Danish Braid

Dough

• 1/2 cup Milk, warmed
• 1 2/3 tsp Yeast — Instant/quick-rise: stir straight into the dry ingredients, no proofing needed.
• 1/3 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 tbsp Butter, melted
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

Lamination

• 3/4 cup Cold butter, in a block

Filling

• 6 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Finish

• 1 Egg, beaten — for the egg wash

Dough

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm milk and let stand until foamy.
2. Whisk in the egg and melted butter, stir in salt and flour, and knead briefly, about 5 minutes, until it comes together into a smooth dough. Wrap and chill.

Laminate

1. Pound the cold lamination butter into a flat rectangle between two sheets of parchment. Roll the chilled dough out, place the butter in the centre, and fold the dough over it to fully enclose it.
2. Roll out and fold into thirds, then chill. (Tip: Work quickly and chill between every fold if your kitchen is warm — the moment this butter softens past cold, the layers are lost.)
3. Repeat the roll-fold-chill sequence two more times, for three folds total.

Filling

1. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla together until smooth.

Shape

1. Roll the laminated dough into a rectangle about 14x10 inches. Spread the filling down the centre third lengthwise. Cut diagonal strips into the dough on either side of the filling, then fold the strips alternately over the top, overlapping slightly, to form a braid.

Rise

1. Transfer to a lined sheet, cover loosely, and let rise somewhere cool rather than warm. (Tip: A cool proof keeps the yeast working slowly without pushing the laminated butter toward its melting point before it ever reaches the oven.)

Bake

1. Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C (400°F) until deeply golden.