Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, adding more flour if needed to achieve the correct consistency. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the prepared sponge along with the yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt and flavoring.Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 10 - 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients.After allowing the braid to cool for around 30 minutes, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon and vanilla extracts, and milk in a small measuring cup with a pour spout. Bake in the 425 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, until the dough is really golden on top and the filling is set. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the braid overnight, or you can continue to the next step.īake and glaze the braid: Brush the pastry braid with the egg wash mixture. Use the sheet of parchment to carefully transfer your braid to a baking sheet. Fold strips, first one from one side and then one from the other side in an alternating fashion, over the filling. Take a deep breath and soldier through, because it's gonna come out amazing!Ĭontinue assembling the braid: (Remember, there are photos below to help visualize this step!) Make diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals on each the long sides. Things will get oozy and you will worry that you're messing the braid up. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the butter and spread it out (I use the back of two spoons to spread it around). Pour the melted butter onto the middle third, spreading it around with the back of a spoon. Measure and mark the dough lengthwise into thirds. Remove the top sheet of parchment and discard. Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough to an 10- by 12-inch rectangle (I lift the paper off every now and then and flip the dough and repeat on the other side, to ensure the dough isn’t sticking). Very lightly flour the top of the dough and place another sheet of parchment paper on top.

Turn the dough out onto a big sheet of lightly-floured parchment paper and knead each very lightly for just 4-5 strokes (be careful not to overwork the dough or it’ll be tough! Don’t worry about getting it smooth - just knead for these few strokes and let it stay a little rough.) Add the milk and almond extract and blend until it’s just starting to come together into a loose dough. Add the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture and pulse to cut the fat into the flour (about 6 pulses).

In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Make the pastry braid: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set aside on the counter while you prepare the rest of the braid. Make the filling: Cream the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until fluffy before adding lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice, and the egg. Zest of 1 lemon (reserve some for topping) Again, these braids look totally fancy and will impress guests, but they're shockingly easy to make.ġ egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water for egg washġ (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened The pastry gets crisp and and the filling is absolutely sublime. I'm a huge fan of lemon, and this Lemon Cheesecake Braid is the perfect breakfast or dessert. This is actually my favorite braid so far, and that's saying a lot. It's another pastry braid!! Because I'm obsessed.

Lemon braid