birthday brunch i.

Things that make me nervous. Frisbees. Being forced to decide my food/drink order quickly. Shopping in crowds. And bread. Not eating it - baking it. Even with the inspiration of friends who nonchalantly produce delicious and creative loaves, I'm tentative and skeptical. (The majority of my few and feeble bread attempts, until recently, fell in the "could double as a handy doorstop or free weight" category.) I've started to have some success with the much-celebrated no-knead bread, though, and no longer automatically skip past a recipe as soon as I see "add yeast" and "let rise."

So after I bookmarked this one a while ago, I'd been waiting impatiently for the perfect opportunity to [gulp] give it a try. And what better opportunity than celebrating the lovely C.'s birthday with a boozy brunch?

I proofed my yeast, gave myself a stern pep talk, and got to work. The outcome? Bread that was not just edible but pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. Triumph! Even better: getting to share it with good friends on a shady porch, enjoying a perfect summer day and brunch bounty [documented by C. herself] that included coffee, quiche [more on that shortly], chocolate raspberry cookies, watermelon/feta/basil salad, blueberry muffins, and mimosas. Mmm. I have very talented friends. Happy birthday, C.!


I will, without any doubt, be making this bread again, and I'm already looking forward to trying different filling combinations. The dough is like a brioche, so you really couldn't go wrong. Plain old cinnamon and sugar? Dark chocolate? Cream cheese and strawberry jam? Walnuts and apples? Yes.

So proud!

Braided Lemon Bread
from smittenkitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Sponge:
6 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (*I used active dry and it worked just fine.)
1/4 c. flour

Dough:
Sponge (above)
6 tbsp. sour cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs (1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash later)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
Pearl sugar for sprinkling (*I didn't have any - though apparently Ikea sells it and I may look the next time I'm there - so I did without and it was fine. It would be nice, though.)

Filling:
1/3 c. (2 1/2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. sugar (*I only used a scant 1 tbsp. and might in fact leave it out entirely next time.)
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. flour (*I used 1.)
1/4 c. lemon curd (*Cheating with store-bought was a handy shortcut. If you have time, though, smittenkitchen includes a recipe.)

1. Make sponge:
In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10-15 mins.

2. Make dough: (*The KitchenAid mixer did, as usual, an awesome job on this. Directions for kneading the dough by hand can be found over on smittenkitchen.)
Combine sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5-6 mins. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60-90 mins., until puffy and nearly doubled.

3. Make filling:
Combine all ingredients except for lemon curd in a small bowl and stir until smooth and lump-free. Set aside until ready to use.

4. Prepare bread:
Gently deflate dough and roll on well-floured counter (*using my mom's trick, I wet the counter and overlap two sheets of parchment paper - the water makes it stick well - then flour those, so clean-up is easier) to form a 10x15" rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a (new) sheet of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, gently press two lines down the length of the rectangle, dividing it into 3 equal columns. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle, leaving the top and bottom 2 inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd on top of the cream cheese.


5. Braid bread:
Cut 1" strips crosswise down the length of each outer column, being careful not to cut the parchment paper. (*I held a ruler above the dough widthwise and gently marked the cuts with a knife so that the strips would be even on both sides. Compulsive? Yes. Pleasingly symmetrical? Yes.) Start by folding down the top and bottom flaps. (*If the dough seems too soft at this point, pop it into the fridge, as I had to, for about 10 mins. to let the strips firm up a bit.) Lift top strip of dough and bring diagonally across filling; repeat, alternating sides, until you're out. (*I was careful to make the strips touch each other so that no filling showed. Personal preference.)

6. Transfer braid (on parchment paper) to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-50 mins., until puffy. Brush the braid with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (*optional).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 mins., until golden brown.


To make ahead: After covering the whole thing with plastic, stick in the refrigerator overnight, and let it sit out for a few hours the next morning to complete its rise. (*I did this and it worked beautifully, particularly since there wouldn't have been time to make this start-to-finish in one morning in time for brunch.) Then bake as directed.