days.

Christmas Braid, Braid Bread Recipe, Christmas

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Christmas Braid Recipe for Christmas Morning

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