Lemon Braid

I've been trying to flex my baking skills and really challenge myself. So...I made a lemon braid. The recipe is from King Arthur Flour.

I'm not a big fan of pre-baked goods from the grocery stores. They just aren't worth the calories and who knows how long they are really on the shelf before they get to you. I read the blog post before I made these and they compare it to something from Entenmann. I vaguely remember trying things from them..but they don't really stand out as something to buy again.

I was all for trying to make it myself. Fresh is always better and I like knowing exactly what is going into it.

I started by making the lemon curd. It was super easy. You can make it in the microwave and it comes out with much better lemon flavor than anything you can buy in the store. And leftovers are great on plain yoghurt and ice cream! 

Then I made the dough. Which was super easy. I was kind of surprised that it contains yoghurt. First time I made a dough with it inside. 

While I let the dough rise, I made the cream cheese filling. I wasn't a fan of the flavor of it on it's own....but it baked up OK. It's not very sweet though, but I'm guessing you can add more sugar which I will do with the last half of the dough I have in the freezer. 

I was nervous about actually braiding the dough up. It actually came out really nice...except the sealed end. The video really helped though. 

Mine really rose and was quite large. Especially considering I only have a tiny oven to bake it in.

Overall, it was a lot more bread heavy than I was expecting (though not dry). I would have liked more filling. I wasn't the biggest fan...but my family like it. So that was good.

I probably wouldn't make it again...but I did have a lot of fun making this one. I think I should try one of those fancy cinnamon breads next. Hmmm.