Brioche Pastry with Cream Cheese Filling

I had so much fun making the spinach loaf that I decided to try the same recipe and make it into a crispy dessert. I used a recipe for a brioche dough and then added a sweetened cream cheese filling. Yum! Have fun! Brioche dough has a wonderfully golden color and an elastic texture.

Ingredients:

Brioche Dough:

1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 Tbsp granulated yeast*
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup butter, softened*
1 egg yolk
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

*Let the butter soften to room temperature. If you try to melt the butter the dough will take on a greasy texture. Once the butter softens, mash it with a knife.

*Preparing the yeast: Add the yeast and honey to the warm water and set aside until it becomes foamy.

Sweetened Cream Cheese Filling:

1/2 cup cream cheese
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the three ingredients together until soft and creamy.



Preparing the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add the yeast mixture, flour and salt and beat until the dough has pulled together. You may need to add more flour so that the dough is not sticky. Slowly add the butter to the dough, kneading it until it is well mixed. This may take about 20 minutes. The dough will take on a warm golden appearance. Cover and allow the dough to sit at room temperature for a few hours, or until it has doubled in size.



Once the dough has rise, separate it into two pieces. This dough actually makes two loaves. My mistake was making one extremely large loaf of bread that had a little trouble fitting on the baking sheet:)

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/8 of an inch thick. Make a 2 inch section for the filling in the center of the rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling on top. (You made add preserves and fresh berries to the top of the cream cheese).


Using a pizza wheel, make 1/2 inch wide strips down each side. Cris-cross the strips, one side after the other over the filling, creating the illusion of a real braid.



Place the braided loaf on a baking sheet and allow it to rise for an hour until it has doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, coat the top with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Preheat the oven to about 350 degree F. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown. When you tap the bread it should sound hollow in side. Let the loaf cool for a few minutes before serving.