There are times when I make things that require precision and measurements, a certain faithfulness to a recipe. Then there are the times when I walk into the kitchen, poke through the fridge and the pantry, and a sort of happy accident occurs. This bread was a happy accident.
One night last week, I needed to bake something that would fulfill two needs: 1)a moderately portable breakfast for the following morning (we had nothing in the house that could be considered breakfast food!) and 2)a tasty treat to serve at a women’s meeting at church. So I started the process of making bread, and gradually ideas began to hit me, (”What about doing the Swedish cardamom thing? And look! There’s cream cheese sitting here needing to be used. And aha! there’s a jar of my homemade peach jam!”) and the end result was this luscious thing of beauty that made my children very happy, and caused intense eye-rolling and ecstatic expressions at the meeting. So here it is: Cardamom cream cheese peach braid. Please note that you can substitute any other flavor of jam, or even fresh fruit, for the peach jam–it’s just what happened to be sitting on my counter begging to be used.
Cardamom Cream Cheese Peach Braid
For the sponge, mix the following and let stand for 10-15 minutes, until bubbly:
- 1 TBSP yeast
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 TBSP safflower or vegetable oil
- 2 c. warm water
- 2 c. flour
After the sponge has gotten bubbly and frothy, add while mixing:
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 2-4 c. flour (a little at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer and is smooth and elastic)
Cover dough, and allow to rise for 1-2 hours.
Punch down dough and place on a floury surface. Knead it for a few minutes, then roll out/stretch into a long rectangle, roughly 8″ by 14″. Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips on each side, reaching about 1/3 of the way in (these are going to form the braided top.)
Using about 1/4 of an 8-oz. package of cream cheese, well-softened at room temperature, spread a layer of cream cheese in the center of the dough, between the strips. Then spread a layer of peach jam (or any berry jam, or slices of apple, pear, or berries) on top of the cream cheese.
Starting at one end, pull the side strips over the middle of the dough, and angled slightly down. First the left side, then the right side, and so on, so that they look braided. Pinch the ends to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. (Don’t worry if some of the jam bubbles out.)
Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with butter. Don’t make this bread if you really want to have leftovers–there won’t be any!
Variation: I also did one loaf where I rolled out the dough, slathered it with just the jam, and then rolled it up into a long roll. That was also delicious. Another possible variation would be to put the jam (or even cinnamon sugar and raisins) in the middle, roll it up, and then cut it into sweet rolls. Just a thought.
Laura
1 Comment
March 17, 2008 at 10:51 pm
got a napkin or something? i am seriously drooling! that sounds SO delicious!